NEW YORK— In its continuing effort to keep its hotel employees in synch with its guests, W Hotels signed up designer Kenneth Cole to create hip attire for its “cast members” at its 16 U.S. properties. The new uniforms, or “costumes,” are for concierge and front-desk staff as well as bellmen. Uniforms for housekeeping staff along with bar and restaurant employees are not covered by the partnership agreement with Kenneth Cole. The new outfits are urban in style. With W men now wearing black leather blazers, charcoal pinstriped pants with black button-down dress shirts or turtlenecks, and black leather belts with silver flat-front buckles. Women will wear similar charcoal pinstriped pants, a sleeveless matte jersey drape-front shirt in black and a leather blazer. The original “costumes” for W cast members featured a charcoal gray and black color scheme with gray suits and black shirts. The new attire is now in use at the W Times Square here as well as at the W Chicago–Lakeshore. By years end, the uniforms will be worn at all W hotels, a spokesperson for W Hotels indicated. The uniforms fit with the sophisticated and elegant image of the brands properties, according to Kenneth Cole. Designed to make W employees “virtually indistinguishable” from guests, the new uniforms are modern clothes one would expect to see on a fashionable city street rather than behind the front desk at a hotel, said Cole. In assessing the new look for W employees, Barry Sternlicht, chairman/CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, said Kenneth Coles “incredible sense of style perfectly complements W Hotels trend-setting image and philosophy.” Cole was chosen to create the new look for W employees because of “his sexy and unique approach to clothing design,” according to Sternlicht. The Starwood executive noted that since the inception of the brand in 1998, W has been known for its “dynamic alliances” with renowned partners such as nightlife impresario Rande Gerber, restaurateur Todd English and designer David Rockwell. “Our associates will work in cool clothes they would wear on their own time. They will look great, feel great, and this will translate into better service for our guests,” Sternlicht said. Each employee is issued three uniforms so they can be wearing one, have one in reserve and another being cleaned. The hotel takes care of daily maintenance of the uniforms including laundering, alterations and repairs. A specific price tag for each uniform was not available as the cost of the new uniform program is still being calculated, according to the W Hotels spokesperson.
W Hotels Gets Hip Apparel