Third chapter of the series hotels with history and stories of hotels. This time the protagonist is a contemporary establishment: the W Barcelona. It opened its doors in 2009, although its presence is so imposing that it seems to have always been there. It can be seen from the sea. It can be seen from many points of the city... and it stands out especially from above: its shape can be distinguished from Tibidabo, the Collserola mountain range or the upper neighborhoods. Since it began to grow, it became part of the city's skyline: the real one and the one that is drawn.
There is a story that is remembered less and less: this sail that marks sailors where the northern mouth of the port is and bathers or walkers where Barcelona's beaches begin or end, was going to be a giant sail, the tallest building in the city... although in the end the sail shrank.
W Barcelona: A 180-meter dream
Ricardo Bofillhe already had it in his head many years before starting to work on the project: a skyscraper next to the port. A modern lighthouse for post-Olympic Barcelona. The project slept for years due to continuous friction with the City Council. The construction was large, showy, and 180 meters tall, which would end up being taller than the towers of Port Olímpic: Mapfre and Hotel Arts. The company Nova Bocana Barcelona SA got to work on land reclaimed from the sea thanks to the large port expansion and modernization project, which included a new entrance and exit to the open sea.Initially, 156.9 million euros were budgeted. In 2009, the figure reached 260 and it was agreed that the space would be exploited under a 35-year concession regime from 2010, extendable to 50. The sail hotel has life for decades. The founder of the Architecture Workshop in 1963 defined the building as "a sail inflated by the wind." He also confessed that he was inspired by the Mediterranean, Andalusia, and the Sahara. The building also represented a certain personal revenge for Bofill after years of institutional neglect in Barcelona.
Cuts, laws, and neighborhood dispute
Josep Antoni Acebillo, as municipal architect in the 90s and early 2000s, was directly responsible for lower the heightof the Vela project. In Bofill's original design, a canonical skyscraper was proposed, although Acebillo and the City Council limited it to 100 meters to protect the urban skyline, the air routes of El Prat airport ---whose terminals are, by the way, the work of Bofill's studio--- and the visual balance of the coast.And speaking of where the sea touches the land, the 2004 Coastal Law forced the project to recede 20 meters from the water. In 2006, the final design arrived: 88 meters of structure on an 11-meter pier over the Mediterranean, totaling 99 meters in height. The pure sail silhouette was finally widened at its base, adding a cube for common areas and 120 rooms.
Since 2007, with the structure already visible, many residents of Barceloneta organized and demanded that the work not proceed. Fishermen, surfers, and nudists from the unofficially naturist beach in the area in front of the Barcelona Swimming Club joined the protests. The complaint was common: "El Vela altered currents, winds, and blocked the view," they claimed, while the works continued.
Piles in the sea and whistling glass
Between 2006 and 2009, the hotel took shape: 42,000 m² built, 1,000 tons of steel, piles more than 40 meters anchored to the seabed, curved glass that changed with the light and whistled with the east wind.The speed with which the structure was erected was surprising.It was through the methodFast Track, directed by José María Rocías.With everything ready and the 2008 crisis at its peak, on October 1, 2009, Barcelona's sail opened with a then little-known brand, W Barcelona, Starwood's (now Marriott) first hotel in Western Europe. Eva Ziegler, global brand director, cut the inaugural ribbon with Jordi William Carnes, then deputy mayor of Finance and Economic Promotion of the Barcelona City Council.
To liven up the establishment's inauguration and appeal to the city that hosted it, a mantra was repeated at the event: "Barcelona is fashion, design, and architecture; the W will be its new icon". Even with the shadow of the crisis, the hotel started with an initial average occupancy of 80% and its first 100% full house was in its first days, coinciding with the celebration of the Red Bull Air Race, the memorable air event off the city's coast.
The hotel started big: 473 rooms: 406 standard 40-square-meter rooms with sea views, and 67 suites, including the 200-square-meter Extreme WOW with a nightly price that also goes with that wow. A concept that today seems obvious, but that the W brand carries in its DNA: the Wow and the Whatever/Whenever that promise its guests that they also enjoy a varied gastronomic and leisure offer, although since this text is historical and not promotional, we leave it here, adding that the hotel is an aspirational place for people from all over the world.
Celebrities and discretion
One of the curious aspects of the hotel is that the common denominator of its guests is the show off,show and flaunt that they are there. However, there are few celebrities who are known for certain to have stayed there. Just as the hotel is open to display, it strictly enforces the privacy of its illustrious guests who usually use thesuitesmost privileged.More than confirmed clients have been singer Shakira as a regular guest, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left a very pleasant memory in the house with his good humor and workouts. There is also talk of visits from other illustrious ladies such as Madonna or Lady Gaga, although the hotel is pure discretion when it comes to world-renowned profiles.
And although in the end it was not the tallest hotel and building in Barcelona, the W is possibly one of the most visible hotels in the city and, although it opened its doors only 16 years ago, it gives the feeling that this sail has always been part of Barcelona.