Woking_Mike

I've just returned from a trip to Warsaw and stayed in the Westin for the first time so I thought I'd add my general impressions compared to the Sheraton.

Room:-

As mentioned before the Westin rooms (I was in 1501) are definitely smaller than their equivalant in the Sheraton, but not uncomfortably so. Much easier to work in, with a desk that is useable and some extra facilities available (hole punches and the like). My room did have coffee facilities and water. Everything else was virtually the same as the Sheraton (Iron, TV channels etc etc)

Bathroom:-

Being a newer property the Westin definitely scores here with some of the Sheraton facilities feeling older and not looking as impressive. On a more general note I also prefer the seperate shower cubicle as provided in the Westin, but the Sheraton bathrooms are much more generous in size.

Check-In/Check-Out:-

One area where the Sheraton scores. The staff in the Sheraton seem much friendlier and generally more efficient than the Westin. Check-Out yesterday involved a queue of at least 10 minutes even with every customer checking out seemingly haveing some form of problem/query regarding their bill. This may just have been bad luck of course but something didn't seem right.

Restaurant:-

The Lalka at the Sheraton always looks completely dead (6 people in a restaurant with seating for >70) and I've not heard any good things about it from colleagues. The Oriental has a good (if expensive) reputation.

My colleagues report that the food at the Westin is generally better than at the Sheraton. However I've never eaten an evening meal in either the Lalka or the Oriental and can now add Fusion to that list (eat at San Lorenzo's about 500m from the Westin on Jana Pawal II). Others here have said the breakfast at the Westin was much better than the Sheraton. Personally I couldn't see much to differenciate them except that the rolls were smaller in the Westin!!

The bar food in Some Place Else in the Sheraton varies considerably. Some shows a distinct lack of quality in the ingrediants (they had ribs as a special recently, it wasn't great!), but some are quite enjoyable (half decent burger, steaks, fajitas etc).

Bar:-

The Westin bar is a souless affair with a singer warbling away at an annoying volume. Had it been a bit warmer the outside seats may have helped the feeling. Similarly the service seemed slow, uninvolved and generally I was left feeling distinctly underwhelmed. One bar in the Sheraton has much the same feeling (the piano bar) whilst Some Place Else varies between feeling like a cold hotel bar that is trying too hard to be something else and an excellent place to spend an evening. One thing that does help is that the staff in SPE are generally very friendly, something that can make up for many deficiencies.

Others:-

The lifts annoyed me in the Westin far more than they should have! 3 lifts to service 20(?) floors just didn't seem to be adequate. Waiting 5-10 minutes for a lift and then stopping at every other floor on the way down from 15 is one of those annoyances that grows each time it happens.

The general area of the Westin is not as good as the Sheraton which has numerous bars and restaurants within walking distance. Similarly travelling to/from the Westin seemed much more of a hassle with traffic jams around the central train station causing the final 2km to take in excess of 20 minutes in the evening. Again this may just be bad luck but it's something I haven't experienced in the area of the Sheraton.

Overall:-

For no reason that I can put my finger on, given a free choice I would still choose the Sheraton. I think it's mainly a question of staff attitude. Whilst there was nothing wrong with the staff in the Westin the whole place felt cold and impersonal.

If you're on a short visit (1-2 nights) purely for business when you're not expecting much free time then the Westin will probably work for you. But for me, if you're staying longer or for personal reasons/vacation and are therefore likely to have a bit of spare time to either wander the streets of Warsaw or relax in a bar with a drink then the Sheraton would work better.

Altaflyer

Glad that my flawless survey contributed to this hotel's stellar standing. Well done! Here is the quote from the hotel's website (the English is a bit off but I'll forgive them )

"On Starwood World Conference in San Diego, California in January 2006 the title of “Worldwide Winner - Westin Hotel of the Year 2005” was awarded to The Westin Warsaw. This global award stands for the ultimate recognition in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty among 850 hotels worldwide belonging to Starwood brands. Starwood made the decision to award this honour to The Westin Warsaw based on a long list of achievements. Among others, the hotel stands out due to its consistently high results in guest satisfaction."

I am again going to Europe late in 2006 and given the cost of European airfares am seriously considering paying a return visit here and also checking out the Hyatt where I am now Diamond. Heck, 110 Euro with SPG50 for an Executive Room at this hotel is a great bargain in my books!

timo469

Great News about the hotel getting the award. I am staying there for 2 nights in March on points. It is only a Cat. 2! Maybe one of the best Cat. 2 hotels. I was wondering if anyone knew of the best and most inexpensive way to get to this hotel is. I am arriving on skyeurope with a friend and we are both in college, so cost matters a little bit.

Thanks much!

Timo

claes059

It's Great that the Westin Warsaw was awarded :-: . It is a very nice hotel. I can imagine the guest satisfaction ranks very high for this hotel.

Wish you a very nice stay when you go to Poland!

Altaflyer

Check out public transport, it goes right to the airport (although perhaps not the "Terminal" that SkyEurope uses; maybe just the main one. Its bus 175 IIRC and the only WARNING is to watch everything as pickpockets are hunting you down on this bus! The Westin is not too far from Central Station as a point of reference. By the way, SkyEurope is how I got there, it was about $100CAD return from Paris last March. No complaints and it was nice leaving Orly and not a field somewhere near the English channel (Beauvais)

ajnaro

we stayed at the Sheraton and found it absolutely fantastic -- a model for what a Sheraton hotel should be. We were upgraded to a huge suite (SPG Platinum) on the club floor. High speed internet access was included at no extra charge. The staff were absolutely perfect. When we found that we needed a Cannon battery, the club lounge receptionist jumped online, found us the best price in Warsaw, and went out of her way to give us a detailed tram routing so that we wouldn't have the extra expense of a taxi. We did use the hotel's Mercedes taxis for sightseeing, though.

TRAVELSIG

Yes...another vote for this hotel! The Towers level is great and all the staff seem very good IMHO. Best Hotel in Warsaw.

timo469

Altaflyer,

Thanks for the advice on how to get there.

Timo

asnovici

How does the location of Westin, Sheraton and Le Meridian compare? So far we are leaning towards Westin, but is it too far from all the nightlife? We are there for business, but it would be nice to just go for drinks someplace nice in Old Town. Is Old Town the place to see as in other European cities? Thanks.

Altaflyer

IIRC the Westin is about a 15 minute walk to the LeMeridien which is in the Old Town. Haven't been to the Sheraton. I do have a bit of a hate for the Bristol because it was just such a let down for me from the Executive Floor at the Westin. I had lounge access at the Bristol too (paid for it at both) but the quality, the views from the lounge and the hotel overall was so much better at the Westin. I still recall the very nice bottle of red Italian wine that I enjoyed in the Westin's lounge

ajnaro

The Le Méridien/Bristol is in (or at least very near to) Old Town; the Sheraton is about a 10 minute walk from there; the Westin is the furthest away. On the other hand, in terms of elegance the order is the opposite: Westin, then Sheraton (nearly equal), then Bristol (in need of repairs).

timo469

I stayed at the Westin in March and can tell you that it is still a great hotel! I was a gold member, thus was not given access to the executive level, but was given a room on the 16th floor with a nice view. I was also given molton brown bathroom products, which I thought were very nice. Nice and large bars of soap.

The shower was amazing, great pressure. The bathroom also had a nice bath tub and you are given 4 free bottles of water a day, which is a nice touch. I went to the fitness room which is very nice for a hotel, it has a set of free weights, some treadmills, and some weight lifting machines and some bikes. All look brand new.

I was told that platinums are given an upgade to the executive level. The staff was very friendly, overall a great stay. And for 3,000-4,000 points a night as a level 2 hotel, you can't really go wrong.

Cheers,

Timo

pgale

Has someone experience with the Westin in Warsaw. Is it worth to book room at executive floor?
What food and drink offer is there in lounge?

X-ON

I've stayed at the exec floor at the Westin a couple of times and the food in the evening is ok some hot dishes and some canape style dishes. There also a fairly ok amount of alcoholic beverages served at cocktail hour (beer, wine, spirits). I think it is nice but of course not as nice as for instance the lounge at the Westin KUL. Altogether I would certainly pay a premium to get axess to to the exec lounge, how much is harder to say it is down to your personal prefrences and your budget, I guess

Regards Anders

mauld

I am currently at the Westin Warsaw (checked out of the Sheraton this am), and am very happy. I was here 2 years ago, just after they opened and at that time, no suties or executive lounge was available). This time on a very (for me cheap rate of e76 rate), I was pre assigned a suite on the Executive floor. I will post some pics when I get home, but it is a 2 room suite with 1 1/2 baths. The Lounge (where I am sending this from) is also very modern, with a good selection of 'beverages' and food-- although I must say, the Sheraton's spread is bigger and more varied. Then again, it is almost 7pm on a Sunday evening and I am the one and only occupant at the Lounge--(all that booze and just me ) The staff is SOOOOOOO nice, as I am sitting here with my 1/3 left of a glass of Prosecco, and the attendant came by to refill me !! ) She also asked if she could bring me anything from the food selection-- How Nice!
So from my perspective, it is a toss up between the Sheraton & the Westin.
Sheraton- Food & Beverage selection absolutely fantastic, room / suite- ok, but not great, lots of restaurants in hotel, staff very good and close walk to main area of city.
Westin- Great upgrade (a month before arrival to a real 2 room suite !!), modern, good staff, lounge good, but food & presentation (IMO) better at Sheraton. Close to Old Jewish Quarter, but a walk to other areas.
In Sum- coming back, I would again do both hotels (one night each Sheraton & Westin, as for the Bristol-- it seems close to the Old Quarter--

OPPS, here she comes again--- guess I have to stop for some more Prosecco! Perhaps I shouldn't promote this place so much, it's great being the only one here!

PS-- Here are some pics:
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=555...c=SYE/otsi=SAL