Twenty-five years after its opening, W New York – Union Square presents itself in a completely renewed guise thanks to the project of Rockwell Group, an award-winning architecture and design studio based in New York. The intervention celebrates not only the anniversary of the hotel, which opened in 2000, but also the launch of a new global design direction for the W Hotels brand, commissioned by Marriott International, with the aim of redefining the hospitality experience for a new generation of travelers.
Located inside the historic Guardian Life Building, an elegant example of Beaux-Arts architecture with an iconic French-inspired mansard roof, the W New York – Union Square has always been a landmark of contemporary hotellerie in the city. For Rockwell Group, this project represents a real return to the origins: the studio designed the first W Hotel in 1998 and designed W Union Square itself two years later, a few steps from its offices.
The new concept takes inspiration from Union Square Park, the cultural and social heart of the neighborhood. A place of contrasts, where historic architecture coexists with contemporary art, open-air markets and a lively urban energy. This spirit is reflected in the hotel’s colour and material palette, designed to evolve with the seasons. The entrance becomes a fluid threshold between the city and the interior, with veined marble floors, seats upholstered in black and white houndstooth fabric and a site-specific mural by artist Shantell Martin, who welcomes guests with a powerful visual message and identity.
The central scenographic element of the project is the asymmetrical curved staircase, characterized by shiny metal profiles and a custom-made carpet that seems to drip like paint, inspired by the work “Doubts” by the artist Faig Ahmed. This dynamic sign guides the gaze towards the second floor, becoming a symbol of the hotel’s new experiential path.
The beating heart of the structure is the Living Room, once a ballroom, now reinterpreted as a double-height social space. Here marble columns and ceilings decorated with new contemporary inserts coexist, such as the resin bar with incorporated botanicals and the scenographic back bar inspired by Art Deco. From this room you can access the Living Room Café, a multifunctional lounge in green tones that recalls the park, ideal for working during the day and relaxing in the evening with cocktails and Devoción coffee.
On the ground floor there is Seahorse, a contemporary fish restaurant with 130 seats created with Mercer Street Hospitality. The design combines zinc surfaces, warm woods, mother-of-pearl and a mural signed by the En Viu collective, dedicated to New York’s maritime history.
The rooms and suites complete the experience with a more intimate and bright atmosphere: botanical carpets, ombré walls, lacquered finishes and flexible layouts for work and relaxation. The iconic E-Wow Suites play with shades ranging from gold to green, amplifying the perception of light and space.
With this intervention, Rockwell Group signs a project that is both celebration and rebirth: W New York – Union Square becomes the manifesto of a new vision of hospitality, deeply rooted in the urban context and projected towards the future of the W Hotels brand.
INFO: Amber Weir – Tomorrow PR
PHOTO COURTESY: Michael Kleinberg
