Starwood News: 3 New W Hotels, The Palace Hotel Opens & Sheraton Debuts in Southern Croatia

Dubrovnik Walled City

TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.

Starwood has been busy on a number of fronts recently and, between announcing an overhaul of the Sheraton brand and a large injection of funds to update the Luxury Collection, it has also found time to announce some new hotels.

W Hotels

Starwood has been growing the W brand quite rapidly over the past few months. The new W Amsterdam just recently opened its doors (although the Grand Premier Party isn’t until later this month) and a new W Hotel in Los Angeles (the area’s 3rd W Hotel) was announced at the beginning of September – it will open in the Downtown area in early 2019.

Now the hotel group has announced a further three new W Hotels:

The W Belgrade will be constructed as part of a new waterfront regeneration project that the city has been undertaking.  Featuring 120 guest rooms and suites the property will also incorporate “The Residences at W Belgrade” which will contain 165 full-service apartments ranging in size from 600 sq ft to around 1,50 sq ft.

Belgrade Waterfront W HotelBelgrade Waterfront artist’s impression (W Hotel not shown) – image: belgradewaterfront.com

Set to open in 2019, the W Belgrade will overlook the Sava River and will include an all-day dining venue (restaurant), a bar/living room, a Spa, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and a WET pool deck and bar.

Full details of the W Hotels project here. More details on Belgrade Waterfront here.

The second of the W Hotels to be recently announced is the W Sharm El Sheikh on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

The W Sharm El Sheikh is slated to be opened in 2020 and, just like the W Belgrade, will include the W Residences as well. The resort will be located in Nabq Bay in Sharm El Sheikh, just a 20 minute drive from the airport. The hotel will overlook the Straits of Tiran at the mount of the Gulf of Aqaba “providing guests with spectacular views” (although I guess that will depend on what room category you book!).

2768472401_8bed8bd082_oView across the Straits of Tiran courtesy of Jacob Wodzynski via Flickr

The hotel is set to feature 350 guest rooms and suites, including two “Extreme WOW Suites” (what W calls a Presidential Suite). There will be fewer residences constructed here compared to the Belgrade location with just 50 apartments planned.

The third and final W Hotel (for this post at least) is to be the W Punta De Mita in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit.

Don’t worry too much if you’re not too sure where Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit is because I had to look it up too (click to expand):

Screen Shot 2015-10-11 at 19.52.52

The hotel is scheduled to open in 2016 and will be part of Los Veneros which is an “exclusive enclave located on Mexico’s magnificent Pacific Coast, renowned as one of the world’s most desirable vacation destinations.” – and is 10 miles from Puerto Vallarta airport and 15 miles from the town of Puerto Vallarta itself.

The press release says:

The oceanfront W Punta de Mita will have 120 guest villas, featuring lavish amenities and the W brand’s signature Whatever/Whenever service. In addition, guests will enjoy the hotel’s vibrant public spaces, including W Living Room (the W brand’s bustling spin on the hotel lobby) where guests can mix and mingle while sipping locally-inspired cocktails; W Lounge where guests can enjoy an unforgettable nightlife experience while listening to what’s new and next in music; WET outdoor pool deck with stunning views of the Pacific Coast and buzzing with W energy; and a signature restaurant that will delight the most discerning palettes. For true indulgence, W Punta de Mita will feature a 4,000 square foot AWAY Spa with signature treatments and services as well as FIT, the ultimate workout facility.

The Luxury Collection

Back in June I posted about Starwood’s injection of capital into its Luxury Collection hotels and Starwood is delivering on its promise.

The stunning Palace Hotel in San Francisco has just completed a $40m renovation project aimed at reclaiming the iconic hotel’s status as a top place to stay in San Francisco.

Guest rooms and public spaces have been redesigned and given a new lease of life and the famed “Garden Court” with its glass-domed atrium now looks like something Louis XIV would have loved:

Palace Hotel San FranciscoGarden Court at the Palace Hotel San Francisco – Image courtesy of Starwood

The press release goes on to say:

Former icons of industry, politics, innovation, aviation and cinema – who called The Palace their San Francisco home – inspired the guestroom design. For instance, trim lines, stitching and tailored bed frames recall the details of men’s suiting and speak to the custom-made clothing worn by former guests such as Andrew Carnegie. Complementing the design of the space, feminine details are introduced in the drapery and upholstery, inspired by the sultry elegance of Sophia Loren. Nightstands are inspired by vintage travel trunks, like those carried by Amelia Earhart, with stitched leather details and chrome accents.

Even the fitness centre has been totally overhauled:

[T]he fitness center now spans 3,000 square feet and boasts floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the hotel’s swimming pool as well as a new cardio training room, spin bikes and cutting-edge exercise equipment from LifeFitness. The men’s and women’s lounges now feature luxurious marble bath areas, spa showers, fresh design elements and large back-lit mirrors.

A randomly selected weekend in January shows room rates starting at $325/night + taxes (on SPG.com) and further randomly selected weekends in May and July showed prices starting at around $355/night + taxes. Prices during the week regularly exceed $500 per night.

The palace is a SPG Category 6 hotel so an award night will cost between 20,000 and 25,000 Starpoints.

Annoyingly, when you attempt to check award availability on SPG.com you find out that you have to call Starwood to enquire about availability:

Screen Shot 2015-10-09 at 17.08.53

Sheraton Hotels

As part of Starwood’s commitment to open 150 new Sheraton hotels by 2020 they’ve just announced the opening of the Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel.

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. The city dates back to the 7th to 8th centuries (history is unclear as to exactly when the city was founded) and it’s been a major tourist destination since the early part of the 20th century.

Dubrovnik Walled CityDubrovnik’s walled city – Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The Sheraton Dubrovnik has 240 rooms and 11 suites with terraces and “provides sweeping views of the secluded bay and mountainous backdrop“.

Per Starwood:

The hotel features several restaurants and bars, serving both international and local Croatian cuisines, and providing a stylish setting with floor-to-ceiling windows and impressive views. The lobby also serves as a relaxing social space where guests can indulge in Paired, Sheraton’s imaginative new lobby menu comprised of artisanal small plates and bar snacks paired with premium wines and craft beers.

Sheraton DubrovnikThe Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel – Image courtesy of Starwood

With its own beach, a luxurious pool and a Spa iced together with “the largest conference facilities in the region” the hotel should appeal to a wide variety of guests.

Sheraton DubrovnikSheraton Dubrovnik King Room – Image courtesy of Starwood

Prices & Awards

During the winter months the prepaid rates for an entry-level room start at around $90 (£60/€80) per night rising to around $135 (£90/€120) per night in May and $260 (£170/€230) per night at the height of the European summer in August.

As a SPG Category 4 hotel award nights cost 10,000 Starpoints per night and, clearly, these would probably be put to better use in the summer months rather then in the cheap winter period.

Right now it looks like the whole calendar is available for award nights including the high-season months of July and August when the Dalmatian coast sees highest demand.

Sheraton Dubrovnik