W New York – Union Square Reopens After $100 Million Transformation
The $100 million overhaul repositions the Union Square landmark as the global flagship for W Hotels.
Photos: Courtesy of W Hotels
W Hotels has reopened its original New York flagship after a lengthy $100 million reimagination that positions the Union Square property as the template for the brand’s global evolution.
The 256-room hotel, housed in the 1911 Beaux-Arts Guardian Life Building, was the first W to open in the city back in 2001. For the relaunch, Marriott tapped Rockwell Group, the same firm that designed the debut, to reinterpret the property through the lens of today’s luxury lifestyle traveler. The result is a layered, neighborhood-driven design meant to reestablish the hotel as a cultural anchor in lower Manhattan.
The reinvention emphasizes public spaces as gathering points. The grand staircase, now wrapped in bold color and botanical motifs, leads to a reimagined Living Room, W’s spin on the hotel lobby. With soaring ceilings and restored marble columns, the space is designed to flex with the rhythm of the city, hosting everything from daytime coffee service by Devoción to nighttime programming that includes live music, talks, and art activations.
Guestrooms lean into seasonal cues from Union Square Park with ombré wallpaper, velvet headboards, and botanical carpets. Subtle nods to the neighborhood, like subway-inspired lighting, chessboard side tables, and taxi cab-yellow fixtures, reinforce a sense of place while staying aligned with the brand’s maximalist ethos. The 1,215-square-foot penthouse suite adds a private bar and expansive skyline views.
The relaunch also introduces new food-and-beverage concepts aimed at drawing both visitors and locals. Seahorse, a seafood brasserie from John McDonald’s Mercer Street Hospitality, brings a menu of crudo, wood-roasted shellfish, and handmade pastas in a Rockwell-designed space with maritime details and its own Park Avenue entrance. Seventeen stories up, a rooftop by AvroKO channels New York’s art-and-nightlife heritage with skyline views that extend W’s longstanding focus on social energy.
Wellness is addressed with a new FIT studio featuring the brand’s first in-hotel Peloton room and a recovery lounge with hydro-massage chairs. Meeting space, just under 2,600 square feet, has been refreshed with Herman Miller furnishings and Greenmarket-inspired catering options.
For Marriott, Union Square is now positioned as the global flagship for W Hotels, which is undergoing a multi-year evolution across its 70-strong portfolio. The company says 80 percent of W properties will be transformed by 2028, with upcoming openings and renovations stretching from Hoboken to Riyadh.
