We love the anonymity of hotels, the perfectly piqued generic atmosphere, a buzz of locals and people passing through. Nowhere is this climate more poignant than at the W (any of them), a brand that floats effortlessly on whatever city it anchors. Our first W was Union Square New York, with its corner lounge sanctuary from the protests and flash mobs punctuating Union Square. We passed hours with friends over martinis and thin crust pizza before breezing downtown, hanging on the scent of the lobby.
Our next W was Los Angeles, swollen with house music and the airy crowd at French Tuesday. We weaved through the lounge beds on the patio, balancing a clutch and a glass of champagne, dancing every beat. We forgot we were in Westwood, in Los Angeles, in America. Cloaked in a trail of L’Artisan Parfumeur and the fizz of Laurent Perrier we were (our young mind insisted) almost French.
And we landed at the W San Francisco. Comprehensively urban and as anonymous as an airport, it was thrillingly easy to forget which city we were in, which year. When we moved back to LA it was the W San Francisco we’d make our temporary base, testing everything from the hot chocolate (delicious!) to the spa (every bit Blissful), to the stock of pink champagne and half of the room service menu.
But the best part? The opening of a W in Hollywood, so close we could zipline in.
Our very own W.