Hotel

Seoul (South Korea)
Progettazione : Studio Gaia (U.S.)
Apertura : 2004
Camere : 253


For the first Asian outpost of the W boutique-hotel brand, and the hotel chain’s second international destination, W Seoul-Walkerhill established the company’struly international appeal, and is unlike any other hotel the W has ever created. Situated in a new building on the Han River, adjacent to the Sheraton Walkerhill, W Seoul, like its counterpart W Mexico City, were the first hotels built from scratch, and not refurbished former hotels like their U.S. counterparts. Inside, there was ample room for Studio GAIA to create signature spaces like the common areas, the Living Room and the Woo Bar, both of which double as bar and lounge as well as the hotel’s common areas. Visitors entering into the hotel proceed to the check-in areas, which are an extension of the neighboring Woo Bar. The lounge directly overlooks the Han River, the mile-wide waterway that separates Seoul into the north and south bank.
Along with the truly grand scale of interior spaces, and lush materials such as the creamy Terrazzo, W Seoul is a synthesis of many Studio GAIA’ s previous ideas brought into one space; a paradise of Studio GAIA design. The lounge of the hotel features pod-like furniture in various scales, including the egg-shaped ottomans (used in Cafeteria),enclosed cabana-sequel booths (used in W Mexico City), the long,continuous bar (Jimmy’sDowntown),stepped-up, bleacher-like seating areas that create a stage-like drama to the bar (employed in the 40/40 club).
With the exception of the Spa areas (designed by RAD, the building’s architects) and the restaurant, Namu, designed by New York–based designer Tony Chi, Studio GAIA designed every detail of this hotel including all the common areas, the W Store, a small boutique shop, all 253 rooms, as well the hallways to the rooms, with Zebrawood
thresholds with cutaway light-reveals. In creating both a live-and-play environment for W Seoul, the studio utilized the qualities which it knows so well: how to create a posh, night-club–like setting and yet maintain a casual and comfortable environment for visitors.