The Westin, Warsaw by Vitali Vitaliev

The irregularly shaped skyscraper of Westin Warsaw stands out among other, mostly nondescript, towers of the Polish capital’s ever-sprawling CBD, Warsaw’s new Manhattan. Analogies with the USA do not end here. The hotel’s central wing, squeezed between two adjoining blocks, has the shape of a ready-to-take-off space rocket, and the whole structure is rather reminiscent of a missile launch pad from Cape Canaveral. It is by far the loudest architectural statement of post-Communist Warsaw.

Inside, Westin is designed in a similar futuristic manner – all light, space and transparency: state-of-the-art lifts (allegedly, Europe’s fastest), with glass walls and floors and a 360 degrees view; steel-and-glass central staircase; spacious and luminous lobby.

This somewhat simplistic Star-Trek-like interior is brightened up by conceptual-art paintings that get changed every couple of months and by numerous exotic pot-plants looked after by a staff gardener known as Pan Kwiatek – Mr Flower.

The staff are genuinely warm and helpful. Having just embraced the Western way of life and hospitality, they don’t go over the top in their friendliness (as they often do in America and Australia). Nor are they submissive and obsequious (like in some third-world countries). They provide efficient and competent services without loosing their personality and/or dignity.

It comes as no surprise that Westin Warsaw was voted the world’s best Westin in 2005.

The rooms
All 361 rooms are kept in soft light-brown colours. The furniture is modern and rather austere, if not to count spacious “hedonistic” beds with impeccable (and in themselves fairly soporific) “Heavenly” pillows. Sleeping on such a bed on one's own feels like a minor breech of public order.

The views are not that impressive and are most likely to be those of the walls of a neighbouring steel-and-concrete tower.

Yet, the archetypal Westin’s guest – a travelling international businessman – has little time to look out of the hotel’s windows. He is likely to be spending most of the day in one of Westin's conference rooms (ranging from a spacious 455 square metre “Ballroom” to a dozen or so smaller meeting rooms named after Zodiac signs), or typing away at the hotel's Business Centre where Internet connection costs 60 zlotys (around 12 pounds sterling) per hour – probably one of the priciest in Europe.

Of an evening, business meetings tend to naturally relocate to one of Westin's in-house bars, or to the open-plan “Fusion” restaurant where – without leaving his table - a customer can watch the chefs preparing their mouthwatering “East Meets West” specialities (they include “Clams with jalapeno, lemon grass and basil”). And in case he wants to wind down after the meetings, Westin's Fitness Centre is open round the clock. Fancy a work-out at 3 o'clock a.m?