After sloughing, scrubbing and smoothing skin in the U.S. and U.K., Bliss spa is going global, stretching its beauty footprint in new W Hotels from Hong Kong to Doha, Barcelona to Dubai, and beyond. In addition to recent domestic openings in Atlanta, Scottsdale, and Hoboken, New Jersey, Bliss debuted in Asia last year with the opening of Bliss spa at W Hong Kong, and quickly massaged its way to the top by winning Time Out Hong Kong’s “Best Spa” award. — Photo by W Hotel Hong Kong
fter sloughing, scrubbing and smoothing skin in the U.S. and U.K., Bliss spa is going global, stretching its beauty footprint in new W Hotels from Hong Kong to Doha, Barcelona to Dubai, and beyond. In addition to recent domestic openings in Atlanta, Scottsdale, and Hoboken, New Jersey, Bliss debuted in Asia last year with the opening of Bliss spa at W Hong Kong, and quickly massaged its way to the top by winning Time Out Hong Kong’s “Best Spa” award. — Photo by W Hotel Hong Kong
Bliss

NEW YORK | After sloughing, scrubbing and smoothing skin in the U.S. and U.K., Bliss spa is going global, stretching its beauty footprint in new W Hotels from Hong Kong to Doha, Barcelona to Dubai, and beyond. In addition to recent domestic openings in Atlanta, Scottsdale, and Hoboken, New Jersey, Bliss debuted in Asia last year with the opening of Bliss spa at W Hong Kong, and quickly massaged its way to the top by winning Time Out Hong Kong’s “Best Spa” award. The fun, attitude-free spa brand also entered the Middle East with a new Bliss spa in the recently opened W Doha in Qatar. Launching an ambitious global growth plan, Bliss spa, which currently has 13 locations worldwide, will have 25 spa properties by 2011. Bliss will open new spa locations within upcoming W Hotels debuting around the globe, including W Barcelona, W South Beach, and W Fort Lauderdale this year and W Dubai in 2011.

With this global expansion, Bliss continues to spread the ‘rub’ to local beauty junkies and spa-loving jet-setters worldwide with its signature tongue-in-chic personality, a cleverly compiled menu of super effective services, rhythm and blues tunes, and legendary brownie buffet. Each new Bliss spa will feature the brand’s signature services, including the blissage75 and triple oxygen treatment, topped off with a selection of treatments inspired by the destination.

“With the opening of Bliss spas at international W Hotels, we’ll be able to extend the unique spa escape W guests have grown to love stateside to a global audience,” stated Richard Dantas, President, Bliss. “In addition, cosmopolitan locals will now have access to our popular beauty maintenance treatments closer to home.”

In 2004, Bliss and W Hotels inked the hippest deal in hotel history and continue to work together to open Bliss spas at a number of W Hotels in the U.S. and around the globe, creating a unique synergy between like-minded brands. In addition to superior spa-ing and exclusive in-room sampling, W guests are provided with sink-side bliss amenities in all rooms worldwide. Extending the partnership into the W’s residential component, owners of W Residences enjoy priority booking at Bliss. This integration allows W Hotel guests access to unique in-room experiences, including Ginger Rub-booking concierges, waxing and wake-up calls, and Triple Oxygen Treatments and turn down service, all part of the Bliss and W relationship.

”This marks the year that W and Bliss truly go global, expanding into vibrant and primary destinations around the world,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “Like W, Bliss is a New York phenomenon that is transforming into a worldwide sensation, offering fashionable indulgences in beauty and well-being to W’s global travelers and local loyalists.”

Bliss Hong Kong

Bliss Hong Kong, which opened in October 2008 at W Hong Kong, has set up spa over two floors, featuring a retail beauty boutique, two movie-while-you-manicure (and pedicure) loungers, nine treatment suites – including two ‘BIP’ (that’s bliss important person) suites for couples (one with a Jacuzzi and day bed), and one male/female relaxation room (perfect for a post-treatment cat nap) – men’s and women’s lounges, a wet room and vitality pool. Bliss Hong Kong features breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour with exclusive treatments including, ‘thai’ the knot (Thai massage), east meets ‘press’ (Chinese sports massage), threading, hot stone massage, and honey+vanilla cream and ginger+lemongrass oil bath soaks available in ‘BIP’ suites.

The debut of W Hong Kong marked the W brand’s entry into China as well as the first Bliss Spa in Asia. Designed by Yasimuchi Morita of Glamorous Corp. and Nic Graham of g+a, W Hong Kong features 393 guest rooms, including 40 suites, two signature restaurants from renowned New Zealand Chef Michael Poutawa, the city’s most highly elevated hotel swimming pool, a 73rd floor state-of-the-art fitness facility, more than 8,000 square feet of ultra-modern meeting and event space, and the quintessential W lounge experience. Offering unobstructed views of the city’s dazzling skyline, W Hong Kong serves as the centerpiece in the new 92-story Cullinan complex, just minutes from the galleries in Soho and Canton Road’s luxury retail center.

Bliss Doha

Bliss Doha, which opened in March 2009, boasts 8,000 square feet of tension-fighting facilities, featuring a retail beauty boutique, three movie-while-you-manicure stations and two pedicure loungers, nine treatment rooms, including one ‘BIP’ room where couples can enjoy a spaahh-inspired soaking tub. Bliss Doha exclusives include, men’s and women’s Laconiums, crystal clearing (whitening facial), threading, and a bath soak treatment with a bliss bubbly blend.

W Doha debuted as W’s first property in the Middle East, featuring the area’s first Bliss spa. London-based United Designers created a dynamic yet refined space mixed with the contemporary cool design for which the W brand is known. Located in the West Bay area of this vibrant city, W Doha features 291 guest rooms, including 31 suites; 154 W branded residences; three nightlife options including the signature W Living Room experience, Wahm, a modern poolside shisha lounge, and Crystal Lounge, a stylish nightclub; three signature restaurants, including Spice Market and Market by Jean-Georges from world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the sophisticated La Maison du Caviar; WET, a glamorous temperature-contolled pool; SWEAT state-of-the-art fitness facilty; more than 10,000 square feet of ultra-modern meeting and event space; and the Middle East’s first outpost of W Hotels The Store, the brand’s stylish twist on the hotel gift shop.

The opening of Bliss Doha marks the 10th Bliss spa to open within a W property. Founded in 1998 in New York City, W Hotels continues to transform into a global powerhouse. With 10 years of proven success, W Hotels will triple its footprint by 2011 in vibrant primary destinations around the world, from Paris to Milan, Barcelona to London, Dubai to Marrakech, Santiago to South Beach, and Shanghai to Bali.

More than a hotel brand, W Hotels has established itself as an iconic lifestyle brand, offering guests unprecedented insider access to a world of “Wow” through contemporary cool design, fashion, nightlife, celebrities, and entertainment. W Hotels has forever changed the hospitality landscape with a series of industry firsts in the past 10 years, including: the transformation of the hotel lobby into the W Living Room experience; the introduction of the W brand’s signature Whatever/Whenever concierge service as a vehicle to fulfill every guest’s dreams; extension of the lifestyle experience into retail through W Hotels the Store; sensorial multiplex with branded W CD compilations released each year; the reinterpretation of the hotel mini-bar into the W “Munchie Box” to present the brand’s lifestyle point of view; and the reinvention of the presidential suite into W’s “Extreme Wow” and “Wow” suites.

About Bliss Spas | Founded in 1996, bliss was spotted by beauty-obsessed buzz-makers and quickly massaged its way to the top. There are currently 13 bliss spas worldwide: bliss soho, bliss57 and bliss49 (at W New York) in Manhattan, bliss san francisco (at W San Francisco), bliss chicago (at W Chicago-Lakeshore), bliss los angeles (at W Los Angeles – Westwood), bliss dallas (at W Dallas – Victory), bliss atlanta (at W Atlanta – Midtown and at W Atlanta – Downtown), bliss scottsdale (at W Scottsdale), bliss hoboken (at W Hoboken), blisslondon in the UK, bliss hong kong (at W Hong Kong), and bliss doha (at W Doha). Bliss bath, body and skincare amenities can be found in room at W Hotels nationwide. Bliss retails its bath, body and skincare lines through its bliss catalog, blissworld.com web site and at international retailers including Bloomingdale's, Blue Mercury, Harrod's, Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, and Ulta.

About W Hotels Worldwide® | W Hotels is an innovative luxury lifestyle brand and the hotel category buster with 29 properties in the most vibrant destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access to a world of “Wow.” Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design and passions around fashion, music, entertainment, design, architecture, pop culture, and everything in between. W Hotels are unique and individual expressions of modern living, reflected in the brand’s sensibility to a holistic lifestyle experience with cutting-edge design, contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous nightlife experiences, and signature spas. With 10 years of proven success, W Hotels will triple its footprint by 2011. In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been announced in Austin, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Downtown New York, Santiago, South Beach, and Washington, D.C. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Milan, Paris and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the Middle East, W has announced properties in Marrakech, Amman, and Dubai. W has plans to open W Retreats in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques Island and Verbier, the latter of which will serve as W Hotels’ first ski retreat. For more information, visit .

Brooke Temner
Bliss
646-502-1509
Starwood