The W has only ever been speculation. It still might be them. There's no reason it couldn't be them, but until any hotel brand is signed the developer will never say which brand it will be. I have altered the thread title to reflect what we are sure about.
As this is markedly taller than anything else close by - and the only things taller nearby (the Mirvish+Gehry towers) were approved through an Official Plan Amendment and not just a Zoning Bylaw Amendment, it is quite possible that City Planning might require the same here too—if they don't reject it outright for being nearly 20 storeys taller than its closest neighbours.
OPAs are much tougher to get than a ZBAs, and the City simply won't want to go that route as they won't want to do that for anything much less compelling than Mirvish in terms of what it offers back to the city (new OCAD facility, new art gallery), while the developer will want to get this done in less time/for less money through a ZBA. Running to the OMB would not be a sure thing here.
Personally, I'm happy that the design breaks the monotony of 157 metre skyline now formed by Festival Tower, Cinema Tower, Pinnacle Adelaide, Theatre Park, and soon to be joined by Noir, PJ Condos, and a bunch of other proposals in the area. I like the giant squared-off 0. I like the Teeps. I like Teeps's not all glass ziggety zaggity design (but it does need more work near ground level).
Yes, it's early days. This will be very interesting to follow.
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