Starwood is poised to launch its first W-branded hotel in the UK at the Sheraton Park Lane in Piccadilly, London.
The US-based hotel group said it had identified three possible sites in the capital for its boutique brand.
However, it also said negotiations with Westminster council over planning permission for the listed building had been ongoing for the past two years.
Ross Klein, president of W Hotels and Aloft, Starwood's latest hotel concept, launching next month, said it was "too early to say" when the hotel would officially open, but discussions with designers and architects had already commenced.
Klein said the group was also looking for W sites in other major UK cities, including Birmingham and Manchester.
W hotels have opened at 20 locations since their launch in New York in 1998.
A spokeswoman for Starwood said: "W is one of the options we are looking at for the Sheraton Park Lane hotel. W and Westin are two of our brands that are unrepresented in London, and W could be one option."