Choosing the right music for a mixtape can be one of the most stress-inducing activities: will each song accurately portray your own taste and style? Now, imagine curating songs and artists for the listening pleasure of a million new friends, whose own tastes fall on every possible point of the spectrum. That's exactly what Michaelangelo L'Acqua, W Hotels' Global Music Director, does on a daily basis.

The W Hotel chose wisely in their selection of L'Acqua for this creative role, where he's tasked to "translate the W vision into aural, sonic identity and help [W Hotels] address that identity throughout the world." What translates in Austin may not translate in Hong Kong, and a high-touch, highly musical market like our own requires a careful finesse in selecting the music played in the lounges, lobbies, elevators and rooms.

But being the Global Music Director for W Hotels Worldwide involves much more than a background in music. In his two short years with the company, L'Acqua has spearheaded the W Hotels and burn studios DJ Lab, a program that preened emerging DJs and sent them on a world tour, as well as the Symmetry concert series, which showcases what’s new and next in music by way of intimate performances at W Hotels. He's also helped develop a robust iPhone application that's seen 48,000 downloads since May and boasts over 90 DJs and 90 hours of music mixed exclusively for W Hotels Worldwide.

L'Acqua himself believes passionately in the connective power of music, contributing his knowledge to one third of W Hotels' three "passion points": music, fashion and design. He's a studied musician and graduate of New York's New School's Jazz Contemporary division (world renowned for his specialty—beebop) who spent 15 years as a sessions musician-turned-producer. He's a guy who, over the course of years, went from playing the gospel and chitlin' circuit to producing the music for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent Fashion Week shows. (He jokes he was so clueless that he asked how Tom Ford was related to Ford Motors upon meeting him. Luckily, Tom loved it.)

It was when he moved to L.A. and executive produced a Nat King Cole record with NAS, will.i.am and TV on the Radio that the W Hotels Worldwide tapped him to lead this developing portion of their business.

"I think its an amalgamation of all of the things I've done... whether it be fashion or deep understanding of how fashion translates into music, or how visuals in film or in television need to be translated into music, or licensing," L'Acqua says of why he's the right person to musically execute W's brand vision.

His vision for the brand? "W's position is about discovery—what's new, what's next, how are we constantly going to educate our clientele through the three passion points that we have," he explains. "If we can offer discovery each time you walk into this room," he gestures around W Austin's Living Room, "then this room doesn't feel hackneyed, no matter how many times you come into it."

The same theory is used in handpicking the artists—like this evening's Katy B—featured at Symmetry Live shows. "It's all about timing—when can you grab hold of an artist right before they turn the corner, which is when the ego happens for the label, for the artist, etc."

Though still only in the afterglow of having released his super successful iPhone app, L'Acqua has three confidential projects on deck; "Hopefully, they will not only be hotel-worthy, but [music] industry-worthy."

Yet his work is already proving beneficial for music industry veterans; it's a comforting pitch for music industry executives who can barely hold onto their jobs to hear that they may find some security in promoting their artist by way of W Hotels—an organization that boasts the kind of clientele that will travel (and pay for!) music.

"The original content and exclusive remixes, I don't want that to be just added value to W customers. I want it to be legitimate content that music lovers can only get through a W Hotel track," he explains.

"I spent 15 years as a writer and producer, and there are so many other things that I want to do in life. Being a creative director—pulling ideas from the ether and putting them together and then presenting them to say these are the infinite possibilities—I think it goes with the grey hair a little bit better," he laughs. "This is a dream job for me."

Because of L'Acqua's consultative expertise, W Hotels Worldwide is on track to reach more than 50 hotels by the end of 2012. Now-famous artists like Janelle Monae, Ellie Goulding and The Gossip have found lucrative breakthroughs through the hotelier's programming, tapping into the vast group of people who follow and are loyal to W Hotel's iconic lifestyle brand.

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L'Acqua presents W Austin Symmetry Live with Katy B tonight.