The W Hotels Renaissance Is Here—From a Revived NYC Icon to a Dreamy All-inclusive Resort Debut

W Hotels are having a moment—again. 

For years, the hotel brand enjoyed its late 90s and early aughts cool-kid status. When W Hotels first debuted in 1998 in New York City, it aimed to capture its electric energy as a new lifestyle hotel brand defined by social buzz, bold design, and an approach to luxury hospitality that was personal and never stuffy. Of course, anything trendy inevitably falls out of style as fashions change and new “it” brands take over, but W Hotels are back and better than ever. With a roster of newly opened and recently refreshed properties—and a number on the horizon in destinations across the globe—the brand is embracing its origins while transforming for its next chapter.

“The way I describe this brand, and each hotel really, is allowing our guests to live in the moment and to embrace the now. And the now in 1998 and the now in 2025 might be a different ‘now,’ but it’s still embracing that sensibility of that cultural zeitgeist of the moment,” George Fleck, senior vice president and global brand leader of St. Regis, Edition, and W Hotels at Marriott International, shared in an interview with Travel + Leisure.   

The brand’s core pillars remain the same as they were in 1998, but the way they’re expressed in W Hotels today feels very of-the-moment. This summer, I visited W Rome, which opened in 2021, and W Prague, which just opened early this year, to explore the new era for myself. 

The properties are gorgeous, but it wasn’t just the modern, playful design that made them special. “The spaces don’t just look good; they also feel like there’s something unique happening, something unexpected, and I think that really is the magic of this new design direction for the brand,” Fleck told T+L. Each hotel capitalizes on what Fleck calls “emotion per square foot,” with storytelling in design that immerses guests in the destination. In Rome, that looks like modern rooms decked out in marble and velvet tucked inside a historic palazzo with references to nearby landmarks like the Villa Borghese. W Prague combines the meticulously restored Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Europa, which feels straight out of a Wes Anderson film, and a whimsical new wing that sends you down the rabbit hole with Alice to find a Wonderland of your own. 

And as Fleck noted, W Hotels are about “embracing the now,” and that means these properties are more than just beautiful buildings. Spaces built to host community events—like a listening room at W Prague where podcasts or DJs could have shows—bring both guests and residents in, while food and beverage outlets run by top local talents are destinations in themselves. According to Fleck, these all create an environment where guests can “lean in and let go,” something that the brand has always aimed to build in its hotels.  

My tour de W ended in New York City a couple months later with a first look at W New York — Union Square’s $100 million refresh. The city has long been a source of inspiration and a core destination in W’s identity as the brand’s birthplace, and the renovated property is a love letter to this corner of Manhattan. Design details inspired by yellow taxi cabs, subway lights, and the building’s Beaux-Arts history celebrate this bustling neighborhood that—just like W Hotels—is always evolving. 

The brand recently moved into new territory, opening its first all-inclusive property in the Dominican Republic this fall. For decades, all-inclusive resorts were considered easy but decidedly uncool vacation options, notorious for watered-down cocktails, buffet meals, and generic experiences. But that’s not the W Hotels way, of course, said Fleck. “W Hotels has always been about delivering a complete luxury lifestyle experience, and moving into the all-inclusive space allows us to extend that philosophy to destinations where guests are looking for seamless, immersive escapes.”

All-inclusive hotel bookings are on the rise as more consumers look for easy-to-plan vacations that deliver great value, according to Expedia Group’s Unpack ‘25 report. But Fleck insists the W Punta Cana and broader move into the all-inclusive space isn’t simply a response to the trend; it’s the complete realization of the W Hotels ethos. The brand’s Whatever/Whenever approach to hospitality is perhaps best fulfilled when you can fully indulge, knowing it’s all part of the inclusive experience.