Contributing to Times Square’s renaissance, the 55-story “W” hotel has been designed as a multi use complex with 600 rooms. The site is the intersection of West 47th Street and Broadway in the Northerly “Bow-Tie” open space of Times Square. With new office buildings and entertainment complexes recently built in the Times Square district, the “W” Hotel was designed to accommodate the great number of new office workers and tourists resulting from these improvements.

The hotel makes up the complex’s largest component and provides a street level lobby with swift, shuttle elevators that take guests up to the Sky Lobby on the fourth floor. This area comprises not only the lobby but also a hotel lobby lounge, restaurant, bar area, and the hotel’s reception. The Sky Lobby’s placement allows for a single use retail complex, three of whose stories are above grade and one below.

In addition to those elements of the complex, perhaps the most striking feature is the 300 foot high sign tower installed on the hotel’s east side. The sign tower faces Broadway, greatly strengthening and enhancing the new signage and lighting that floods Times Square. An example of advanced technology, this sign tower can carry on all three sides a 10-0” signage system that can be marketed so that signs can be rented for 60 seconds or much longer periods of time.

This renaissance of the Times Square theater district is continuing today, with the New York Times office building opening and two new office buildings planned at 8th Avenue and West 42nd Street. Construction is nearing completion of the new ticket sales area at West 47th Street which will provide an outside theater for events.