W Hotels was launched in 1998 with the W New York, a conversion of the old Doral Inn hotel at 541 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The first few W hotels were mainly conversions of existing hotels already within the Starwood group. The W expanded its number of flagship properties quickly in the United States over the next decade and is now focusing its expansion efforts abroad for the most part.

W opened its first hotel in Europe in Istanbul in May 2008. The hotel, located in the renovated Akaretler Row Houses, a group of historic structures built in the 1870s to house the employees of the Dolmabahçe Palace, blends the traditional Ottoman design of the row houses with the contemporary feel of the luxury hotel chain. The W Barcelona hotel was W’s first in Western Europe and opened in October 2009. It features a futuristic design by architect Ricardo Bofill in the shape of a sail and, standing 26 stories tall, it can be seen from all over the city. At the moment, the W Doha Hotel and Residences is the only W property in the Middle East and North Africa, though there are several properties currently in development for the United Arab Emirates and India. W’s most notable properties under-development includ es the 62 storey W MUMBAI also known as Namaste Tower.