Skip to main content

Home Life Life Travel

8 July 2025

W London hotel review: The property went above and beyond this Pride season

The W London provides queer education and joy to its guests through a series of Pride events, Attitude's travel editor discovers

By Markus Bidaux

Beks performing at the W London's Sounds Queer event
Beks performing at the W London's Sounds Queer event (Image: Provided)

We love to see hotels celebrate Pride in London, but for the most part, they show their support through a rainbow logo, colourful displays, or drag brunches.

The W London went above and beyond this Pride season with a series of events for the LGBTQ+ community through a series that including a photo gallery, a speaking event and two Pride parties.

Justin Peng performing in the W London's Perception Lounge
Justin Peng performing in the W London’s Perception Lounge (Image: Provided)

So, when it came time to pick a hotel to stay at the night before and of the PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe 2025 the decision was easy.

The glass covered W hotel is sandwiched between Leicester Square and Chinatown and just a couple of blocks from Old Compton Street, making it an ideal location for Pride weekend.

The W London's Perception Lounge Restaurant
The W London’s Perception Lounge Restaurant (Image: Provided)

In the black-leather-clad lift from the ground floor to the reception we spot an ad for their Pride in London events featuring an intimate image of a gay couple.

The hotel’s vibe is further confirmed in the reception with an installation of about a hundred cantaloupe-sized mirrored disco balls cascading from the ceiling – this is a hotel for fun seekers.

W London's Wonderful King Guest Room
W London’s Wonderful King Guest Room (Image: Provided)

After a seamless check in, we head up to our Wonderful King Guest Room. On the far side of the room is a king-sized bed with a tablet that controls everything in the room, and at the foot of the bed there is space for a big red chair against a wall covered in a huge silver leather Union Jack.

In the middle of the room is a long white island that has a sink and light up vanity mirror on one end and desk space on the other. Two mirrored cubicles house the toilet and shower, the latter is fully sealed, so you get a stream room effect when the shower is hot enough.

The exterior of the W London hotel
The exterior of the W London hotel (Image: Provided)

Finally, a large closet offers plenty of storage, a Nespresso coffee machine and kettle.

We had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and enjoyed the all-day Asian fusion menu’s prawn curry. And the East Meets West cocktail list was just as spicy when I chose the ginger-ladened Ginger Snap. In the morning, the á la carte breakfast is also served in the same space with everything from turmeric shots to chia acai bowls to a good old full English.

The W London's gym
The W London’s gym (Image: Provided)

On the sixth floor, we enjoyed the large gym, which was equipped with TechoGym gear and some Hyperice recovery tools like massage guns and vibrating rollers. Throughout the hotel the art is on the sexy side, and that includes the gym where there are two huge murals either side – one of a topless woman and the other a shirtless man in a punky kilt. The adjacent AWAY Spa offers treatment rooms and a steam and sauna.

Queer Britain's gallery partnership on display in the W London
Queer Britain’s gallery partnership on display in the W London (Image: Provided)

In the hall leading to the Perception Lounge, the W London has partnered with the Queer Britian Museum to create a gallery of ten black and white photos that date as far back as the 1870s. The images of LGBTQ+ pioneers is a reminder of why Pride is still so important.

Justin Peng performing in the W London's Perception Lounge
Justin Peng performing in the W London’s Perception Lounge (Image: Provided)

On the Friday evening of our stay, the Perception Lounge hosted the Sounds Queer Pride Edition. The W London’s hosts a regular live music series called AMPLIFIED and this special Pride edition in collaboration with Sounds Queer, a platform dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA+ musicians including music acts Justin Peng, Benedict Cork, Beks and a DJ set by the iconic Princess Julia.

Beks performing under Europe's largest mirrored disco ball in the W London
Beks performing under Europe’s largest mirrored disco ball in the W London (Image: Provided)

All the performances take place under Europe’s largest mirrored disco ball. The hotel has over 600 mirrored disco balls, but the most impressive is big enough to fit a Mini inside of it.

Princess Julia playing the DJ decks at the W London's Perception Lounge
Princess Julia (Image: Provided)

They also hosted an Activism & Social Change panel with Queer Britian’s director, Andrew Given, Stonewall founding member Lida Power MBE and Time Out London’s Lewis Corner on 2 July. And on 5 July for the Saturday of London Pride the bar was taken over by Club Stamina.

Cocktails from the Perception Lounge's bar
Cocktails from the Perception Lounge’s bar (Image: Provided)

Morten Skumsrud, the general manager of W London, confirmed the property’s intents, “Our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community extends far beyond Pride Month. It’s reflected in how we programme events, build partnerships, and connect with both our guests and the local community all year-round. Queer culture is a driving force in London’s creative scene, and W London is proud to celebrate that — from spotlighting emerging talent through art and music to collaborating with institutions like the Queer Museum.”

In This Article: