I've just had a one night stay at this hotel and it was amazing, from start to finish. Everything was perfect and I can't complain about a single thing. It's definitely money well spent.
I had written to the hotel prior to arrival to ask for an early check-in at 2 PM, a late check-out at 1 PM (both were granted), 4 bottles of still water to be provided in the room (there were 8 when we arrived, probably because they're 300 ml each) and they also let me know that they would upgrade to an Executive suite (formerly known as Junior suite). I had booked a Raffles room and this was a one-category upgrade.
Some pictures of the hotel and the lobby:
The hotel is very proud of its art collection and you can see some of it in the hallways. They also provide a guided tour of the art collection, but there wasn't enough time.
Check-in was smooth and quick. As soon as I arrived and showed my Platinum card, the receptionist thanked me for my loyalty, which I appreciated a lot since I hear it so rarely in Europe. Everything was ready and prepared. I just had to give my credit card so they could pre-authorize the amount covering the cost of the room and the incidentals and then the butler took us to the room on the 2nd floor and explained how everything in the worked.
The Executive Suite is just beautiful and very cosy. There is a living room with a writing desk in one corner, a large bathroom and a bedroom. It's about 60 square meters in total. To be honest, my pictures don't do the room justice. It's a perfect combination of classic elegance and all the modern amenities (electronically operated curtains, for example). The attention to detail in the room is just stunning.
Bedroom:
The room looked over the courtyard and was perfectly quiet.
The bathroom is very large with a beautiful bathtub (including bath salts), a shower, a toilet and two washbasins, everything in marble. Dental kit and other amenities are provided (no razor though) and the dental kit includes a large Colgate toothpaste, not the mini ones you normally get in dental kits. The toiletries are Blaise Mautin and they smell wonderfully.
Platinum treatment: apart from the upgrade, early check-in and late check-out, the welcome amenity and the welcome note were waiting in the room. I loved the Hotel Europejski logo on the cake.
Welcome drink voucher was valid for the usual stuff, plus Singapore Sling and Warsaw Sling. You can use the voucher at the Long Bar, which opens at 6 PM and is apparently a favourite among the locals. It was packed by 18:15.
There is no buffet breakfast at the moment, the waiters bring you everything to the table. You basically get a stand with cold cuts, fish, salad, yogurt and fruit salad and bread rolls. And you can order one hot item from the menu and one side. I chose the Full Europejski breakfast, where you basically get everything you need, plus baked beans on the side. Such a luxury hotel could certainly offer more items, but it was more than enough and I didn't have any room for the French toast and pancakes which were offered at the end. I have to add that the service was very good and the waiter brought more bread rolls and topped up my orange juice as soon as he saw my glass was empty.
I love how they brand everything at the hotel, even the butter!
The gym/spa area in the basement is fantastic. I was particularly impressed by the pool and the hot tub/jacuzzi. The pool is not really meant for swimming laps, but there are so many jets and things in both the pool and the jacuzzi, providing the most enjoyable massage. I literally spent hours there.
In conclusion, this hotel is amazing. It makes the Sofitel next door look like a dump, especially from the outside (even though I had a great stay at the Sofitel last summer). It is also at least three times more expensive, but it's worth it in my opinion. The hotel is beautiful, the room cosy, both classic and modern, the staff are nice and polite, the spa is fun, the location couldn't be better. What more could you ask for? I can't wait to go back.