W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, today celebrates the official unveiling of W Barcelona which opened its doors on October 1, 2009. Over the course of the next three days, W Barcelona will highlight the W brand’s passion points of fashion, design, architecture, music and “B&F” (beverage & food) through a new event series called “W Premiere.”
Gérard Sintès will succeed Luis Marcó as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona with effect from 1 April 2010. Mr Marcó is retiring after a 45-year career in the hospitality industry. Mr Sintès, who has almost 30 years of experience in the global luxury hospitality industry, joins Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona from One & Only Cape Town where he held the position of General Manager and was responsible for the hotel opening in 2009. He has held senior management positions in many award-winning properties around the globe, including the role of General Manager at One &Only Le Saint Géran Hotel, Spa & Golf Club in Mauritius from 1999 to 2005. Mr Sintès has also gained significant experience with management postings in Asia, including the position of General Manager of Shangri La, Bangkok from 2005 to 2008. A French national, he is a graduate of Lausanne Hotel School and as well as his native language is fluent in Spanish and English.
VingCard Elsafe, a leading hospitality security provider and part of the ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Group, has completed the installation of its Signature mag-stripe lock at the W Barcelona. Completed in July, the most recent development from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is located in Barcelona, Spain. The 473-room property, designed by world-famous Ricardo Bofill, is a popular tourist attraction centrally located near six museums, FC Barcelona stadium, Ciutat Vella and La Barceloneta. Drawing worldwide attention, a premier hotel property like W Barcelona requires a secure and reliable electronic locking solution like Signature by VingCard.
W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, today unveils a global brand flagship hotel, W Barcelona. An icon of stunning architecture rising high above the Mediterranean in Spain’s most dynamic and stylish city, W Barcelona is designed by world-renowned Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. Situated at Nova Bocana, where the glamorous Barceloneta beach boardwalk commences, the hotel has a commanding presence against Barcelona’s magnificent waterfront and skyline, and has already made its mark as a landmark in an ambitious urban renewal plan for Barcelona’s coastline.
W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, will mark its debut in Western Europe later this year with the opening of the new W Barcelona. An avant-garde icon of stunning architecture rising high above the Mediterranean in Spain’s most dynamic and stylish city, W Barcelona is designed by Barcelona-born and world-renowned architect Ricardo Bofill. Known for his architectural creations including the Shiseido headquarters in Tokyo and the headquarters for Cartier and Christian Dior in Paris, Bofill’s projects around the world demonstrate his capacity to act in harmony with different local cultures, combined with his great global competence.
Mr Marco brings over 40 years of hospitality experience to his new position, having held a number of senior management positions in famous landmark hotels such as The Hamilton Princess in Bermuda, the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, and the Pierre Marques in Acapulco where he acquired numerous awards such as the first ever AAA Triple Five Diamond Resort rating. More recently, he was the opening General Manager of the renowned Hotel Arts in Barcelona taking over the Ritz Carlton in Cancun as General Manager where he was the recipient of the National Quality Award on three occasions.