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I don’t like W Hotels and I tend not to hide that feeling very well.
I find them to be all style (and not style that I like) and little to no substance whatsoever. Most of the W’s I’ve visited are trying too hard to be cool and remind me more of overpriced Vegas nightclubs than upscale hotels. I really don’t get why some people seem to like them so much. It’s all a bit Emperor’s New Clothes.
W Hotels Unveils “W Sound Suites”
As if I didn’t already have a big enough list of reasons to avoid the brand whenever possible the W Hotels have just announced a truly ridiculous “innovation” – the W Sound Suites.
Per W Hotels:
W Hotels Worldwide, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), in partnership with Coca-Cola, today debuted the first-ever W Sound Suite at W Bali – Seminyak. This private music studio and writer’s room will be the place for professional recording artists, studio musicians and producers, in addition to hotel guests, to record in style while on the road. Additional studios in music meccas around the world will be unveiled later this year at W Hollywood, W Barcelona and W Seattle, with more to come.
Where do they get this stuff from?!
Actually, W Hotels provides the answer to that question:
W Sound Suites are in part the brainchild of the W brand’s North American Music Director, DJ White Shadow, the Chicago-based producer best known for his work with Lady Gaga. He has been working with W to identify the best sound equipment and studio layout to ensure the suites are optimal for professional use.
Image courtesy of Starwood
DJ White Shadow (I can’t believe I actually typed that name) is quoted as saying:
While traveling around the globe making music for the last decade, I’ve run into many challenges including costly studio rentals, the risk of disturbing other guests, and not being able to find a suitable place to listen to or create music
We dreamed up an environment for musicians to create that is convenient, stylish and functional. I’m thrilled to partner with the equally innovative team at W Hotels – there isn’t another brand that could bring this idea to life on such a global scale and in such an innovative way.
Is this really something that is needed in a hotel? Just how many requests for studio facilities do hotels get from traveling “artists” every year?
If W Hotels paid more attention to things that matter rather then playing around with truly unnecessary things like this then perhaps the W Hotel Times Square wouldn’t be this average:
The W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore wouldn’t be this average either:
The W Hotel New York wouldn’t be even worse….
These are hotels that regularly charge $350 – $500 per night and they’re really not very good at all. So why is the hotel chain throwing money at “innovations” like the W Sound Suite when there are so many better things that they could be doing for guests? It’s nonsense.
I mentioned a while back that there may actually one good thing to come out of the Marriott takeover of Starwood but perhaps there are actually two. Perhaps when Marriott takes over the reins at Starwood HQ they’ll do something about the W Hotels. Getting rid of all this type of rubbish should be job no. 1.
Featured image courtesy of Starwood.
