Paris W Hotel Makes Debut in Early 2012

---

(PARIS, FRANCE) -- W Hotels Worldwide will mark its debut in France next February with the opening of W Paris - Opéra hotel. Owned by Barcelona-based Meridia Capital, the hotel is set inside an elegant 1870s Haussman-era heritage building.

W Paris - Opéra has been designed jointly by W Global Brand Design and Rockwell Group Europe (RGe) led by Diego Gronda, its Managing and Creative Director. RGe is the Madrid office of New York-based Rockwell Group, founded by David Rockwell over 25 years ago. Known for iconic design projects, including the 81st and 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, the Juana Manso complex in Buenos Aires and Wasabi by Morimoto restaurant in Mumbai, Rockwell Group's projects around the world demonstrate the company's capacity to understand global brands while creating immersive, experiential, locally relevant environments.

Design has been at the forefront of W Hotels since 1998 with the launch of the first W hotel, W New York, which was designed by Rockwell Group.

Situated across the street from the renowned Opéra Garnier, W Paris - Opéra is certain to become a buzzing landmark in the city. Inspired by the creative idea of The Spark, the hotel was conceptualized to create a dynamic dialogue between the following: the historic façade of the building, Paris as the City of Light and W's DNA by infusing a sense of energy into the quintessential Parisian neighborhood.

Taking the W brand into Paris will mark a true milestone in W's global expansion into the world's most exciting and vibrant destinations, said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. Unique lifestyle programming within a cutting-edge designed environment will bring a new and distinctive experience to Paris and the Parisians alike.

 "For the first W Hotel in Paris, we wanted to provide guests with an unforgettable experience of the light and sophistication present all over this amazing city," RGe's Diego Gronda said. "Our design feeds off the elegance, richness and radiance of Paris, La Ville Lumière, while layering in the contemporary cool and free-spirited energy of New York."

The hotel design revolves around an oversized backlit digital undulating wall that defines the central core of the building and weaves through the public and private spaces. The spark will appear as a dotted pattern that forms abstract clouds. This wall will be set at various tempos to create different moods to match the season, event, time of day, and location within the hotel, bringing the historic building to life with a glowing vibrancy. The elevators, DJ booth and staircases will be cloaked in red to give the illusion of being inside an epicenter of energy.

Historic features of the 19th-century building, such as ornamented columns, vaulted ceilings, marble staircases and fireplaces, have been partially restored, celebrated and often juxtaposed against contemporary elements. The original stained glass windows and mosaic flooring on the second floor will be protected to reflect the building s heritage.

The five-story hotel will have 91 stylish guest rooms, including 20 suites and two Extreme WOW Suites (W s interpretation of the Presidential Suite). With soaring ceilings up to three and a half meters in height, the guest rooms and suites offer a contemporary, spacious design and stunning views of Opéra Garnier and the Parisian streets.