The Westin Warsaw, Poland

The Westin Warsaw is a new five-star 20 storey hotel situated in the heart of the city. The 366 room hotel operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, through its brand Westin Hotels & Resorts, first opened in September 2003 and is regarded as a modern architectural wonder.

The hotel represents the modernisation of the Polish capital which is emerging as a European city in its own right. The hotel is conveniently located in the business and financial district and the guests are only a short walk from Warsaw's Old Town, Market Square, Chopin's Monument and a plethora of green parks.

WESTIN EXECUTIVE SERVICES

The top three floors of the hotel are occupied by the Westin Executive Club, an area dedicated to executive travellers. The Executive Club features executive rooms / suites with a widescreen (60") plasma TV and internet access, lounge facilities and private check-in / check-out.

The Fusion Restaurant offers Asian fusion cuisine with a show kitchen visible to guests, while JP's is a café and bar which also features live entertainment.

There is a fully equipped gym called Westin 'WORKOUT', which uses Reebok Gym equipment. This can offer personal training sessions, aerobics and a range of other exercise options (the hotel even offers guided jogging around the city so the guest can sightsee while exercising).

The hotel also takes great pride in its Westin-based services such as the multi-task Westin Service Express, The Heavenly Bed and The Heavenly Bath and Shower with dual shower heads. There is even a 24-hour technical concierge to assist with internet access problems. There are 4,800ft² (445m²) of meeting space and boardrooms facilities for conferences and a 5,700ft² (530m²) ballroom.

THE ROOMS

The hotel has 366 guest rooms, executive rooms and suites. The best room in the hotel is the 1,600ft² (150m²) presidential suite which has a panoramic view of the city.

Every room has individually controlled air conditioning, quality bathrobes and a personal safe which can accommodate a charging laptop; there is also fully interactive LCD TV along with multilingual satellite programs.

The 'guest office' rooms allow guests to work from their room and each of these is equipped with a multi-function laser printer/fax/copier, speakerphone with data port, ergonomic desk chair, and a glare free desk lamp.

FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

The owners of the hotel are Atrium sp.z.oo. and the main shareholders are Skanska Holding II BV and the City of Warsaw. The loan agreements for the new hotel construction were signed in Warsaw in May 2001. The main lenders of finance for the construction were the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Caisse des Depots et Consignations–IXIS (CDC).

The total investment for the construction and fitting out was €79.5m. Skanska Polska and Portman Holding were the companies responsible for the construction and development of the project on a joint basis.

The hotel was designed by the architects John Portman & Associates of Atlanta, Georgia, US, Design Office Kazimierski and Ryba, Warsaw, Poland and Skanska Teknik Ab, Sweden.

The interior design was by Wilson & Associates Inc of Dallas, Texas, US.

One of the most modern and spectacular architectonic elements of the hotel is the glazed vertical atrium housing a panoramic elevator at the front of the hotel.The elevator system was designed and installed by Thysen Krup Elevators; there are three panoramic elevators and three service elevators having ten stops with speeds varying from 1m/s to 3.5m/s. The three glass observation elevator cabs move at the rate of 3.5m/s and offer the guests an excellent panoramic view of the cty.

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