Rockwell Group Europe has teamed up with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide to design the W Paris-Opéra, W Hotels' first property in France.

Diego Gronda, managing and creative director of RGe - the Madrid office of New York's Rockwell Group - is leading the design team, with the project scheduled to open on 1 February, 2011.

Owned by Barcelona-based Meridia Capital, the hotel occupies an 1870s Haussman-era building situated across the street from the Opéra Garnier and near Galeries Lafayette and Place Vendome in the 9th Arrondissement.

The ground level and mezzanine floors, with views of the Opéra, will be the setting for a signature W Living Room, with other facilities including a new modern concept restaurant, a destination bar, a fitness facility and 90 guest rooms.

An oversized undulating wall of light will be a central design feature, weaving through the public spaces, DJ booths and bars, through the corridors and into each guest room. Programmable, this will be able to create different atmospheres throughout the hotel, based on season, event or time of day.

Guest rooms and suites, including W Hotels' WOW suites and Extreme WOW suites - the brand's version of the traditional Presidential Suite, feature three-metre high ceilings and views of the Opéra. All W suites will feature an existing fireplace, white marble bathrooms and oversized dressing rooms.

Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien, said: "Taking the W brand into Paris, the European capital of fashion, will mark a true milestone in W's global expansion into the world's most exciting and vibrant destinations."

Rockwell Group Europe focuses on designing hotels, restaurants, retail centres and spas, with current work including the Wasabi Restaurant and Harbour Bar in the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai; a W Retreat & Spa in Vieques, Puerto Rico; a restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, and a Le Méridien hotel in Oran, Algeria.