Originally I planned to stay at InterContinental Warsaw for an overnight stay as we traveled by bus from Krakow to Warsaw to Torun. Then a promotional offer in May from Marriott for Europe discount rates revealed a price drop at The Westin Warsaw from 369 PLN for room only advance purchase rate to 259 PLN for room and breakfast for two. Add another 20.72 PLN for taxes and our July hotel night at Westin Warsaw with breakfast cost 279.72 PLN or $73.35 on an advance purchase rate I paid in early May.
Arrival: We arrived in Warsaw by Flixbus after a four hour ride from Krakow. I spent the time on the bus streaming the first three episodes of ‘The Man in the High Castle‘. There was something surreal about traveling through the Polish countryside to Warsaw watching a movie about an alternate history where the Nazis and Japanese win World War II and divide the USA lands between the two empires. Memories and memorials of World War II are omnipresent when traveling around Poland.
Many of the major chain hotels in Warsaw are skyscrapers located in the business district around the Central Railway Station and The Palace of Science and Culture. Old Town is about 2.5 to 3.0 kilometers from many of the major chain hotels.
We walked about 20 minutes from Warszawa Śródmieście metro station to the Westin Warsaw hotel. Room 1201 of the hotel gave us sufficient time on the elevator to view through glass at the modern city surroundings.
Westin Warsaw Lobby
The hotel had more of a business traveler vibe than leisure traveler atmosphere on a Monday evening at 7pm. Plenty of people were seated around the bar in the lobby.
There is seating near the restaurant and more seating between the corner window and a wooden panel near the elevators.
The elevator design is one of the outstanding features of the hotel with glass windows allowing a view of the city as you ride up and down the 20 floors of the hotel.
Westin Warsaw Room 1201
Room 1201 closest to bank of elevators
Kelley impatiently waited for me to snap photos as she was ready to leave for dinner immediately upon arrival. Cherries and a pretzel from Krakow since breakfast were not holding her appetite.
Hotel Review Intermission: Dinner at Podwale Kompania PiwnaÂ
Warsaw was not our destination, merely an overnight transit stop on the way to Torun and Gdansk/Sopot. Tram and Metro stops are located at Rondo ONZ, the other end of the block from Westin Warsaw. Old Town is 2 km away. We rode a tram to Old Town and walked across the reconstructed historic area of Warsaw to Podwale – Kompania Piwna for dinner and 1/2 price Kozel liters on a Monday night.
To say we like this restaurant brand is an understatement. We ate three meals at Podwale Piwna Kompania over the three previous days at the two locations in Krakow before our dinner in Warsaw. Of my many trips to Krakow I have never managed to be in the city on a Monday night when Podwale Piwna Kompania sells Kozel beer for half price. The regular price for a liter of Kozel is 17 PLN. We paid 8.50 PLN/$2.20 per liter in Warsaw.
Monday was also 1/2 chicken dinner discount at 19 PLN/$4.92.
There are daily meal specials at Podwale Kompania. Monday is half-price beer at all their locations. Rarely have I been disappointed dining at Podwale Piwna Kompania.
Westin Warsaw breakfast buffet
We arrived at breakfast around 9:30am. The room was crowded and we managed to find a table for two.
Staff was constantly in the process of refilling bowls, plates and baskets that had been emptied of food stuff.
There were made-to-order omelet options. Pretty much a well-rounded offer of items ranging from Asian soups to desserts.
Westin Warsaw Executive Lounge
Lifetime Gold member in Marriott Bonvoy was not significantly elite enough to get me into the Westin Warsaw Executive Lounge. I received no acknowledgement at the front desk for being Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Gold. Since this was my first stay at a Marriott brand hotel since the launch of Bonvoy, I asked at check-out if my account showed Gold elite. I was told it did appear on my reservation.
Ben at One Mile at a Time has a Westin Warsaw review from 2014 with photos of a suite on the 12th floor and lounge photos from his stay.
Fitness room & spa
There are a couple of computers with printer in lobby across from reception desk.
The bar is a prominent feature of the lobby. I did not snap any photos, except for an image of the wine case.
Westin Warsaw Marriott Bonvoy Category 4 at 25,000 points per night
Westin Warsaw was a perfectly fine hotel and a real bargain at $73 with breakfast for two.
Warsaw has many major chain hotels, mostly centered around the central railway station in the same general area as Westin Warsaw. The same Rondo ONZ metro stop by Westin Warsaw is the one we used five days later when we returned to the city for an overnight at Holiday Inn Warsaw City Centre before flying to Stockholm. I spotted Radisson Blu Warsaw Centrum nearby from our Westin room 1201. InterContinental Warsaw is two blocks from Westin in the direction of the Palace of Science and Culture.
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