Good Karma and Famous Faces at San Diego W Hotel

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From the beginning, the San Diego W Hotel set the bar high for local nightlife. With the first rooftop bar in the downtown district, nightlife has skyrocketed, establishing a sophistication that is unparalleled by any other hotel or lounge in San Diego.

Not only is the W Hotel one of the finest hotels in San Diego, it's also one of the latest buzz-worthy nightlife locales in 2008, especially with the opening of Karma Lounge. The all-new Karma Lounge is an exclusive venue in partnership with Karma fine beverages, hosting private events that are sure to show the most famous of faces. In fact, earlier this month, Macy Gray visited Karma to strut her stuff, launching the lounge and DJing for grateful W guests.

Karma Lounge will be the champion of San Diego lounges until mid March 2008. Karma features the Executive Chef Vik from RICE - the W's signature, in-house restaurant - who is preparing an exclusive menu called Karma for the Body and Karma for the Soul. While at the W's seasonal escape, indulge in blissful baked brie wrapped in a puff pastry accompanied by raspberry jam or the savory stuffed mushrooms filled with mild spice and goat cheese. Sip on Karma for the Soul sparkling wine, while nibbling on the heavenly chocolate dipped strawberries. Ah, nirvana!

To accommodate the new space, the W's Magnet Lounge been redesigned, thanks to Karma, creating an ultra modern look with white walls and statuesque columns, sofas, and textiles with gold and chocolate undertones.

Notorious for its swank style and upscale appeal, the W Hotel is infiltrating San Diego with celebrity class, pulling world renowned photographers into its local spotlight. The W's much anticipated photography exhibit is unlike any other to grace the walls of the San Diego art scene.

White Space is the W Hotel San Diego's first art exhibit of 2008, and continues to feature only the most talented and known artists and photographers.

Featured this month is Mark Seliger, fashion photographer, whose prolific portraits have graced the pages of Rolling Stone, earning him the chief photographer spot at the magazine in 1993. Since then he has experienced any photographer's dream, snapping some of the publication's most famous shots of Kurt Cobain, Brad Pitt, and Britney Spears. Since 2003 he has been under contract with Conde Nast Publications for Vanity Fair and GQ, lending his talent to shoot editorials unlike anyone else's in the business.

Opened on January 17, 2008, "In My Stairwell", the first exhibit to hit W's White Space art series, is a collection showcase of Mark Seliger's most impressive and personal work, photographs of friends and celebrities embellishing his actual stairwell in his New York West Village studio.

Represented by Guy Hepner Contemporary, a collective who features the tawdry works of Terry Richardson (whose signature style is emulated by American Apparel ads), and the late Helmut Newton who's lusty taste earned him celebrity rights in gritty but glamorous 1980's Hollywood is bringing its white heat to the W Hotel.

The exhibit is exclusive for W San Diego's guests, showcasing contemporary artists, musicians, and actors including the likes of Julia Roberts and Salma Hayek in these featured prints selected from Seliger's series that began in 1998 and completed in 2004.
W's Lounge, Living Room and Catwalk are transformed with Seliger's oversized prints framed and hanging from the ceiling in a dramatic display to make way for White Space.

Quoted in the W's coverage, Seliger says of the series, "It was an opportunity to create a collection of portraits of artists, ranging from peripheral to mainstream, to make a record of our times." Print prices begin at $2,500 and thirty percent of the Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox portrait proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

It's no secret that hot things are happening this year at the San Diego W Hotel, including the revamping and new design of W's renowned rooftop Beach Bar, as well the pool-side Veranda Bar, in fall of 2008.

Time is of the essence. Karma Lounge has been established with Valentine's Day in mind and "White Space" is only here until March, so be sure to secure your VIP status by a required RSVP to rsvpWSDevents@whotels.com.

Check out the exclusive photo gallery of Macy Gray DJing at Karma Lounge here.