Opening Soon (Possibly?): W Hotel São Paulo (Update: It’s Open!)

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tl;dr – It looks like the W hotel in São Paulo is finally ready to open…possibly. Originally scheduled to open in 2021, some indications are that W São Paulo will open its doors just in time to close out 2024. That said, given how relatively quiet this opening feels – one is hard-pressed to find a current media update on the matter – it’s worth speculating whether a late-inning delay will derail things, thereby pushing the opening into 2025. (Update 12/27/2024: Confirmed that the hotel is in fact open and operational!)

**********(Update 12/27/2024: Confirmed that the hotel is in fact open and operational!)*****

One of my favorite things to write about is new luxury points hotel openings. I’m particularly excited about new offerings in areas lacking a solid roster of luxury accommodation options. Such is the case with the W São Paulo. As I mentioned in my review of the JW Marriott São Paulo, it’s surprising there are only so many luxury hotels for a city of its size. Thus, a new upmarket hotel, a hotel booked on points, in São Paulo is something worth knowing about. 

Candidly, the W brand has never been my favorite—I’ve always viewed it as too ‘extra.’ That said, a superb recent stay at the W Costa Rica—Reserva Conchal (review forthcoming) has me rethinking whether I’ve been too hasty in dismissing the brand outright. Today, let’s take a quick look at what’s happening here.

Hawkeye’d Onto My Radar

I first learned about the W São Paulo in July when driving from GRU airport to the JW Marriott. Out of the window of my Uber, I noticed a shiny, tall building in the distance bearing the unmistakable ‘W’ logo. I had recently combed through all the upscale points options in the city when planning this trip and didn’t remember seeing the W among the possibilities. Furthermore, I keep abreast of the most significant openings among the core-four points hotel chains and other luxury brands. Again, I didn’t remember seeing mention of the W. After doing some research and noticing there were W residences in São Paulo, I figured I’d seen a standalone W Residences outlet where some developer had presumably thought it worth it to pay a pretty penny for the brand name in hopes of selling some condos. 

Much later in December, when writing up the review for my stay at the JW, I ran a search on Marriott’s website to review the current Bonvoy properties in São Paulo and noticed a new entry in the results—The W.

Running a search on Google revealed that the W is slated to open on December 17, 2024. 

The strange part about all this? There have been very few mentions of the property over the last few years. Most articles are from 2018, referencing its 2021 opening date. Now, hotel openings are notorious for their delays – construction complications, funding difficulties, management regime changes, hiring and training issues, and bureaucratic challenges with local governments – are just some of the many reasons openings slip or, in some cases, planned projections never materialize. And as the W was initially slated for a 2021 debut, you can bet COVID pulled a big Dikembe Mutombo finger wag on that. 

Indeed, while the reasons for the delay are not easy to find, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re some combination of all of the above, and frankly, that’s still not the cumbersome part. Even as the hotel accepts reservations for stays beginning in late December, there’s almost nothing from Marriott about this. The only mention I could find is this outdated scrolling marketing bar identifying the W São Paulo’s opening in July 2024. The photos of the property from Marriott’s (as you’ll see below) site still seem to be the renderings as opposed to the standard updated airbrushed stock photos.

Given the size of São Paulo and the dearth of options in the luxury hotel market, this one feels somewhat meaningful, right?

By the way, shout out to The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an urban planning non-profit organization. Their undying due diligence resulted in a much-needed page-two Google search result, ensuring the W São Paulo dream stays alive for all of us.

Honestly, this really feels like a planned hedge, which brings me back to the idea of this ‘possible’ opening. Perhaps Marriott’s waiting to blow the trumpet until it’s a virtual certainty that the doors will, in fact, open, and if there’s even the slightest inkling that it won’t happen before the year is out, it’s best to keep quiet. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time a Marriott property that would otherwise be reasonably notable opening flies under the radar – hello Leopard Sands. And it’s not even the first W planned in Brazil that has fallen just a bit behind schedule. 

Ok, So How’s the Hotel Looking?

Enough with the drama, let’s explore the actual hotel. The W Sao Paulo is located in Vila Olímpia, a commercial area of the city nearby to one of the more prominent shopping centers, JK Iguatemi. The hotel is a 179-room operation, and features a spa, two restaurants and meeting rooms. Like many W’s you can expect a curated Living Room (the bar) and Wet Deck (the pool, in this case a rooftop infinity pool).

Let’s start with the building – here a few photos. Just as shiny as I remember it:

Google Street View will also give you a standing-at-the-base-looking-up perspective of the building. (Click the link and rotate the photo around.) 

Rendering of some of the rooms:

Rooftop infinity pool at The Wet Deck, indoor pool, gym and spa areas:

One of the restaurants:

And the surrounding area:

Overall, it looks pretty cool, and I’m not getting peak ‘W,’ maybe more ‘w.’ However, the rooms’ designs definitely still invite the morning after the ‘damn-am-I-still-in-the-discoteca?’ confusion.

Conclusion

Whether it happens by the end of 2024 or slips into 2025, the W Hotel São Paulo is very close to opening its doors. When it does, enthusiasts will have another upscale option for redemption in Brazil’s largest city. Let me know if you plan to check it out in the comments!