W Hotels has opened its first property in Southwest China in the city of Chengdu.

Owned by KWG Group Holdings, the 297-key W Chengdu is situated in the city’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.

“While Chengdu is the hub for Western China and a newly-minted ‘first-tier city’, an incredibly important and popular NextGen destination in China, it also features dynamic street fashion, design and is an underground music mecca,” said Henry Lee, president, Greater China, Marriott International. “The city is breaking the mold of tradition and reinventing itself at every corner, making it a perfect fit for our newest W hotel in China. The opening of W Chengdu marks an exciting milestone for Marriott International’s portfolio of luxury brands to expand further into this part of the country, and W Chengdu is poised to become the social center of this exhilarating city.”

W Hotels & Chengdu – West meets East

Famed for its fiery Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu is UNESCO’s first City of Gastronomy in Asia and a popular destination for food lovers. An ancient city with rich cultural traditions such as Sichuan Opera, it has evolved into the Silicon Valley of China and is a commerce hub with more than 200 Fortune 500 companies.

This duality is reflected in the hotel’s design. Conceived and executed under the narrative ‘Du’titude’ by Glyph Design Studio, it combines history and innovation with nods to the city’s most famous attractions.

For example, UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Jiuzhaigou National Park inspired the colour palette of the hotel through neutral earth tones contrasted with decor sporting rainbow hues of turquoise, blue, violet and magenta. Mahjong, a game played in teahouses across the city, is referenced in tiling motifs and stacked layers throughout the property’s expansive spaces.

And the lobby—the Living Room—features an interactive, LED virtual waterfall by world-renowned interdisciplinary art collective teamLab; artwork depicting the Sichuan Opera actors with magnetic graffiti splashes; a pair of svelte pandas sporting sunglasses rendered in opalescent fiberglass and a giant blue panda sculpture welcoming guests (the panda is Chengdu’s mascot); and large lighting fixtures lined in floral motifs inspired by Shu ethnic brocade.

The guest rooms and suites have “glam interiors in bright and audacious tones with local touches” such as customized panda cushions and teapots. The Extreme WOW Suite (the brand’s modern interpretation of the traditional presidential suite) offers nearly 4,000 square feet of flexible space with a sculptural bar and lounge area.

The property adds two restaurants and two bars to the city’s renowned f&b scene. Living Room is a stylish lobby bar. Spark is a rooftop patio with sweeping panoramas of the city. Yao Yen serves a modern Cantonese and Sichuan menu paired with fragrant regional teas. Zing is an all-day dining venue featuring fresh Southeast Asian flavours and decor that combines graphic neon calligraphy in Sichuan dialect and hand-painted paper-cut patterns.

Other amenities include:

• nearly 28,000 square feet of flexible meeting space spanning two floors, including The Great Room, a 12,900-square-foot, pillarless space;
• AWAY® Spa (three treatment rooms);
• and FIT gym with a 1200-plus square-foot Pilates studio and indoor WET® swimming pool and Jacuzzi.