The W hotel has arrived in London... naturally this is news worthy, yet the question remains will this example of American luxury take off on European soil! 

In theory it should, Europeans and especially the UK have been more and more drawn to American culture. Plain proof of this is the number of Starbucks you walk past when walking from Bond Street tube station to Regents college... I have counted 8 so far but you never know where there is another one lurking around the corner. This is an impressive feat for low quality over priced coffee 'luxury' coffee yet everyone adores it but I am sure to talk about that branding another time. Just as a side bar, I may sound negative towards the American culture and Starbucks but I am just like everyone else I love Hollywood, I am a devoted customer of Starbucks (I live next to one) and I even speak with an American accent... Therefore do not get me wrong, it isn't criticism it is more of an amazement. 

Arguments for the W hotel to succeed in London are extensive, but I made a short list anyway ;-)

• The clients will be international, as it is a hotel, therefore a lot of Americans that appreciate the hotel in the states will book their stay in London at the W.     
• Luxury is considered a global language, due to the high education, vast travailing and appreciation of foreign cultures the luxury clientele is a culture of its own, described by the term Globocrats. Evidence is there to suggest the minimalist and cool design of the W is appreciated by a number of this luxury clientele.
• The first W hotels opened in Europe; Istanbul and Barcelona, seem to be doing well for now, and Istanbul seems to be a harder challenge to integrate American culture than London.

After considering these arguments it seems that the W has undoubtedly potential to succeed. Another stunning feature of the hotel is W London Leicester Square Wyld Bar. 

This stunning bar will be the new asset of the London night scene, but in a city where new bars and clubs come nearly every week the question remain how long the Wyld bar can remain a popular destination. It does however have a lot of potential, and yours truly can't wait to be drinking a nice espresso martini while looking at the rotating mirror in the ceiling. The W did put a lot of effort in making this appealing for their target market. Young, Rich, Single individuals that enjoy this specific form of luxury. 

The rooms it self seem to be nothing special, even slightly small considering these are the promotion pictures on the website. The finishing will with out a doubt be designer yet still looks similar to stuff you can find in IKEA. As a promotional feature the W says "Wonderful rooms no longer recognize bathrooms and bedrooms as two different living spaces but flow into each other, though privacy still remains, as mirrored walls reveal your bathroom".

To me that is a fancy way of saying we dint have the money or the space to fit walls in the bathroom. But it can be useful for the target market as they will enjoy interesting night with R rated scenes. Also in many other London designer hotels you will find the Ipod dock to be either B&O or B&W both the leading experts on sound yet at the W they seem to have found another area to cut costs. 

The location of Leicester Square is interesting, as a Londoner it is a place you try to avoid at all cost and probably the center of tourism in London. Yet not really the center of luxury tourism, it is close to Soho, China Town, Piccadilly Circus but besides that most luxury clients would need to take a cab for there touristic or business destinations. If this is the case, Leicester Square probably one of the most traffic congested areas of London which will without a doubt cause future delays for the W's clients. 

In a city with renowned luxury hotels such as The Savoy, The Ritz, The Dorchester & The Connaught it would be a shame to spend the same type of money on a hotel experience that fits a city like Las Vegas a lot more. The service at these classic hotels will be incomparable and would result in a much better appreciation of the city. Understanably there are those that may find these hotels old fashion and want more excitement. The W would be a new option for them. The W will be competing in this sector with the Mayfair hotel (the favorite place of Paris Hilton in London :-s) and the One Aldwych Hotel. In this case I would go for the One Aldwych as they have at least tried to incorporate some of the local culture and did not cut costs when it came to the finishing.

So to answer the question will the W succeed in London; probably. Will I be staying there; No (well maybe the bar once in a while ;-) ). And I wish the W a lot of luck with their Paris opening this year cause that will be a lot harder for them!

Till next time!