W Hotels Debuts W Fort Lauderdale Designed by Clodagh
W Hotels Worldwide marked a milestone in its 10-year history with the opening of the hotel brand’s 30th property worldwide, W Fort Lauderdale and The Residences at W Fort Lauderdale.
W Fort Lauderdale brings “Oceanfront Wow” to the shores of South Florida, perfectly positioned directly on Fort Lauderdale Beach with two towers soaring 23 stories each, high above the crystal blue Atlantic waters.
The property features an interior design envisioned by Clodagh Design; W Fort Lauderdale Whiskey Blue, a bar and lounge from nightlife entrepreneurs Rande and Scott Gerber; Stephen Starr’s Steak 954, a modern interpretation of the traditional steakhouse; and Bliss spa, New York’s hottest spa.
W Fort Lauderdale’s landmark exterior, designed to resemble a sailboat, was inspired by the city’s boating culture. The hotel’s broad pedestals represent the hull while the two towers form white opposing “sails,” which in boating terms means to “come about” or change direction, representative of Fort Lauderdale’s recent rebirth as a leading upscale destination.
Clodagh brought the outside in and the inside out by using interior colors and textures on the terraces and pool decks, visually punctuating each deck with a fire bowl. With her unrivaled understanding of the use of scale, she defined and grounded the soaring interior volumes by molding intimate areas making the property profoundly comfortable.
A main feature of the hotel is an oceanfront pool deck with a glass-enclosed stairway allowing guests and residents to literally walk from the signature W living room through the pool’s inviting waters and onto the pool deck. Guests in the living room can watch swimmers above through slivers in the ceiling.
W Fort Lauderdale features 517 guestrooms and residences, including 16 suites, 38 one-bedroom flats, 102 two-bedroom flats, one Wow suite and the signature Extreme Wow Suite (W Hotels’ reinterpretation of the Presidential Suite), all offering dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway or downtown Fort Lauderdale.
All guestrooms and suites at W Fort Lauderdale feature state-of-the-art entertainment options, including flat-screen LCD TV and docking station for MP3 players, and a fully stocked Munchie Box (W Hotels’ re-interpretation of the traditional hotel mini bar), setting the stage for a night on the town or for winding down after a day at the beach.
