Touted The Next Great City by National Geographic Traveler, Philadelphia will soon be adding a W Hotel to its list of desired destinations and national appeal. The City of Brotherly Love?, The Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’ House, The Declaration of Independence, ?more recently the hometown of Will Smith and Patti LaBelle, 5-Star restaurant Le Bec-Fin, Eagles’ Donovan McNabb, Live 8, the notorious Philly cheese steak.

W Hotels, the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world, has announced plans for a new W Hotel & Residences in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, scheduled to open in 2009. Starwood, W’s parent company, entered into a management agreement with 1200 Arch Street Associates L.P. to develop the property. Starwood will manage the hotel as a W and license the residential units as W Residences.
Located in ?Center City? Philadelphia at the southwest corner of Arch Street and 12th Street, the W Philadelphia Hotel & Residences will be across the street from the Philadelphia Convention Center and the historical Reading Terminal Market (circa 1893), which houses 80 specialty food merchants and craftspeople. Center City itself contains 17 museums, dozens of art galleries, exceptional entertainment and an extensive theatre district, a plethora of critically acclaimed dining destinations and famed chefs, and a shoppers’ haven of national brands, high-end retailers and privately owned boutiques.

The hotel will feature 250 luxurious guest rooms, including 26 suites, 3 ?Wow? suites and 1 Extreme Wow suite. Guests will indulge in a 6,500 square foot Bliss Spa, a signature restaurant and bar with outdoor garden space and 11,000 square feet of meeting space with Sensory Set-Up to inspire Ben Franklin-style creativity in every meeting.

“Urban Residential is thrilled to be partnering with W Hotels and introducing this Starwood brand into the thriving Philadelphia market,? said Chris Martorella, CEO of Urban Residential. ?Philadelphia has been recognized as ‘the next great city’, and this venture is further proof that the city of brotherly love has arrived.”

The project will also include 95 W Residences, offering owners a combination of one and two bedroom condominiums with all the benefits of being attached to a W Hotel, such as full use of the property’s facilities, 24-hour room service, maid service and Whatever/Whenever concierge services. In addition to Philadelphia, W is currently developing Residences in South Beach, Las Vegas, Hoboken, Scottsdale, Hollywood, Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale.

W’s signature Living Room experience will offer an irresistible escape where guests and locals can sink into oversized furniture with the morning paper and a cappuccino or socialize over cocktails and live DJs in a communal setting that morphs from day into night. Those looking to exercise their fashion sense ? or simply exercise ? the W Philadelphia will feature W Hotels the Store, W’s trendsetting retail boutique, and SWEAT, an extensive fitness facility.
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