W New York – Union Square

Rockwell Group, the award-winning architecture and design practice, has revealed the transformation of W New York – Union Square, celebrating both the 25-year anniversary of the hotel’s opening and the launch of the brand’s new global design direction. 

Originally launched in 2000 and located within the historic Beaux-Arts Guardian Life Building, W New York – Union Square is a symbol of modern hospitality in New York. Its distinctive four-storey mansard roof links the building to the elegance of French Second Empire and late-19th-century Parisian architecture. 

For Rockwell Group, the project signifies a homecoming. The studio designed the first W Hotel on Lexington Avenue in 1998, followed by W New York – Union Square two years later, just steps from its own offices. Now, a quarter of a century on, Rockwell Group has returned to fully reimagine the property as the flagship for a multi-year global rebrand of W Hotels commissioned by Marriott International.  

“W New York – Union Square was a milestone in our history when we first designed it 25 years ago,” says David Rockwell, Founder and President of Rockwell Group. “Revisiting the property today has allowed us to create a design that reflects both the brand’s evolution and the vibrancy of the Union Square neighbourhood. It’s about honouring the past whilst introducing an experience that feels fresh, dynamic, and attuned to a new generation of guests.”

Union Square Park, the cultural and social centre of the neighbourhood, inspires the redesign. It is a tale of contrasts – geometric landmarks and contemporary art, historic mansard roofs, and lively farmers’ markets all inform a material and colour palette that changes with the seasons. As guests cross the threshold into the hotel, the arrival area serves as a smooth transition from street to hotel. The energy and bustle of urban life is reflected in the contrasting black and white of the houndstooth fabric banquette, veined marble floors, and a commissioned mural by artist Shantell Martin, whose empowerment-focused pieces make an entryway impact.

A showstopping, asymmetrical, curved feature staircase with polished metal contours features a bespoke rug that appears to flow down the stairs like swirls of paint. Inspired by the Faig Ahmed artwork “Doubts,” the rug uses an abstraction of the hotel’s collective colours, swirling into a larger pool at the check-in area, where it catches the eye; drawing people to the second floor.  

At the heart of the hotel is the Living Room. Originally a ballroom, the double-height space has been energised with a palette of blue and orange. Marble columns and ornate ceilings are preserved, while a resin bar embedded with botanicals and a dramatic double-height back bar adds subtle Art Deco flair. A set of doors in the Living Room opens to the The Living Room Café, a lounge and casual workspace defined by a sophisticated, monochromatic palette of greens that bring the foliage and seasonality of the park inside. The space offers Devoción coffee by day and cocktails by night.  

On the ground floor of the hotel is Seahorse, a 130-seat modern seafood brasserie created in partnership with restaurateur John McDonald and Mercer Street Hospitality. Anchored by a central seafood bar, the restaurant features a zinc bar top, warm wood panelling, mother-of-pearl accents, and a mural by Brooklyn-based art collective En Viu celebrating New York’s maritime history.  

In guestrooms and suites, the colour palette shifts from autumnal warmth to spring freshness, expressed through botanical carpets, ombré wall coverings, and lacquered finishes. Each room is divided into zones for work and leisure, anchored by a bold checkerboard minibar. In the E-Wow suites, ombré drapery and walls gradate from gold to green, creating an atmospheric play of light. Custom artwork continues the hotel’s commitment to showcasing local artists and New York’s cultural vitality. 

From the grand staircase and botanical resin bar to the ombré-lit E-Wow suites, W New York – Union Square reflects the vibrancy of its neighbourhood and the optimism of a new generation of travellers. Rockwell Group’s design serves as both a homecoming and a fresh beginning – a flagship that captures the spirit of New York while charting the future path of W Hotels globally.