W Hotels helped rewrite what a luxury hotel could feel like. Instead of whisper-quiet lobbies, formality and luxury that sometimes feels like you're supposed to behave yourself, W built its identity around design, music, cocktails, nightlife and social spaces that actually feel alive. Marriott currently places W within its Distinctive Luxury portfolio. There are more expensive hotel brands.

There are brands with more formal service. There are brands with bigger suites, quieter resorts and longer luxury pedigrees. But if BlkTravel had to pick one hotel brand that consistently understands how we actually want to travel, we're starting with W. W understands something simple: The hotel shouldn't become boring just because it's expensive.

You can check into a W for the room and end up spending half the night downstairs. The traditional lobby becomes the Living Room. The bar matters. The pool matters. The DJ matters. Who is sitting beside you matters. And depending on the destination, the hotel can become part of the city's social scene rather than somewhere you retreat to after experiencing it. Marriott describes W's Living Rooms as community spaces that evolve through the day and night, while the brand continues to build music directly into the experience through its global W PRESENTS series.

That's a major reason W works for BlkTravel. We aren't looking for luxury that requires us to become somebody else to enjoy it. We want luxury with some life in it. And W's footprint makes that experience travel well. The current portfolio stretches from Miami, Hollywood and New York to Barcelona, Rome, Dubai, Bali, the Maldives, Mexico City and the newer W Punta Cana. That doesn't mean every W is identical. Actually, that's part of the appeal.

W has been deliberately evolving away from some of the overly nightclub-heavy aesthetic associated with its earlier era toward properties that are more design-forward, locally influenced and refined while retaining the social personality that made W different in the first place. So depending on where you go, W can be: The couples hotel. The birthday hotel. The girls-trip hotel. The rooftop-before-we-go-out hotel. The we're-not-ready-to-go-to-bed-yet hotel.

And at the right resort? The entire vacation.