Joining a familiarisation trip to Poland as a guest of Marriott Hotels the writer enjoyed five-star accommodation at hotels in Warsaw, and Krakow (next month’s issue).
On arrival at Warsaw Chopin Airport from our BA flight we were quickly transferred to the 40-storey + glass skyscraper in the Manhattan-like business district where the five-star Marriott Warsaw occupies the top 20 floors, and is said to have more amenities than any other hotel in Poland. We could believe it as there are 523 bedrooms here and all have luxurious facilities and fabulous views over the city, as does the hotel’s unique 40th floor Panoramic Sky-Bar. Our large bathroom had no curtains or blinds up at the huge picture window, and this worried us a bit on behalf of female delegates, until we were told the glass was only one-way, ie we could see out but no one could see in, so that was all right. For those looking to hold meetings and events there are 28,000 square feet (2,600 square metres) of venue space, which includes 26 event rooms and a Grand Ballroom with seating for 700 delegates, all this complemented by an indoor pool, spa, fitness centre and five dining options.
The visit also included a second night in the nearby Sheraton Warsaw with 350 spacious, newly-refurbished rooms and suites, designed by London-based Alex Kravetz, and 12 meeting spaces totalling 1,163 square metres, one of 500 square metres with a maximum capacity of 500. Beds here are custom-designed to eliminate pressure points and increase circulation, especially beneficial after an intense workout, they say, something we sadly didn’t get a chance to test. For more gentle relaxation there is a club floor and a club lounge, and a chef who knows Asian food.
Event organisers were also treated to site inspections at the five-star Westin Hotel, with 13 meeting rooms across 1,080 square metres of space and a maximum capacity of 500, and the five-star historic Art Deco Hotel Bristol, which opened in 1901 and offers 165 rooms and 41 suites, with 10 meeting spaces across 760 square metres of meeting space and a maximum capacity of 240. Other non-hotel and non-residential venues looked at in Warsaw included the City’s National Stadium, which can seat up to 58,000 delegates but can also cater for lots of smaller groups, the EXPO XX1 conference centre with 4 multi-functional halls across 13,000 square metres, 5,000 square metres of outside space and 1,500 square metres of conference and meeting rooms, and the Warsaw Royal Castle, dating from the 14th century and rebuilt like most of Warsaw after WW2, which now offers a range of sumptuous chambers for very special banqueting.
Note. For more information about Marriott in Poland contact Chandra Woollard on +44 (0)20 7012 7143 email [email protected]