W London, Soho, London — Hotel Review
W London sits on the corner of Wardour Street and Leicester Square — a 192-room property that announced itself in 2010 as London’s most overtly theatrical hotel and, over fifteen years, has not particularly softened that pitch. Its glowing, interactive facade is unmistakable. Inside, Europe’s largest disco ball hangs above The Perception bar, AWAY Spa occupies the sixth floor, and the suite range includes a private Mega Bar unit designed to double as a hosting venue. For Marriott Bonvoy members, the calculus is familiar from EDITION: points earn normally, the fifth night free applies, but complimentary elite breakfast is absent and upgrade delivery is — by consistent report — among the most unpredictable in the Bonvoy London portfolio.
| At a Glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Programme | Marriott Bonvoy |
| Brand | W Hotels (Starwood brand, acquired by Marriott 2016) |
| Location | 10 Wardour Street, Soho/Leicester Square W1D — corner of Leicester Square, edge of Soho |
| Rooms | 192 rooms and suites, including 21 suites |
| Nearest stations | Leicester Square (under 5 min walk), Piccadilly Circus (5 min walk), Covent Garden (7 min walk) |
| Executive Lounge | No |
| Spa | AWAY Spa — 100 sq m, sauna, steam room, treatment rooms (6th floor). Chargeable for all guests |
| Pool | No |
| Redemption pricing | Dynamic — typical range 50,000–80,000 points/night; value approximately 0.5–0.7p/point |
The Hotel
W London opened in 2010, designed by Jestico + Whiles as part of a mixed-use development — the 10-storey building incorporates retail, leisure and residential space alongside the hotel, which occupies a landmark corner site at the southern edge of Leicester Square. The building’s LED facade, which shifts and responds at night, has become something of a visual fixture in the square. The brand itself — W Hotels — was originally a Starwood creation that passed to Marriott via the 2016 Starwood acquisition, and its identity has been carefully preserved: the irreverent tone, the emphasis on nightlife and F&B, and the Whatever/Whenever service concept are all intact.
Rooms follow the W formula: floor-to-ceiling windows, mirror walls, the brand’s signature W bed, tablet-controlled room systems (Digivatel) managing lighting, temperature and in-room dining. The design, refreshed in a multi-million-pound renovation, leans into the hotel’s entertainment-district positioning — bold finishes, custom photography, and a room aesthetic that would feel at home in a music video. Suites escalate significantly in scale and drama, with several featuring the Mega Bar — a custom-built, freight-case-inspired in-room bar with onyx worktop, leather panelling and a gold-hammered sink, included complimentary with select suite bookings. The Penthouse Suite extends across the upper floors with wraparound views. Standard room sizes are modest — compact by five-star standards — and a persistent review theme is that lower-floor rooms facing the square carry meaningful street noise, particularly at night.
Request a higher floor explicitly at booking and again at check-in. Lower-floor rooms facing Leicester Square can be noisy — the square draws evening crowds and the building is not especially well insulated from ground-level sound. Floors five and above are consistently quieter. If the Mega Bar suite is within reach on points or with a Suite Night Award, it represents a genuinely different product from the standard room.
Location
The address is exceptional for leisure and entertainment. Leicester Square Tube (Northern and Piccadilly lines) is under five minutes’ walk. Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden are five to seven minutes on foot. Chinatown is directly in front of the hotel entrance. Theatreland — the West End’s main cluster of major productions — is within a ten-minute walk in any direction. Soho, Carnaby Street and Oxford Street are immediate. For business travel the location is less optimal — the City and Canary Wharf require 30–45 minutes — but for anyone primarily visiting London for culture, dining and entertainment it is hard to improve on.
Marriott Bonvoy — Earning on the Stay
Earning follows standard Bonvoy rates: 10 base points per US dollar of room spend, with tier bonuses from Silver through Ambassador. The fifth night free applies on standard points redemptions. W Hotels earns and burns normally within the Bonvoy ecosystem — dynamic pricing since 2022 means points costs track cash rates, with no published fixed award chart. The Amex Membership Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy 1:1 transfer is the primary route for UK members building towards a redemption here.
W Hotels, like EDITION, does not include complimentary breakfast for Bonvoy Platinum and above. The elite breakfast benefit is a standard Bonvoy entitlement at most core Marriott brands, but it is explicitly excluded at lifestyle and luxury tier brands including W and EDITION. Breakfast at The Perception is à la carte and priced accordingly. Factor this into total stay cost, particularly if comparing a W stay against a full-service Marriott or Sheraton where breakfast would be included with Platinum status.
Redemptions — What to Expect
Dynamic pricing puts W London in the 50,000–80,000 points per night bracket for standard rooms under normal demand — broadly comparable to the London EDITION. Demand peaks around major West End openings, film premieres at Leicester Square cinemas, and school holidays, when cash rates and corresponding points costs rise sharply. The fifth night free applies and is worth factoring into any five-night stay, reducing the per-night cost by 20%.
As with EDITION, the Marriott STARS programme (available via eligible luxury travel agents at the best available rate) can add meaningful value on cash stays — breakfast for two, room upgrade and a stay credit — more impactful here because status-related breakfast is not otherwise included.
Multiple reviews from Titanium and Ambassador members — the top two Bonvoy tiers — report that upgrades to available suites have been declined or offered only as a paid upsell at check-in, rather than complimentary. This is a pattern flagged repeatedly on FlyerTalk and in reviews. Marriott’s published elite benefit at Titanium and Ambassador is the best available room including standard suites — the gap between that policy and reported practice at this property is wider than at most London Bonvoy hotels. Manage expectations accordingly, particularly if you are relying on an upgrade for your stay experience.
Elite Benefits — What Platinum and Above Actually Gets You Here
| Benefit | Notes |
|---|---|
| Room upgrade | Policy: Platinum — enhanced room; Titanium/Ambassador — best available including suites. Practice: inconsistent. Multiple reports of upgrades being denied or presented as paid options even with suites clearly available on the app |
| Breakfast | Not included with any elite status tier. W opts out of the Bonvoy elite breakfast benefit. Must be purchased separately |
| Executive Lounge | No lounge at this property |
| Late checkout | Guaranteed 4pm for Platinum and above per Bonvoy policy |
| Welcome gift | Points or F&B amenity choice at check-in |
| Suite Night Awards | Can be applied in advance; may reduce friction at check-in. No guarantee, but proactive application is better than relying on day-of upgrade delivery at this property |
| Fifth night free | Applies on standard points redemptions only |
Platinum Elite requires 50 qualifying nights annually. The fastest UK route combines the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card (15 elite night credits per year, plus a further 15 if £15,000 spend is reached) with targeted stays during Marriott’s double elite night promotions, which typically run in Q1. Titanium requires 75 nights — a meaningful stretch without significant business travel. For those not chasing top-tier status, the Amex card alone delivers Silver Elite on sign-up and, combined with a handful of stays, reaches Gold relatively quickly. Gold does not deliver lounge access or breakfast at W, so the practical loyalty benefit at this property only becomes meaningful at Platinum.
The Perception and AWAY Spa
The Perception bar on the first floor is the social centrepiece of the hotel — a high-ceilinged space with bespoke leather sofas, mirrored ceilings, light sculptures and a programme of DJs and events most evenings. Europe’s largest disco ball is the signature feature. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with cocktails as the primary evening draw. The crowd skews fashion-forward and the atmosphere is deliberately loud and energetic — exactly what the brand intends and not for everyone.
AWAY Spa occupies 100 square metres on the sixth floor alongside the FIT gym, which overlooks the West End. The spa has a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms using Natura Bissé products. Treatments are chargeable for all guests — there is no complimentary spa access for elite status holders. The FIT gym is well-reviewed and available free of charge.
Facilities
No pool. AWAY Spa and FIT gym on the sixth floor. The Perception bar and W Lounge for food and drink. A private screening room with 38 seats. A WIRED business centre. Suites available with private Mega Bar. Pets welcome (supplement applies).
Who Should Stay Here
W London suits Bonvoy members who are specifically drawn to the brand’s design aesthetic and entertainment positioning, and who intend to spend time at The Perception or use the spa. The location for leisure and nightlife is as strong as anywhere in the Bonvoy London portfolio. On points, it offers reasonable value in the 50,000–80,000 range if expectations around elite benefits are correctly calibrated — which means not expecting breakfast, lounge access, or reliable suite upgrades.
For members primarily motivated by elite benefit delivery — particularly upgrade probability — this is the weakest option in the London Bonvoy portfolio at the five-star level. The JW Grosvenor House delivers a materially more reliable status experience. The Sheraton Grand offers lounge access and included breakfast for Platinum members, closer to what most status holders expect. W London rewards guests who want the atmosphere and location specifically, not those optimising for loyalty value.
One of London’s most distinctive Bonvoy properties and the obvious choice for anyone whose first priority is the entertainment district and a hotel with genuine nightlife energy. The Perception bar and Leicester Square location are strong enough to carry the stay for the right traveller. The loyalty mechanics are thin — no lounge, no elite breakfast, inconsistent upgrades — and represent a worse proposition for status-conscious members than most other London Bonvoy five-stars. Stay here because you want this specific hotel in this specific location, not because Bonvoy status will improve the experience.
For a full breakdown of how Marriott Bonvoy works — earning, status tiers, and redemption strategy — see our Marriott Bonvoy guide.
