W Insider 07

W BEIJING – CHANG’AN BELOW LEFT: LIGHTS, CAMERA, FASHION EXCLUSIVE PARTY TRANSFORMED THE EXTREME WOW SUITE AT W HONG KONG INTO MASHA MA’S STUDIO

I N S I D E R W HOTELS IS GALLOPING INTO THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

BY REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY YOU WORK AND PLAY AT THE GROUND ZERO OF CHINESE HISTORY WITH THE ELECTRIFYING DEBUT OF W BEIJING – CHANG’AN IN THE CITY’S DIPLOMATIC CENTER THIS SUMMER. STEPS AWAY FROM ICONIC LANDMARKS SUCH AS THE FORBIDDEN CITY AND TIANANMEN SQUARE, MODERN MONOLITHS LIKE THE CCTV TOWER AND THE AVANT-GARDE WATER CUBE CONTRIBUTE TO THE EDGY ARCHITECTURAL MAKEUP OF THE THE HOTEL’S NEIGHBORHOOD. CULTURALLY CAPTIVATING YET CATEGORICALLY CUTTING EDGE, THE CAPITAL’S EPIC HERITAGE AND THIRST FOR INNOVATION CONTINUES TO DRAW VISIONARIES KEEN TO MAKE THEIR MARK AND THIS IS EFFORTLESSLY EXEMPLIFIED BY THE IMMINENT ARRIVAL OF W BEIJING – CHANG’AN. ELSEWHERE ACROSS ASIA-PACIFIC, W HOTELS WORLDWIDE PRESENTED TALENTED CHINESE DESIGNER MASHA MA’S LUXURY DADAISM COLLECTION AT THE HONG KONG FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA AT HONG KONG FASHION WEEK.WITH W BEIJING – CHANG’AN POISED TO MAKE ITS STYLISH DEBUT, W SHANGHAI – THE BUND WILL ADD A DASH OF GLAM TO ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST STYLISH STREETS IN 2015. WE CAN’T WAIT. CAN YOU?

W RETREAT & SPA BALI – SEMINYAK

WELCOME

W BANGKOK

THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE

PARVENU Hong Kong (UK Origin) Music Style – New Disco

VONDA7 Berlin, Germany (Polish Origin) Music Style – Very Deep/ Minimal Tech House

WENDY BAILEY Seoul, Republic of Korea Music Style – Up-Beat House

ONCE THE COCKTAIL HOUR COMMENCES AND THE MINGLING BEGINS, MUSIC IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF ANY W HOTEL, AND OUR DJS SET THE SCENE WITH AN ECLECTIC, ALLURING MIX OF TUNES FROM CUTTING EDGE INDIE/ELECTRO TO PUMPING TECHNO. FOREVER ON THE LOOK OUT FOR MUSICAL TALENT, THE W HOTELS & BURN DJ LAB PROGRAM UNEARTHED SIX OF THE HOTTEST NEW DJS AROUND, WHO HAVE SINCE TAKEN THEIR MIXES ALL OVER THE GLOBE. MEET THE NEW MASTERS OF THE TURNTABLE MIXING IT UP AT W…

SEZER UYSAL Bursa, Turkey Music Style – Deep House / Tech House

T.A.T Mexico City, Mexico Music Style – Deep House

ADAM SHARE Los Angeles, CA Music Style – New Disco

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THE LEGENDARY PAUL OAKENFOLD WAS AMONG THE W HOTELS & BURN DJ LAB MENTORS MENTOR AND DJ WHITE SHADOW MAKES SOME NOISE

FIREWORKS AND DJS: THE PERFECT COMBO

W HOTELS AND ENERGY DRINK BURN LAUNCHED THEIR THIRD GLOBAL ONLINE SEARCH FOR TOP TURNTABLING TALENT AS PART OF THE W HOTELS & BURN DJ LAB IN JULY

PUT YOUR SPIN ON IT More than 1,400 aspiring DJs/producers uploaded their best beats in the competition’s first-ever online search to clinch one of six available spots on the weeklong DJ BOOT CAMP at W RETREAT KOH SAMUI. An expert panel of DJ LAB mentors that included Global Music Director for W Hotels Worldwide Michaelangelo L’Acqua plus top DJs PAUL OAKENFOLD, JAMES LAVELLE, ANDY CALDWELL and DJ WHITE SHADOW, judged the submitted tracks. The six that made the cut were UK duo Parvenu, Adam Share from the US, Turkey’s Sezer Uysal, Mexico’s Tatiana de Leon, aka T.A.T, Berlin-based Sylwia Kubicka, aka Vonda7, and Seoul’s Wendy Bailey.Throughout the weeklong program in Koh Samui, the mentors delivered workshops on everything from music engineering skills to building a distinct brand to prime the DJ Lab participants for the global stage.

Post boot camp, the class of 2013 celebrated by mixing it up alongside three-time Grammy nominated DJ Paul Oakenfold at W Bangkok before embarking on a global tour. Each DJ also produced a track for an exclusive W HOTELS AND BURN EP. As part of the 2013 launch, W Hotels hosted global warm-up events featuring headline performances from 2012’s DJ Lab winners. Gio Vanhoutte performed at W Seoul, Dogus enchanted crowds at W Barcelona, Vitor Kurc played W Santiago, and Posso’s Vanessa Giovacchini got the party started at W Los Angeles – Westwood.

SOUNDING SHIP SHAPE ON THE DJ LAB YACHT

RECORDING SESSION IN ACTION

BRING THE BEATS W HONG KONG’S WOOBAR stepped to the beat as W Hotels Worldwide again teamed up with Hong Kong’s hottest music festival, CLOCKENFLAP, in November by bringing the after party with WOO WEEKEND. W’s hottest DJ talent also mixed it up at the festival, as two of the brightest stars from the W Hotels & burn DJ Lab 2013, T.A.T and Parvenu, played the Clockenflap Your Mum stage. To kickstart the WOO WEEKEND, queens of Beijing rock Nova Heart ramped up energy levels on the opening night of the festival back at WOOBAR, while Parvenu, T.A.T and Hong Kong indie rockers Chochukmo commandeered the stage on the second night. For Clockenflap’s official closing party, AFTER-FLAP, experimental Danish band Efterklang electrified the party scene with a mesmerizing DJ set.

The night became hotter as Daft Pink and W DJs got behind the decks to close the festival with a beat-filled bang. Many acts that played Clockenflap rocked up for WOOBAR’s official after-party including the father of Chinese rock Cui Jian and Brit indie rockers The 1975.

WENDY BAILEY ON THE DECKS

HONG KONG’S COOLEST ROCKED UP TO ENJOY THE SONIC THRILLS OF MUSIC FEST CLOCKENFLAP KITMAN FOR CLOCKENFLAP 2013

W HONG KONG’S RESIDENT DJ ANGUS WONG

THE 1975’S LEAD SINGER MATT HEALY WITH CLOCKENFLAP REVELER

REVELERSAT THE ENDLESS SUMMER ZOUKOUT RECHARGE PARTY

GET WET AT W SINGAPORE W SINGAPORE – SENTOSA COVE summoned revelers to sip, play and flirt at the Endless Summer ZoukOut Recharge Party in December before they partied till dawn at the city’s ultimate dance festival, ZoukOut. As the official partner for ZOUKOUT, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove got the party started from 2pm with bespoke cocktails and beats from Zouk’s resident DJs at WET Deck. Zouk resident DJ’s Adrian Wee and DJ B shared the decks with Wendy Bailey of W Seoul and W Singapore’s very own Mr. Has.

SSSSHH!! SILENT DISCO AT W BALI Music fans donned headphones and zoned out the chat for W RETREAT & SPA – BALI SEMINYAK’S SILENT DISCO in October, which introduced three very different DJs mixing up three distinctive musical styles at WOOBAR. Master scratcher DJ Crip bought the hip hop; DJ Kulki delivered a heady mix of indie/electro while Hugo Marti got everyone on the dance floor with some uplifting house. The merrymaking continued with an after party headlined by W Retreat & Spa – Bali Seminyak’s resident music director Danny Fry.

ALFRESCO BEATS AT W RETREAT & SPA – BALI SEMINYAK’S SILENT DISCO

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TROPICAL ROMANCE

I DO Water worshippers looking to tie the knot can don their diving gear and say “I do” at W Retreat & Spa Maldives with the Deep Love Underwater Wedding Package, where green turtles and reef sharks will be your guests as you swim up the aisle.

Once you’ve come up for air, sail away on a sunset cruise or kick back in your own Ocean Haven, our rustic play hut replete with infinity pool and Jacuzzi seats, wraparound sundeck and glass paneled floors perfect for peeking at the lagoon fauna.

A COCOON OF COOL, W RETREAT & SPA MALDIVES ATTRACTIONS LIE ABOVE AND BELOW THE OCEAN, WITH THE AWAY SPA DELIVERING OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD OVERWATER MASSAGES WHILE SUBTERRANEAN PURSUITS INCLUDE SNORKELING THE HOUSE REEF UNDER AN ELECTRIFIED MOONLIGHT AS CORALS UNCOVER THEIR FLUORESCENT MAGIC. THIS CHIC RETREAT ON FESDU ISLAND IN THE BLISSED-OUT NORTH ARI ATOLL ALSO HAS RED-HOT STYLE CREDENTIALS, AND FASHION LOVERS AT SECURED FRONT ROW SEATS FOR THAI FASHION DESIGNER MILIN’S RUNWAY SHOW “I THINK SOLD” IN OCTOBER AT AN EXCLUSIVE W HAPPENING FOR GUESTS STAYING AT W RETREAT & SPA MALDIVES.

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CUT THE EDGES

KOREAN COOL: NEW SEOUL TRENDS HIT THE RUNWAY

K -POP BAND BOYS REPUBLIC

UPCOMING DESIGNERS KO TAEYONG, PARK SEUNGGUN, KYE HANHEE, YONI P AND STEVE J

W SEOUL teamed up with top Korean fashion magazine CÉCI for its first collaborative fashion show, CUTTING EDGE FASHION, to champion promising designers in Korea throughout 2014 in November. Selected by a judging panel of seven fashion editors, the four that made the cut were fashion maverick Park Seunggun, menswear designer Ko Taeyong, contemporary womenswear label Steve J & Yoni P and hip urban designer Kye Hanhee. In an exclusive catwalk showcase, the four designers revealed WHAT’S NEW/NEXT FOR KOREAN FASHION with their Spring/Summer collections for 2014. W DJ Lab artist DJ Gio and DJ Pascal Dior provided a celebratory sonic backdrop at the after party, where more than 500 VIPs, celebrities and fashionistas mingled at WOOBAR.

BREAK THE NORM The worlds of design and music collided at W SPACE and W MUSIC BAR@ I.T HYSAN ONE in one of Hong Kong’s most hip shopping districts, Causeway Bay. A collaboration between W Hong Kong and hip local fashion distributor I.T, this creative pop-up showcased avant garde designers including Maison Martin Margiela and Comme Des Garçons between June 2013 and January 2014. The backdrop to the space was suitably captivating, combining W HONG KONG’S signature neon lighting and the hotel’s Enchanted Forest design narrative with sticks made of white wood wrapped in light tubes for an ethereal, offbeat feel. Fashionistas cruising for cutting edge threads also tuned into groundbreaking beats at W MUSIC BAR, with seven playlists specially curated by W Hotels’ Global Music Director Michaelangelo L’Acqua. The Afterdark playlist’s loud and energetic tunes delivered a sonic jumpstart, while the Retreat playlist’s fun, bumping sounds acted as a stress-soother. As an added auditory bonus, all songs and playlists were available to download.

STREET SNAP AT W GUANGZHOU

STREET SNAP TRENDSETTING: W SPACE IN HONG KONG

W MUSIC BAR

W invited fashion-savvy gals and boys in China to submit their most stylish poses via the STREET SNAP campaign in December/ January in collaboration with China’s Grazia magazine. With an interactive social media campaign across Sina Weibo, this stylish call-to-arms culminated with an award ceremony at W GUANGZHOU. More than 50 style icons and fashion bloggers were invited to the EWOW suite, where fashionistas made their boldest style statements on the catwalk to compete in one of two categories, Most W Stylish Talent and Most Popular Talent, where five winners scooped a twonight stay in W Hotels across Asia-Pacific.

With the hashtag #W STYLISH SHOW, this red-hot fashion campaign generated more than 15,000 retweets and attracted more than 3,000 stylish contenders.

ROOFTOP COOL: A CHARITY YOGA SESSION AT W TAIPEI

STRETCH OUT W Taipei hosted a charity yoga session, “A TIME FOR YOGA” with Nike and Space Yoga in aid of TAIPEI WOMEN’S RESCUE FOUNDATION in September at WET Deck. The charity event included a 90-minute yoga session, healthy brunch at the WET Bar and a goodie bag with Space Yoga mat, water bottle and towel from NIKE, plus a t-shirt and shopping bag from W TAIPEI. Delivering panoramic view of Xinyi district’s mighty skyline, the session was led by instructor Shirlyn Shih, who advised the yummy yoga bunnies on effective muscle strengthening, hormonal system & mental balance, and physical well-being.

Post-yoga session, guests rolled away their mats and savored a high protein, low fat and high fiber brunch designed by executive sous chef Colin Chun, which included an avocado, asparagus, and orange salad box, flax and chia seed English muffins, spinach with smoked salmon, Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit.

Three energy-boosting smoothies – berry, tofu and flaxseed; honey melon and kiwi, and a grapefruit & broccoli detox – delivered a delicious, nutritious accompaniment to the wholesome brunch.

FLAWLESS FACE With an A-list following that includes Anne Hathaway, Juliette Binoche and Frieda Pinto, TAIWANESE FACIALIST SU-MAN has wowed the spa world with her trailblazing treatment, which offers similar results to Botox by incorporating Shiatsu and Pilates techniques.

The former dancer visited W SINGAPORE – SENTOSA COVE and W RETREAT & SPA BALI – SEMINYAK from London to deliver her signature therapy to facial fans at both hotels in October. The celeb-endorsed treatment begins with an initial skin analysis and shiatsu massage after which Su-man steam cleanses the skin then gently extracts and exfoliates.

A nourishing botanical placenta mask is then applied, while toning and moisturizing deliver the final flourish to your new fab face.

Su-Man first discovered shiatsu massage after a major back injury while performing as a professional dancer with Belgian dance company, Rosas. She says, “I think the whole body is connected. Your face shows everything that’s happened to you.

Therefore for me a facial cannot just become a superficial thing, I need to connect the body and the chakras. When I touch you, we both make a connection and your body guides me, telling me where to go, so it’s very intuitive.”

SU-MAN

W RETREAT & SPA BALI – SEMINYAK

W SINGAPORE – SENTOSA COVE

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CUTTING-EDGE ECO BECAME A REALITY AT W TAIPEI WITH THE “TRASH RE-DESIGN” PROJECT WHILE W SEOUL – WALKERHILL WOWED THE SEOUL DESIGN FESTIVAL WITH SEUNG YONG SONG’S WORKS, WHICH ALSO TRAVELLED TO W HONG KONG FOR BUSINESS OF DESIGN WEEK…

ECO CHIC REIMAGINED TREE-SHAPED JEWELRY HOLDER BY FANNY KUO

W TAIPEI TRASH REDESIGN PRESS CONFERENCE

PINBALL GAME

BY WANTING LIAO

A COASTER COMBINING THE SHAPES OF A LOLLYPOP AND GRAMOPHONE RECORD BY YUJUI CHOU

Trash has been stylishly re-imagined at W Taipei, where the “TRASH RE-DESIGN TAIWAN DESIGN CENTER X W TAIPEI” project enlisted local designers to create sensational, sustainable products for the hotel. During the four-month long design workshop in 2013, designers repurposed everyday recyclables such as water bottles, bath amenities and in-room slippers and transformed them into fab yet functional pieces. Items poised to be purchased by the hotel include a red tree-shaped jewellery holder by Fanny Kuo, which underlines the “Nature Electrified” theme of the hotel, and a sleek purple pinball game by Wanting Liao that underlines the popularity of the arcade classic within Taiwan’s famous night markets. The other eco-friendly

gem that made the cut was a coaster made from recycled PET bottles that combines the shapes of a gramophone record and lollypop by Yujui Chou.

A DESIGNER’S NIGHT AT W TAIPEI invited the seven winning designers to WET Bar to mingle with the Taiwanese design community, while a dedicated Facebook page enabled users to vote for Yifei Cheng’s sassy 3 in 1 fashion emergency kit, which features three pieces of recycled material that can be utilized in different ways: one makes an equally cool tie, headband, belt or strap, another is handkerchief, hair accessory or pocket square, while the final accessory can be worn as a top, shawl or scarf.

SEUNG YONG SONG’S FURNITURE WAS EXHIBITED AT W SEOUL – WALKERHILL’S BOOTH AT THE SEOUL DESIGN FESTIVAL

DESIGN DEMOCRACY Always on the look-out for the latest in cutting-edge design, W SEOUL – WALKERHILL sponsored the up-and-coming designers award at the SEOUL DESIGN FESTIVAL in December, which uncovered 35 of the hottest new creatives around. During the festival, W Seoul also showcased art work by furniture designer Seung Yong Song, one of W Hotels’ Designers of the Future.

RIGHT: THE JUDGING PANEL OF W SEOUL DESIGN FESTIVAL’S UPAND-COMING DESIGNERS AWARD EFFORTLESSLY CHIC: ROCKING CHAIR AND TABLE BY SEUNG YONG SONG

DESIGN UNCOVERED

ONE OF W HOTELS’ DESIGNERS OF THE FUTURE, SEUNG YONG SONG PIECES FROM SEUNG YONG SONG’S WHEELJEK COLLECTION

W Hotels Worldwide was selected as the official media hotel of BUSINESS OF DESIGN WEEK, a must-attend ideas exchange platform for Asia’s most innovative thinkers, for the fifth year running in December.

One of the winners of the W HOTELS DESIGNER OF THE FUTURE AWARDS – which is created in collaboration with Design Miami – Korea’s Seung Yong Song was invited to exhibit his Wheeljek Collection at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Created for W Bangkok, it takes its inspiration from the fluidity and versatility of the Thai capital’s ubiquitous street food carts. To toast this cool collaboration, W Hong Kong organized a private cocktail party at its Extreme WOW Suite where Seung Yong Song’’s piece also put in an appearance, as did an artist live drawing corner.

W HONG KONG WAS THE OFFICIAL MIEDIA HOTEL FOR BUSINESS OF DESIGN WEEK

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