Marriott International has brought its W Hotels brand to the city of Philadelphia.
W Philadelphia occupies a 51-storey skyscraper on Chestnut Street in Center City, and celebrates the city’s street art, musical legacy and history. It is part of a dual-branded property, with the 460-room Element by Westin hotel open within the same building since May.
The hotel has an extensive art collection which include abstract murals celebrating urban gardens along with oil and digital print portraits of the city’s most famous musicians. The majority of the collection was exclusively commissioned by the hotel using local artists.
The 295 rooms and suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows with city views, nods to Pennsylvania craftsmanship in the tile patterns found in the entrance and bathroom, and Shaker-style chairs at the workspace area.
The rooms also have the words of the Declaration of Independence etched in graffiti-style font on a custom light fixture, while beds feature a bespoke ‘Philly Toile’ bedspread print with modern and historical city icons and a throw pillow with the Robert Indiana ‘Love’ Statue on one side, and the word Lust on the other.
Meanwhile the suites feature oversized soaking tubs, Danby marble, Chesterfield-style furnishings, balconies, and local artwork inspired by the impressionist and modern art collections at the nearby Barnes Foundation. The hotel’s Wow and Extreme Wow suites also have custom foosball and billiard tables, and DJ booths.
F&B venues begin with the hotel’s Living Room, inspired by the sunken gardens of Fairmount Park, which features a wall of hand-painted, custom ceramic skulls as an ode to the Hyrtl Skull Collection at the nearby Mutter Museum. Here, guests can enjoy coffee from local artisan roaster Rival Bros in ceramics from Philadelphia-based houseware and design studio Centerpeak, and cocktails by local mixologist Resa Mueller in the evening.
Behind a two-way mirror lies Stevens’ Prophecy, a salon which celebrates Grace Kelly and serves a menu of small-batch and limited-run spirits. Meanwhile, the seventh floor is home to the Wet Deck bar, which includes a heated year-round pool, and the Secret Garden will host local pop-ups and live music performances. Finally, the hotel’s Dolce restaurant offers regional Italian dishes.
The hotel also has a fitness centre, and a spa on the seventh floor with five treatment rooms, a lounge, beauty bar and DJ set-up for private events.
W Philadelphia has over 4,180 sqm of events space across three floors of the property, which include 37 meeting rooms with natural light, and a pre-function space with a floating chandelier made of 10,000 gold coins – a nod to the city’s banking history.
Tom Jarrold, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide, commented:
“Philadelphia is the quintessential city for a W hotel – rebellious, unexpected and original. Its diverse neighbourhoods and rich history attract travellers from around the country and the world and we are excited to put our unique stamp on its luxury hotel scene.”
W Hotels has 60 hotels around the world, with another 34 in the pipeline – forthcoming destinations include W Edinburgh, W Gramado and W Playa del Carmen.
See our recent feature on Philadelphia:
