Open since October 2008, this is the first W tower and its approach is definitely one orientated towards nature and the environment, through its various, ultra-contemporary spaces. The mood is set as soon as you arrive, with lounge-style music (even played outside): relaxed but reactive porters will open one of the patio doors and take you to the impressive lift leading directly up to the 6th floor. As you go up, you will notice the huge plasma screen showing flowers swaying in the wind as if it were an animated painting, and in the glass lift, make sure that you don't become hypnotized by the screen set in the floor! Here, as everywhere else, the focal point is the fantastic panorama of the Hong Kong harbour and the city. This vertical hotel is mainly made up of glass walls from the ground floor to the 76th floor, which is the top floor where you will find Hong Kong's highest and largest outdoor pool. The many other upper floors are residential.
As the hotel's main objective is to make everybody feel at home, common areas are called the names of rooms to be found in the home such as 'kitchen', 'living room', etc, mostly gathered on the 6th floor, all facing one another: an essential feature in W hotels being their convivial meeting areas. The various atmospheres are created thanks to different colours, designs and shapes, together with numerous and fascinating works of art. As you step out of the lift and walk down the corridors further into the hotel, the walls and atmosphere of the place change as a result of visual effects and reliefs, etc. Books from the library are set on the low and curved shelves of the lounge bar dividing the homogenous and vast space into various cosy areas. On the ceiling, butterflies look like they're fluttering around thanks to hanging mirrors. Behind the counter, a wide range of liquors are integrated in the spacious and ultra-contemporary design of the bar. If you love tea, you will be able to choose from 30 different varieties (low and high tea is served between 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm). A little further away, a mixing desk awaits the latest top DJs invited by the hotel. An area for private events can be found just behind a beaded curtain. The lobby is set back but you will have to go through it to get to the lift taking you up to the rooms. This is a burst of fuchsia in a dark area where materials and movement are the major decorative features. When guests stay in the hotel, they become part of the hotel's tapestry and that is what the superb grey corridors decorated with imitation bookshelves along the walls, underline. The 7th floor is dedicated to conference rooms - we recommend that you visit them to enjoy the superb works of art!
The top floor is a supremely luxurious area, where you can enjoy an 82 ft heated overflow pool, on top of the world! The jacuzzi and many comfortable deck chairs are an invitation to relaxation in the heart of this frantic city, especially with the plexiglas walls that give guests the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful panorama. A multitude of butterflies flutter on the mosaic walls and create a sort of limit between the land and sky: this area can be used for functions. A few floors down, you will find the huge, superb gym decorated in a bluey shade. All the apparatus (with a television and an iPod connection) face the bay windows which offer a breathtaking view of the city. Originally from New York like the W hotels, the Bliss Spa is now part of the hotel group - this famous kingdom of well-being is set over two floors and decorated in shades of turquoise and cream, with 9 treatment rooms, two of which are dedicated to couples, a whirlpool bath with aquatic deckchairs facing the urban panorama, a sauna, a hammam and showers decorated with glass paste designs on the walls. Magical and relaxing day and night, it is open until 10:00 pm.
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
