W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International, has opened the W Philadelphia in the City Center neighborhood. The 51-story skyscraper is part of a $280 million dual-brand project. Floors nine through 31 are an Element Hotel that opened in May, while the W's rooms take up floors 32 to 49. The first eight floors are a mix of both brands. Chestlen Development owns the project.
The W Philadelphia was designed to evoke the city’s street art, musical legacy and history. Nods to traditional Pennsylvania craftsmanship can be seen in entryways to the 295 guestrooms and bathroom tile patterns as well as Shaker-style chairs at each workspace. The words of the Declaration of Independence are etched in graffiti font on a custom light fixture in each room. The signature W Bed is made with a bespoke bedspread print—“Philly Toile”—with both modern and historical city icons.
The hotel’s six suite categories have oversized soaking tubs and Chesterfield-style furnishings, as well as private guest balconies. Local artwork developed under the theme of “Collective Independence” is displayed in salon groupings inspired by the impressionist and modern art collections housed at the nearby Barnes Foundation. The Wow and Extreme Wow Suites have custom foosball and billiard tables as well as in-room DJ booths.
The hotel’s Living Room has design inspired by the sunken gardens of Fairmount Park, as well as a wall of hand-painted, custom ceramic skulls inspired by the Hyrtl Skull Collection at the nearby Mutter Museum. Behind the skulls and a two-way mirror is “Stevens’ Prophecy,” a salon with artwork celebrating Hollywood and Philadelphia royalty.
On the seventh floor, the Wet Deck has a heated, year-round pool with green and blue custom tile work inspired by French parterre pattern, while the Wet Deck Bar has a large-scale, pixelated floral motif from floor to ceiling. The Secret Garden outdoor space has Illuminated busts of Benjamin Franklin and Marie Antoinette and will host local pop-ups and live music performances.
The hotel’s main restaurant, Dolce, was developed by LDV Hospitality and is meant to evoke 1960s Rome. The property’s spa has five treatment rooms inspired by the color palette of Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette as well as two large-scale wallpaper prints from Marilyn Minter.
The W Philadelphia’s 45,000 square feet of event space covers three floors with design inspired by the brand’s connection to music. The prefunction space is connected by a grand staircase with a floating chandelier made of 10,000 gold coins as a nod to Philadelphia's banking history. Alcove seating under the stairs shares space with a locally produced skull sculpture, another reference to the Hyrtl Skull Collection and a signature iconography of rock n’ roll. Each of the 37 meeting rooms have natural light and high-design lighting concepts that evoke private recording studios. The Great Room has floor-to-ceiling windows, abstract floral carpeting as well as circular lighting fixtures and shimmering wall finishes that resemble the night sky during evening events.