His career is defined not by isolated moments, but by scalable creative systems and repeatable frameworks that deliver long term return across continents, properties, and generations of guests.

Michaelangelo L'Acqua Executive…

Operating at the intersection of creative vision and strategic execution, L’Acqua has helped transform sound into core brand infrastructure. His work positions music as a driver of identity, emotional memory, and commercial performance, shaping how guests experience, remember, and return to luxury environments.

His journey began in 1999, when Tom Ford invited him to curate soundscapes for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent runway shows. These collaborations set new standards for how music could elevate fashion storytelling. During this period, L’Acqua also emerged as a recording artist under the name ONDA, signing with Nake Music, releasing work on major labels, composing for film and television, and building an international DJ career.

This multidimensional foundation shaped his mastery of emotional translation through sound. His work consistently bridges conscious and unconscious perception, guiding audiences into deeper engagement with space, culture, and brand meaning.

In 2009, L’Acqua joined W Hotels as Music Director, where he helped invent the modern lifestyle hotel formula. He transformed music into a core brand engine, building a scalable global entertainment platform across four continents and establishing W as an industry benchmark for experiential and sonic branding.

He later extended this impact with Virgin Voyages, architecting a shipwide sonic ecosystem that redefined entertainment at sea and demonstrated how music could function as a fully integrated business asset within complex hospitality environments.

In 2015, he founded L’Acqua Agenzia, specializing in experiential production, sensory branding, and entertainment strategy for premier lifestyle and luxury brands. Through the agency, he has helped organizations convert cultural intelligence into ownable IP that performs financially while elevating guest perception at the highest level.

Today, as Global Entertainment Director for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, L’Acqua leads sonic brand vision across 1 Hotel, Baccarat, and Treehouse. Under his direction, properties deliver cohesive, elevated experiences that align with brand ethos, differentiate in competitive markets, and compound value over time.

Beyond commercial work, L’Acqua has served as Music Director for major philanthropic organizations including amfAR, UNICEF, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Prince Albert II Global Ocean Foundation, New York City Food Bank, and Janie’s Fund, supporting global fundraising initiatives through curated cultural programming.

The through line of his career is clear. Michaelangelo L’Acqua has not been selling music. He has been building intellectual property that scales globally, generates return, and compounds over time.

He is recognized as a pioneer in sonic and experiential branding, whose work demonstrates that in modern luxury, sound is not an accessory. It is a strategic asset that shapes perception, loyalty, and long term brand equity.