[W Hotels]
The first ever W Hotels has opened up in the nation’s capital recently. The W brand is one of edgy, modern and sexy style which makes it rather unfitting in a boring and plaid city like D.C. where people are not the most attractive - “politics is Hollywood for ugly people” - and where fashion sense is hard to come by. Let’s face it: D.C. is a lot of things, but being a fun, stylish, cool and hip city in not one of them.
So the W does feel out of place. Nonetheless, it is a nice addition with slick rooms, a world-class chef run restaurant and - the best part - a terrace overlooking the White House with views that are hard to beat anywhere else in D.C [see above].
Young Washingtonians will no doubt feel very European as they sip +$10 drinks while staring into Obama’s residence. But is this really the time to open an upper-class hotel?
The W isn’t cheap and although D.C. is performing better than most other cities during this recession - that is because so many jobs are government contracts and, well, the government does not cut back even during a recession - nonetheless the W needs to attract tourists to fill the rooms not native Washingtonians.
And if one can judge by the recent decision to slash many room rates by 50%, the hotel is having some trouble.
And the jobs market is D.C. isn’t exactly robust either at exhibited by none other than the W’s jobs openings. When the W held their hiring day in late June for below-senior staff, weeks before opening day, they had over 10,000 applicants for only 330 openings - a testament to how many people are in need of a job. The hotel general manager stated that this was above the average 5,000 applicants they normally receive.
But the recession will be done with, and D.C. will still have its W that may inspire a more laid-back and cool vibe in this bureaucratic city.
A nice addition.
Sources: A Power Perch to See and Be Seen. A Wave of Applicants For Jobs at the W.
