W Hotels has debuted the first W Sound Suite at the W Bali – Seminyak. Designed by New York-based Josh Held Design, the private recording studio and writing room is available to both professional musicians and hotel guests.
The concept was born from the mind of Chicago-based producer DJ White Shadow, W’s North American music director. The Lady Gaga collaborator affixed the large soundproof studio with high-quality sound equipment and helped determine its layout.
The studio features locally sourced wooden furniture, handcarved wooden blocks, and handwoven rugs. An oversized print of a 1980s boombox by artist Lyle Owerko accompanies other contemporary touches such as a photography print spanning the entire room. A private vocal booth overlooks the hotel’s tropical garden.
Coca-Cola, a longtime global partner of W, also contributed to the development of the studio. The American soda brand is honored through subtle touches of red, a chandelier made from melted Coke bottles, and oversized wall text featuring lyrics from the iconic 1970s “I’d like to teach the world to sing…” advertisement.
To celebrate the launch of the suite, the W Bali will use the space to host a new content series entitled “Sounding Off With…,” a podcast-like show featuring interviews with musicians.
W Hotels plans to unveil additional studios in music locales such as Hollywood, Barcelona, and Seattle.
