W Santiago

Hip and happening, the W offers jet-set luxury within walking distance of Santiago’s best shops and restaurants.

The first W Hotel property in South America opened in 2009, and is now one of the hottest hotels in the city. Located within one of the office towers in Las Condes neighborhood, the W merges the wow factor of a modern nightclub with the tried-and-true comforts of a top hotel. The design was overseen by Sergio Echaverria and Tony Chi (responsible for Mandarin Oriental in New York among others), so the lighting, the furniture and the art make a major statement but the sense of deep cosseting comes through as well. You have to take an elevator up to the main lobby level, where you find the check-in desk, the W Lounge (probably the coolest living room in town) and various restaurants, from a wine bar, Asian Osaka restaurant and the gourmet French NoSo restaurant to a great outdoor bistro Terraza with views of the mountains and the nearby park. The 196 guestrooms range from large doubles (310 to 450 square feet) to suites that feel like fabulous apartments. With floor-to-ceiling glass windows and balconies to make the most of the city/mountain views, all of the rooms have a modern urban glam aesthetic. Some have dramatic abstract art on the walls; others have bathtubs (some are even sunken) in the same room as the beds so both face a skyline view; all have gorgeous materials and large bathrooms. (Don’t worry you can view them all online to pick what suits you.) On the roof is a stunning pool and a bar that is ground zero for the city’s cool scene. The location is great too, because you are walking distance to some of Santiago’s best shops and restaurants. In fact, some like El Mundo del Vino are right in the same building.

Younger travelers who want to be smack dab in the middle of Santiago’s nightlife. This is not your father’s five-star hotel, but for the next generation of hotels, it sets a pretty sexy standard.