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Warsaw Marriott Hotel

Jun 13, 2013 at 00:00 2468

Review and photos of the five-star hotel next to the train station in the Polish capital

A few days ago, I had a look at the renovated rooms at Warsaw’s Marriott Hotel. They have finally managed to find an interior designer who is not color blind; the previous designer had mixed red and green colors (carpets and furniture) and should have been shot on the spot. However, the size of the standard rooms and especially the standard bathrooms remain clearly too small for a five-star luxury hotel. As stated in my 2006-review below, the best rooms at the Marriott remain the Corner Junior Suites, which offer large bathrooms with a view. Now, in addition, the interior design of the Corner Junior Suites as well as all other rooms offers nice color schemes [April 15, 2015].

The history of the Warsaw Marriott

In October 1989, the Warsaw Marriott was the 500th Marriott to open. It was the first Western managed hotel in the Polish capital. In addition, it was one of only a few places in Poland where you could place a phone call to the West.

In March 2006, I stayed for the first time at the Warsaw Marriott. The arrival was impressive. As soon as my taxi stopped in front of the entrance, a hotel employee opened my door while another one took out my luggage from the rear trunk before the driver could make a move. Even the taxi driver was impressed by such an efficiency.

In 2006, the lobby was less exciting. It needed to be refreshed. In June 2013, when I stopped by, this had been done properly, as the photos on the right testify.

One of the hotel’s greatest assets is the Panorama Bar & Lounge. Situated on the 40th floor. According to Marriott, it is the highest hotel bar in Europe! Equally important is the fact that it is not only high up in the sky, but that it has been redecorated in a fresh style in 2008, which makes it a great place to chill out, relax and admire the spectacular view.

The Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant is the ideal place for anyone who wants to follow a live sports event. It offers some 35 TVs as well as two projection screens. Local and international beers are served as well as American food is served.

The Marriott Warsaw offers a total of 518 guest rooms, including 95 suites. As a business hotel, it features 20 conference rooms with a total area of 2600 square meters. The Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 700 people. Not very much interested in that side of the hotel, I did not have a look at the conference rooms. Anyway, on October 6, 2012 the Warsaw Marriott was voted Poland’s Leading Business Hotel at the World Travel Awards at Conrad Algarve Portugal.

A hotel is a work in progress. Unlike for instance the lobby and the Panorama Bar, the rooms and suites are still in need of a renovation, which will start at the end of 2013. The best deal and the ideal place to stay are the 60 Corner Junior Suites. They offer large baths with walnut wood and Verde San Francisco marble. The great views over the city are priceless.

On the downside remain the bathrooms in the Standard Rooms. It will be interesting to see how the architects and interior designers will resolve this problem during the renovation planned to start in December 2013; half the rooms should be renovated within six months.

The hotel was originally conceived by the architects Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek and Krzysztof Stefański as an office building. Only at the last moment, it was converted into a five-star hotel. Mock-up rooms should be ready at the very end of the year. Nobody will shed a tear when the green carpets in the rooms, junior suites and suites will disappear. I look forward to the freshly-decorated rooms and suites.

If you should go for a suite, I would avoid the twelve bi-level suites despite the kitchenette/bar with two chairs because their bathrooms on the upper levels are the size of a bathroom in a Standard Room. Book instead a Business Suite such as 3703. They feature large bathroom like the Corner Junior Suites, just this time in red and brown marble. In addition, they offer large living rooms with a sofa, two chairs, a table, a writing desk and a chair. Here you can feel comfortable.

In June 2013, the Italian restaurant Parmizzano’s had a brand new chef: Tomasz Borucki.It will take him two to three months to form a new team. It was too early to review it. Let’s hope that he will reach the level of its former chef, Grzegorz Golen, who impressed me during my first stay in March 2006.

If you prefer real sports, go to the hotel’s spa and Holmes Place gym, which offers the latest cardio and strength training equipment, a 10.5 x 5.5 x 1.9 meter pool, Jacuzzi, steam bath, dry sauna, solarium and massage rooms.

The hotel’s location at Aleje Jerozolimskie 65/79 (Jerozolimskie Avenue) is ideal for travelers who arrive by train, since it is located opposite the central railway station. Chopin International Airport can be reached within 20 minutes by taxi.

Last but not least, on June 14, 1998 a Frenchman called Alain Robert (*1962), also know as “Spiderman”, climbed the hotel façade in just 17 minutes, while it took his photographer 27 minutes to climb the stairs. Among us: Take the elevator. It is safer.

Books about Warsaw from Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk.

In June 2013, the Italian restaurant Parmizzano’s had a brand new chef, Tomasz Borucki. It will take him two to three months to form a new team. It was too early to review it. Let’s hope that he will reach the level of Parmizzano’s former chef, Grzegorz Golen, who impressed me during my first stay at the Warsaw Marriott in March 2006. Photos Copyright © Warsaw Marriott Hotel.

One of the hotel’s greatest assets: Panorama Bar & Lounge on the 40th floor, refurbished in 2008. According to Marriott, it is the highest hotel bar in Europe. Photos Copyright © Warsaw Marriott Hotel.

View of a Standard Room. The beds are great, but the green carpet has to disappear in the new renovation phase starting in December 2013. Currently, the greatest weakness are of the Standard Rooms are the small bathrooms. Photos Copyright © Warsaw Marriott Hotel. – Books about Warsaw from Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk.

Warsaw Marriott Hotel

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