jackebofh

Considering what they already have in the system - it most certainly is going to be more expensive.

Fanjet

This is what happened with Park Inn Bratislava. It was 9K points before their renovation, 28K points afterwards. However, this Warsaw property was already at 38K points. Going up to 44K or 50K points would seem a bit too much for a generic (but nice) hotel in Warsaw in a non-exciting section of the city. I'm more concerned that they will jack up their cash rates, which will in turn encourage the Sobieski property to do the same.

the810

Well, it indeed was generic but is it still going to be generic after refurbish? If they really plan to reflag it as Radisson Collection, they surely have higher ambitions with the property. I think it's reasonable to expect points rate going up.
I wonder what happens with Sobieski in a mid-term future. I preferred the property above Centrum but it's in desperate need for renovation and if Centrum gets better, I will see very few reasons for staying at Sobieski.

jackebofh

The refurb is supposedly going to be extensive (well, the hotel is going to be closed for 6 months to do this), including major lobby hall overhaul, opening the restaurant to the public more, reception facing the entrance and such. No words about how the rooms gonna be like. They're supposedly getting rid of the presidential suite and considering putting in a lounge - but that is just a rumor, take it with a grain of salt.

Another one? They just recently (1-2 years ago) announce they've finished their latest round of refurbishment (the process supposedly began around 2015). But i agree - Sobieski offers very outdated product with service all over the place.

There was supposed to be a park in built in Warsaw, but i can't find any recent info about this project

the810

The new property seems to be airport hotel, possibly combination of Blu and Park Inn, judging by this link: Twin Brand hotel - Warszawa - Szmyd and Partners - that reminds me of Oslo Alna property which also hosts both Blu and Park Inn and I found it being a mess during my stay.

I like restaurant at Sobieski, otherwise the renovation were so basic and bad that I doesn't feel like recently renovated property (hence why I forgot it actually is renovated, even though I stay there regularly).

jackebofh

Well, in Warsaw the difference between airport hotel and city center hotel is 10-15 minutes, so i get the sentiment, but the distinction is a bit forced here , This Radisson (green) would be a second one in Poland (there's one being finished building in Gdańsk as we speak). Anyway, there is no new information about the whole project, so discussing it is a bit pointless. I suspect the growth of the Radisson portfolio, even in such a booming market like Poland is limited due to the internal situation with Radisson Hotel Group, and the super-weak status of Radisson Rewards is also a contributing factor (as opposed to the boom of Hamptons and HGIs being built up all over the place in Poland, and the high popularity of Hilton Honors).

The state the rooms were in before the refurb is just ridiculous! I was put in one of them as recent as 2 years ago, all while being Platinum (former Concierge). Tells you all about their service and the value of RR programme.

the810

I was not aware of new property in Gdansk and automatically assumed the green logo is just a mistake and it would be Blu. This is an interesting development for me. I always considered "pure" green Radisson to be a legacy brand for failing US properties that are not good enough for Blu - perhaps something to consider for Sobieski I'm surprised to see they actually intend to introduce the brand in Europe.
Sure, WAW is quite close to the city centre but hotel right next to the airport tends to serve different market, hence the distinction

Fanjet

The Sobieksi isn't spectatcular. But in my opinion, it does give great value for the money. The Centrum always had much higher rates than them. And I think they did just "refurbish" their rooms. The last time I stayed there, the furniture was different. And in the past couple of years, they started including free breakfast if you were upgraded to a business class room. And even though it sits further out from the center than the Centrum, I find it to be much more convenient. Multiple tram and bus lines basically at the doorstep. As well as the commuter train station across the street. Plus, if I want to go to the old town or entertainment venues on Nowy Swiat, I can just hop on the 175 bus; same thing for the airport.

the810

I see good points in Sobieski, it's my preferred property in Warsaw, mostly because of its location and restaurant. But rooms are far below standard I expect from Blu. If Centrum becomes a nice modern property, I might switch, even if it costs some extra.

Richey66

Staying at this rebranded Radisson Collection from tomorrow for three days, will report back.

the810

Did you get lounge access? This is one of the few Radisson properties that have a lounge but I can't find the access policy anywhere.

Richey66

Spent 3 days there. It is extremely difficult to get contact with the hotel, as their reaction to emails is spotty and their phone number keeps disconnecting or looping back.
Finally got through to email and they kept their promise upgrade to suite at check-in. Service is typical Eastern European, curt, not smiley, but mostly effective.

Lounge access was granted as VIP member and they had decent choice of warm and cold food available both for lunch (between 2 and 4 pm) and dinner (between 6 and 9 pm)

The room was generally nice, but despite being renovated in 2019, already showed some wear and tear, for example door handle to bedroom came off. The walls are quite thin, so you can expect to hear any loud talking coming from neighbours, which is a problem when you want to get some early sleep. The bed was bit too soft to my taste.

What's strange, that despite DND sign on the door, they knocked and brought us few unordered bathrobes, English of housekeeping was lacking too. And room service trays were lying in corridors for hours until I decided to call about it.

Breakfast was passable with large buffet and a'la carte orders, but not the very high quality, except self-service coffee, which was good.

All-in-all; i would probably try different hotel in Warsaw in the future unless I need a suite.