W Hotels Insider 06

i n s i d e r

W Hong Kong

W Seoul – Walkerhill

W Retreat & spa – maldives

As Summer sizzles across Asia-Pacific, it’s time to cool off with friends at Woobar over a cocktail or two, clink glasses at one of our fabulous signature restaurants with your beau, or turn up the fun factor with the fam at one of W’s hip and happening beachfront resorts.

We’re also celebrating the landmark arrival of W Hotels in mainland china following the opening of W Guangzhou this May, which ushers in a new brand of cool for this ancient-meets-modern city.

Get wet!

W retreat Koh Samui

W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak is championing young moviemakers at its new film club, which screens five short films in the T-Garden so budding Spielbergs and scorseses can connect to a wider audience to guests – and moviegoers can recline on bean bags with cinematic cocktails in hand.

Over in the heavenly north Ari Atoll, W Retreat & Spa

W Taipei

Maldives amplified its beach experience by inviting guests to build sand sculptures, with Australian sand artist Peter Redmond on hand as guests created their own unique piece of sand art.

W Hong Kong has come of age and is celebrating its fifth birthday in 2013 with the Starstruck, Summer Series and Rock Me Up packages, irresistible promos across spa and dining, plus the Get Wet Summer Series, the most hip pool party in the city. are you ready to celebrate?

W Bangkok

wet

ENDLESS SUMMER As the weather hots up, the hip crowd is cooling down this summer at W Hotels across the region…

W Singapore’s Endless Summer series is a WET Deck get-together featuring an eclectic mix of dance-worthy tracks with a different DJ and theme each time. It launched this March, with a sonic tapestry spun by Mr Has, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove’s Artistic Director, plus DJ’s Aldrin and Xuem. Singapore’s hip crowd lounged in two-person hammocks and went from day to night sipping bespoke cocktails, chilling to underwater music and joining in with poolside activities like volleyball and foosball.

Guests can turn up the glamour factor by rocking up on a private yacht and docking at the hotel’s private berthing stations for a movie star entrance.

W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak kicked off the island’s high season by hosting SPF 2013, a day-long music festival featuring international DJ’s including Yolanda Be Cool and Cassius cranking up the sonic ambience on Sunday 28 July at WOOBAR, with a signature firework and light show delivering cool visuals.

For night owls keen to mix and mingle, the party continued downstairs at WOOBASE.

W Bangkok In true Thai style, W Bangkok hosted a cool pool party on the eve of Songkran at WET Deck, the first such event of its kind following the opening of W Bangkok late last year. W Bangkok’s DJ Deejai and special guest, Burn Studios DJ Lab’s DJ Gio Vanhoutte from Korea, took control of the decks. In between splashing around at WET, guests lounged by the pool with glasses of Vueve Cliquot and Woohito cocktails.

W Retreat Koh Samui The recently revamped WET at W Retreat Koh Samui presented WILD, WOW and WET @ WOOBAR – After Songkran Party 2013 with Korean-Belgian DJ GIO in charge of tunes, who represented Asia-Pacific for W Hotels Worldwide after triumphing at the W HOTELS & burn studios DJ LAB 2012.

W Retreat & Spa Maldives swung to the beats of resident DJ & Artistic Director of W Singapore Mr. Has, who got behind the decks to serve up some sexy Cuban rhythms for one exclusive night this April at WET, the retreat’s swim up pool bar, where signature Mojitos and Cuban Tapas supplemented the Latino flavour.

W Hong Kong kicked off its Get Wet Summer Series – and celebrated its fifth anniversary – with talented Model/DJ Scarlett Etienne behind the decks in May for the first installment.

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what’s new in china

Guangzhou glam More than 500 trendsetting jetsetters rocked up to W Guangzhou this May to toast the arrival of W’s first property in mainland China. Against a backdrop of sultry tunes, the premiere ushered in a new hip scene in Guangdong’s capital city, with actors Daniel Wu and Gao Yuan Yuan and filmmaker Kwok-Leung Gan among the partygoers. Creative luminaries Yohji Yamamoto, Mao Ji Hong and Stanley Wong wowed fashionistas with a high-octane runway preview of their latest collection from their fashion label, YMOYNOT, which specializes in fashion-forward garments with a strong Oriental aesthetic.

Following an auspicious lion dance from the Chinese Southern Lion Dance troupe, guests tucked into a tantalizing dinner at one of W Guangzhou’s three destination restaurants: Yan Yu, created in collaboration with celebrity chef Jereme Leung; I by Inagiku, a popular branded Japanese restaurant with fresh sushi and Teppanyaki; and The Kitchen Table, W’s signature all-day dining restaurant.

The first W Hotel in mainland China heralded its arrival in Guangzhou at a happening premiere where VIPs were dazzled by DJs and an exclusive fashion preview

Post-dinner, W Guangzhou turned up the heat at Fei Ultralounge with sonic thrills from punk band Go Chic Taiwan and an all-female lineup of guest DJs exclusively curated by W Hotels Global Music Director Michaelangelo L’Acqua for the premiere. The international lineup included London-based Scarlett Etienne – one of the hottest players on the world DJ circuit – the provocative Kate Elsworth from Sydney, and Los Angelesbased Posso, who previously took to the decks at the 2012 W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab.

Actor daniel Wu mingles with W staff at the premiere

the spectacular Living Room at W guangzhou

A new architectural landmark set on the old Pearl River, W Guangzhou brings a new interpretation of modern luxury to China, seamlessly blending the city’s storied traditions with W’s boundary-breaking design aesthetic.

fashion brand YMoynot debuted its new collection at the premiere

Situated in the city’s happening Pearl River New Town District, a rapidly evolving center of entertainment, commerce and design, the hotel features 317 guest rooms and suites designed by Yabu Pushelberg that reflect Guangzhou’s unique character as an ancient city in the midst of a contemporary facelift as sleek structures – including Nikken’s Sekkei’s new library and Zaha Hadid’s Opera House – emerge as new architectural icons.

lions performed the Chinese Southern Lion Dance for good luck

W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak

design

More than just a pretty face…

Every W Hotel has its own design personality to make each stay unique.

We highlight some of our most striking design stories and features.

Design is as essential to any W Hotel as its two other passion points, music and fashion, and collaborations with world-class designers such as Ricardo Bofill and Patricia Urquiola plus top design firms including New York’s Yabu Pushelberg and Tokyo’s Glamorous have developed the unique expressive style that is so unmistakably W. Our commitment to design is also stylishly demonstrated with the W Hotels Designers of the Future award, a collaboration with Design Miami/ that presents what’s new/next from the design world.

Now in its fourth year, this partnership provides up-and-coming designers with a global platform from which to showcase their work.

This year’s winners include Korea’s Seung-Yong Song, whose Wheeljek art installation for W Bangkok takes its inspiration from the fluidity and flexibility of the city’s ubiquitous street food carts.

W Seoul showcased its passion for design by sponsoring the 2013 Seoul Living Design Fair, and introduced what’s new/next in design at W Lounge with a media art exhibition from Jungkyo Lee, who applied traditional art techniques of decalcomania and illusion to digital programs. Trendsetters, designers, and artists mingled at W Café and refuelled their cool in style.

w guangzhou

W seoul – Walkerhill

W Seoul – Walkerhill is just 15 minutes from the Gangnam, the financial and business district that Korean superstar Psy made famous in his smash hit, ‘Gangnam Style’. The Living Room, a vast sexy place with a glowing lounge and comfortable cabanas, is one of its most triumphant design spaces.

Jungkyo Lee

W Bangkok

W Bangkok combines a 31-floor modern glass tower with a century-old, European-inspired heritage building, reflecting the juxtaposition of deep-rooted Thai heritage and modern Western influence to create a dynamic dialogue between East and West.

w Taipei

W Taipei unites the city’s naturalistic backdrop with bustling Xinyi district, a hub of sleek high-rises. The hotel’s design concept, “Nature Electrified”, is bought to life via a cool collection of design installations. The secret to W’s inimitable design approach lies in the details, which are always inspiring, iconic, and innovative.

W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak reflects the rich natural beauty and cultural heritage of the destination, with a playful twist of bold designs and textures, inspired by the “conceal and reveal” mysticism of Bali, where guests can mix and mingle by the pool, which reflects the design of Bali’s rice terraces, or remain unseen in their own retreats.

Mainland China’s first W Hotel, W Guangzhou uniquely juxtaposes the historic capital city’s modern transformation through cutting-edge architecture and contemporary interiors.

One striking installation is a suspended modern nest by Yabu Pushelberg in WOOBAR that offers an intimate and provocative space with views of the hotel’s Living Room.

W Retreat & Spa – Maldives

W Retreat & Spa – Maldives is the ultimate getaway, taking relaxation to the extreme, where the distinction between interiors and exterior fades as design lets nature do the talking. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Ocean Haven suite, with glasspaneled floors that reveal lagoon fauna below.

An island within an island, W Retreat Koh Samui is set on a hillside that maximizes its sexy beachfront location with WOOBAR its ultimate destination. w retreat Koh samui

w Singapore – Sentosa Cove

Blurring the line between cosmopolitan city-state and the nature of an untamed forest, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove incorporates natural elements, such as the motif of Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, into guestrooms.

Seung-Yong Song

W Hong Kong

With a design narrative of ‘The Enchanted Forest’ W Hong Kong’s WET DECK boasts a culmination of this concept with a striking bird and butterfly mosaic providing a colorful backdrop for the city’s highest rooftop pool.

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MUSIC

above: DJ Gio rocked the party in shanghai.

Below: the city’s hip crowd stopped by to admire the madonna photos

W Hotels exclusive Madonna exhibition persisted in thrilling audiences as it reached its final destination, Shanghai, on the eve of its debut into mainland China W Hotels Worldwide recently wowed more than 300 Chinese trendsetters – including Miss Universe 2012 Dianne Xu – with Madonna: A Transformational Exhibition, a glam soiree of music, photography and pop culture at Three on the Bund – an opulent Freelance Renaissance building built in 1916 – in Shanghai’s happening waterfront district. Presented in partnership with Glaceau Vitaminwater and exhibition curators Rock Paper Photo, the show celebrated the debut of the W brand in mainland China with the recent opening of W Guangzhou and presented never-before-seen photographs of the Material Girl’s unique street style against a backdrop of music and live graffiti by celebrated New York City street artist Alec Monopoly. During the event’s premiere, two iconic Madonna images were transformed by Monopoly’s distinct graffiti style. Featuring his signature ‘Monopoly Man’ tag, the artist utilized colors that mirror the vibrancy of vitaminwater’s robust flavors. As Monopoly spray painted the images in front of Shanghai’s hip crowd, Seoul-based DJ GIO, Asia Pacific winner of W Hotels & burn Studios DJ Lab contest, electrified the scene with his progressive house tunes.

Madonna: A Transformational Exhibition features 25 rare photographs of the music and fashion legend’s landmark 1980s style against the inimitable backdrop of New York City, the birthplace of W Hotels. Richard Corman – who has photographed Nelson Mandela, Kurt Vonnegut and Keith Haring – and rock photographer George DuBose captured these iconic images. The photos are being released to the public solely through this exhibition and were curated by online photography gallery Rock Paper Photo, which was founded by Live Nation Entertainment and Madonna’s long-term manager, Guy Oseary. “An industry innovator, W Hotels Worldwide is always seeking the ultimate in insider access – a unique mix of cutting-edge design and passion surrounding fashion, entertainment and music. We’ve got our ear on the ground for what’s new, what’s next, what’s hot,” said Arnaud Champenois, Senior Director, Brand Management for W Hotels, Le Meridien, St. Regis and The Luxury Collection, Asia Pacific. Since November 2012, Madonna: A Transformational Exhibition has traversed the globe, wowing audiences in Bangkok, Singapore, Paris, and New York. Shanghai was the last stop of its exclusive global tour.

Dianne Xu, Alec monopoly and arnaud champenois

fashion

W Bangkok

Fashion Inspiration

Burkman brothers’ designs

W Hotels is hosting the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers at inspirational destinations including Bangkok and Bali to cultivate creativity From ancient gilded palaces and temples to local markets bursting with colour and exotic Thai flavor, Bangkok is teeming with design inspiration. W Bangkok recently hosted fashion blogger/photographer Tommy Ton and menswear designer Burkman Brothers as part of the CFDA’s {FASHION INCUBATOR} program, which whisks ten US designers away on week-long trips to find inspiration for their Spring 2014 collections. Once transported to locations ranging from Bali to Barcelona, creatives soak up the spirit of the destination, check out the hippest hotspots and mingle with local fashion insiders.

With W Bangkok as their stylish base, Tommy Ton and Burkman Brothers mingled at Elle Fashion Week and the Greyhound fashion show, and also met local designers including Khun Mimi from hip beachwear range Milin, Whitney pozgay with husband at W retreat & Spa Bali – seminyak

which designed a collection for W Retreats in 2012. The designers also mixed with Bangkok’s fashion and lifestyle media and got some cultural down time at Chatuchak market and Lumpini stadium, where they attended a Thai boxing match.

At Elle Fashion Week, the designers partied with local creatives post-catwalk show.

Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein from fashion label Timo Weiland, and Whitney Pozgay from womenwear brand WHIT both sought inspiration separately at W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak. Pozgay headed over to traditional Balinese market at Klungkung where she learned to weave on a handloom while Weiland and Eckstein hit local markets and visited custom motorcycle and surfboard store Deus among other boutiques.

“One of the interesting aspects of our partnership with W Hotels is how the brand can help to create global exposure for our {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers,” says Steven Kolb, Chief Executive Officer of the CFDA. “We thank W Hotels for sending our designers on these incredible inspiration trips and adding this unique layer to the {FASHION INCUBATOR} program.”

Burkman brothers with mimi of milin

08 09 W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak

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singapore bangkok koh samui

What’s new/next W singapore scored hip hop star azealia banks to play at its audi fashion festival event, while W Bangkok hosted the aftershow for elle fashion week and w koh samui debuted its revamped woobar

Azealia Banks rocks Singapore Singapore’s fashion set rocked up to W Singapore’s Audi Fashion Festival – Fashion Next Party this May to witness hip hop star Azealia Banks make her steamy Singapore debut at the city’s most hip hotel. The party was also soundtracked by English electro pop singer/songwriter Little Boots, W Global Music Director Michaelangelo L’Acqua, W Singapore resident DJ Mr Has and DJs from the W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab including Hong Kong’s Angus Wong.

W Global Music Director, Michaelangelo L’Acqua, kicked off the night with sultry tunes as a cool collection from Singapore’s Zardoze label – celebrated for its high-end fabrics and hand-made embellishments – headed down the runway. Headlining the party and flown in specially for this event by W Hotels Worldwide, US hip hop star Azealia Banks turned up the heat for her first ever Singapore performance and lent her unique brand of New York cool to the party. As Banks left the stage, Kate Elsworth from W Hotels DJ Lab 2013 program re-energised partygoers into a full-on dance frenzy that lasted until the early morning hours. As official music partner of the Audi Fashion Show, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove also soundtracked the Audi Fashion Show from its Bed Lounge, continuing its sonic tradition of delivering the music for fashion shows globally.

Koh Samui Reveals WOOBAR W Retreat Koh Samui debuted its revamped WOOBAR, which features a new “floating” DJ booth, graffiti-ed walls by international street artist Alec Monopoly and custommade lighting and furniture selected by Thai design company P49 Deesign. To celebrate the relaunch of WOOBAR, W Retreat Koh Samui hosted VIP’s at a soiree that fused What’s New/Next in fashion, music and design.

With the sun setting over the Gulf of Thailand, a purposebuilt floating 50-meter runway showcased the latest designs from international designer, Rubin Singer, who created Beyonce’s hot bodysuit for the Super Bowl. Post fashion show, DJ Xeum from France spun a vibrant mix as the skies exploded with a fireworks display.

Bangkok is your runway Staying true to this year’s concept, ‘Bangkok is your runway’, Elle Fashion Week 2013 Spring/Summer was held in the Thai capital’s hotspots, including W Bangkok, which hosted the event’s final show from local urban clothing label Vickteerut.

As official partner of Elle Fashion Week, of the most important date on the Bangkok fashion calendar, W Bangkok hosted a chic after-party at WOOBAR for the city’s most stylish.

funky Summer at W Taipei DJ Klaus and percussionist Ameet Jugnauth from Brit duo London Beats ushered in the start of a glorious party-packed summer this June at W Taipei with London Beats – The Launch of Summer, where their trademark electronica meets live drums concept took audiences on an exhilirating sonic journey.

The launch of summer, W Taipei style, also featured a fashion showcase from Roxy and Quiksilver, with models sporting the Spring/Summer 2013 collection from the two surfwear brands in chic summery style at WET Deck, where sleek bikinis, swimsuits and boardshorts were paired with brightly-coloured balloons as models sashayed down a runway that crossed the pool. The night also featured some hip, summery sounds mixed by DJ Cookie, resident DJ of W Taipei, and VIP’s donned their most stylish summer dresses and chic shorts and tops to mingle over specially-prepared cocktails and canapés.

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