I Love W Hotels…
How I First Discovered W
I first discovered the hotel brand W Hotels on a trip to Hong Kong in 2017. I had so much fun with its originality that I was the one who ended up signing up for the SPG Amex card. It hit me so hard that I actually swore, “From now on, all my travels will be devoted to visiting W Hotels!!!” (Yes, that’s dramatic.)
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My stay at W Hong Kong completely shattered my idea of what a luxury hotel was supposed to be, thanks to the meticulous design in every last detail. Ever since then, W Hotels has been my favorite hotel brand.
So What Exactly Is a W Hotel?
I’ve been casually repeating “W Hotel” all through this article from the very beginning, but I imagine plenty of people are thinking, “Okay, but what even is W Hotel / W Hotels?” So let me explain for a moment here. (The main story still hasn’t started at all.)
Here’s what W Hotel / W Hotels is all about:
- The “W” comes from “WHATEVER/WHENEVER”.
- It used to be a luxury brand under Starwood, the group behind Sheraton, but since Starwood was absorbed and merged into Marriott, it is now part of Marriott.
- It’s a luxury hotel brand known for bold interiors aimed at the millennial generation and friendly service.
That third point is the important one. W Hotels have a certain power that sets them apart from other luxury hotels. If I had to sum up that power in one word, it would be “insane.” There’s really no better word for it.
At W Osaka, I Finally Got My Answer After All These Years
The World Changed, but W Osaka Still Opened…
Because of the global spread of infectious disease, the world turned into something completely different from what I had imagined back in 2017. And yet the future I had expected still arrived right on schedule: W Hotels came to Japan, and W Osaka opened. In those days when hope was hard to find, W arrived as hope itself.
The time had finally come for me to verify, in Osaka, whether what I had kept saying about W Hotels was really true.
That Great Big “Box” Stands on Midosuji
I took a taxi from Osaka Station, and when I said the name of the W Hotel, the driver’s response was basically, “Where!?”
It still doesn’t seem to be a major landmark yet, so if you’re taking a taxi, it’s probably best to be ready to explain where it is out loud. (lol)
And then I arrived: a huge glowing W floating against a pitch-black exterior.
Apparently there’s meaning behind the understated overall look.
The hotel’s design was supervised by Tadao Ando, who is from Osaka.
With that in mind, the whole “plain on the outside, amazing once you step in” development is also a technique Tadao Ando uses a lot, so it feels very fitting to me. (lol)
When the automatic doors open, there’s a passage that feels like it leads into another world. This is where the W hotel experience begins.
Now for Check-In
Beyond the blue tunnel is the “W Floor,” where the front desk and restaurants are located. This one, with its giant lantern-like lighting, is the restaurant called LIVING ROOM. It feels like another world.
It’s a strange space with lots of sign-like neon lights hanging down everywhere.
Under normal circumstances, I imagine there would also be a DJ and drinks here as well—what would be called a WOOBAR at other W Hotels—but right now it closes early at night because of infectious-disease precautions. Sadly, I didn’t get to experience that.
Even the entrance to the restroom was so stylish it made me laugh.
At check-in, I was upgraded from a Cozy Room to a Wonderful Room thanks to the Marriott Bonvoy Gold benefit that came with my SPG Amex. Thank you, SPG Amex.
By the way, judging from the photos, I think the only difference between Cozy and Wonderful is probably the height of the room.
Speaking of W, the Bathroom Isn’t Just See-Through—It’s Basically Wide Open
After check-in, I headed up to the room I’d been looking forward to. Upbeat music playing in the elevator is the W way. Even the smallest details are pure W. I love it!!
When it comes to W hotel rooms, one standout feature has to be this whole “room integrated with the bathroom”—the wide-open bathroom concept…
And the room at W Osaka is…
Wide opennnnnnn!!!!!!
At the back there’s a shower booth, a generously sized bathtub, and a simple, stylish sink. (It’s wide open, but there’s also a partition, so you can close it off.)
The toilet is in a separate room of its own—and a spacious one, too—which is great. (It would be a problem if even the toilet were wide open.)
Automatic blinds, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a minibar. It’s a space for adults.
The blinds and lighting are all controlled from the bedside. And when you press the button labeled “escape”…
Neon lights blaze throughout the room…!
Inside the room’s two closets, the city of Osaka is depicted in pixel art, and it’s absolutely superb. The best closet interior I’ve ever encountered in my life.
I asked whether there was any merchandise featuring this pixel art, but apparently it wasn’t possible because of copyright and similar issues… To be fair, using other companies’ trademarks this directly and this heavily might be a bit of a problem. (lol)
Even here in Japan, I could tell that W Hotels are still fully, unapologetically W Hotels. To be continued in the second half.
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