«El modernismo es el opio de la clase media»
Aaron Betsky
W Hotels are not original. Their inspiration was the hotels Ian Schrager developed in late 1980s and early 1990s, such as the Paramount and Royalton in New York, and the Mondrian in L.A. Their décor, created by a continually changing array of local talents guided by a watchful corporate control mechanism, is derivative of whatever is showing up in the lifestyle magazines. That is not to say, however, that it is not good. Local designers can offer nice touches, such as the hammocks on the balconies in Mexico City, while talented designers such as David Rockwell, who did the original W in New York and is no dreaming one up in Paris, create a modern equivalent of grand hotel theater that is superb in its effects.