WHAT IT IS?
W Barcelona is a luxury hotel located on the beachfront of Barcelona, Spain. Inaugurated in 2009, the hotel features a distinctive sail-like shape and offers stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and the city. Known as the “Hotel Vela” (Sail Hotel), W Barcelona is celebrated for its modern design and vibrant atmosphere. The W Barcelona consists of 26 floors and 472 rooms, making it a small universe in itself.
This popular hotel is part of the renowned Marriott chain, one of the largest and most respected hotel groups in the world, committed to providing exceptional service and warm hospitality across its wide range of establishments, from luxury hotels to more accessible options.
The W Barcelona has become one of the most iconic landmarks in the city, not only due to its distinctive features but also for its mission to redefine luxury. W Barcelona embodies sophistication, style, sound, scene, and flavor, all tailored for a free-spirited clientele. It aims to provide a truly unique experience. W Barcelona has become a sanctuary where luxury allows one to embrace their true self.
WHY IT´S COOL?
W Barcelona is dedicated to ensuring the well-being of its guests by offering a wide variety of leisure and dining options all in one place.
- Marriott Global Source (MGS): This is Marriott’s ecosystem that functions as a cloud platform, enabling all hotels in the Marriott chain to be aware of guests’ preferences and small details, such as room temperature, personal quirks, and breakfast preferences. The goal is to enhance the guest experience by providing unique and personalized service from the moment they enter the app until they check out of the hotel.
- “Be yourself”: The hotel offers guests the chance to be themselves, enjoying a carefree freedom without limits. Guests, referred to as “connectors” for their ability to bring people together, add value to the experience.
- “Whatever, Whenever”: this service philosophy of the hotel is based on the premise that there is no “No.” It focuses on personalizing customer service, creating a warm and surprising atmosphere, always going beyond expectations. This also involves giving employees the freedom to create “Wow moments”, those special instances that delight guests with details they have mentioned they like, especially during meals. The “Wow corner rooms” are uniquely designed for each guest, ensuring a one-of-a-kind experience.
- Social Media: Gen Z has a strong presence on new digital platforms, so the hotel keeps its social media channels lively and dynamic. Images are updated weekly, and the hotel actively engages in conversations and addresses user inquiries.
- Mission: W Barcelona is not just a place to indulge in luxury; it is also committed to significant causes, showing support for the LGBTQ+ community. Its philosophy is openly gay-friendly and is part of a larger movement rooted in the W Hotels brand, which has been implementing its global commitment for years through an event called “Queer Me Out,” celebrated in cities like New York, London, and Amsterdam. Additionally, the hotel has partnered with Pachaman BCN Deep Clean Barcelona 2.0, where a group of divers and over 100 volunteers collected a total of 114 kg of waste from the beach and seabed in just over an hour.
- W Brand: The W brand aims to evoke emotions and create memorable experiences. They carefully curate the space and atmosphere, considering elements like lighting, decor, plating, and color. Sound and taste play a crucial role in telling the story of their offerings.
WHY IT HAS FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL?
- Core Company Values: The fundamental beliefs of the company guide behavior and decision-making. Respect, the boldness to take risks, originality to stand out as a unique individual, and differentiation from other hotels are essential pillars. Additionally, curiosity to explore new projects and the drive to analyze results, raise standards, and improve or reinvent initiatives are key aspects of the organizational culture.
- Stunning: The hotel’s infrastructure is striking and imposing, becoming a hot spot in the city of Barcelona solely due to its architectural design. Guests drawn to this attraction discover a resort in one of the most touristy cities, filled with leisure activities. It is essential to highlight that the management team is aware of the impact it has on people, which is why they strive to offer unique, varied, and constantly evolving services and activities, ensuring that each visit is an enhanced experience. The customer experience is reflected in both the hotel’s culture and every step of the service, as well as in the very structure of the building.
- Revenue Management: A high volume of visitors translates into significant income. Each year, the hotel reinvests a portion of its profits into renovating its spaces, with new reopenings and innovative concepts, improvements to customer facilities, and the organization of fresh activities while always maintaining the highest quality standards.
- Beyond the ordinary: Taking advantage of its prime location, the hotel’s restaurants present diverse concepts. The fine dining restaurant, Fire, is inspired by the energy of fire and earth. In contrast, exploring the attraction of opposites, the WLounge is decorated in bluish tones that evoke the sea. The glamour of the NOXE restaurant seeks to recreate the essence of the ocean floor, while the recent opening, Salt Restaurant & Beach, represents the Mediterranean soul, its cuisine, and its essence.
- Catchy, Chic, and Cool: All these new spaces with innovative concepts in the hotel share meticulous and unique personalization in their decor, making them truly distinctive. This attention to detail is designed for guests to share their experiences on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, thereby attracting more people and creating a vibrant community around the hotel experience.
- W Barcelona: It’s not just about booking a room; it’s about reserving an experience from the moment you open the Marriott app or when you gaze at the hotel from a distance.
Sigrid Johanna Engel
Science of the Time
Riccardo Giacomo Ferrari