StarwoodGuy: April 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Around the World With Starwood Hotels in 30 Days - Day 21 Westin Leipzig

I opted for a taxi from the Westin to the train station in Dresden since it was still pouring and stopped in at Starbucks for much needed electrical juice for my computer and a caffeine jolt for myself. The train from Dresden to Leipzig was another regional train with my first class car having 6 seats, a Deutsche Bahn employee was fast asleep and the only other person in the car. There was another dubious electrical outlet, though it said ‘only 90 volts’, I gave it a try hoping not to blow power to the train and success! When the train pulled into Leipzig, Mother Nature had returned her blessings and the sun was back.

I walked across the street to the towering Westin Leipzig which looked much like a US Westin or Sheraton Tower. Once again I had a very warm greeting and I was told I had been upgraded to the tower rooms on the top four levels of the hotel. I went up and dropped my bags, the room was very modern and business efficient, but again no iron, ironing board or coffee machine. The power worked wonderfully so I was happy. I likely could have ordered the iron and ironing board with my not having enough time for laundry, but instead I decided to stay wrinkled and head out to explore the city.

It is a very short walk into the main shopping area and then into the old town. There are many historic buildings to see in the beautiful city, the St. Nicholas Church, the old town hall and the market, and the new town hall, which coming from North America looked pretty old to me. The biggest difference from Dresden to Leipzig was the drop in the average age. The city is a university town and students packed the streets. The stores definitely were staffed by students and everything from Starbucks to Scotch and Soda was packed with an early twenty-something crowd both working and shopping. I walked around the full old town area, then made my way back to the hotel to get some work done. I opted for dinner in the lobby and had some drinks there, on the house thanks to the hotel offering Club Lounge benefits at the lobby bar. After I made a quick walk around to see the old town at night and I also poked my head into the other Starwood hotel, the Hotel Fursetenhof which is a charming boutique hotel, less of a business focus and very romantic in nature. Once back at the Westin I then went up to the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant. The view was amazing, but it was a smoking bar, so I walked in, took a picture and made it to of there not wanting to have my clothes jeans and jacket smell.

The next morning I woke up early to go to the train station to get some coffee since there was no coffee machine in the room, I then did a quick walk around the old town in the early morning light, came back for a quick workout, and then had a wonderful breakfast in the breakfast restaurant. There was a large conference in the hotel but I kept missing their schedule so it felt as though I had the place to myself. After breakfast I had a quick walk around the Zoo Park right next to the hotel but I did not have time for the zoo. Instead I stopped in at the Hotel’s spa where for five Euros (or free for Platinum) you get access to the large pool, the shared sauna or the separate men or women’s sauna, and the separate men and women’s infared saunas. It was my first time in an infared sauna and I had the entire spa complex to myself, the perfect relaxation before my next almost four hour train.

Overall Leipzig was a beautiful youthful city. There were slight traces of the East German past just as there had been in Berlin and Dresden. The little walking man as the signal for crossing the street, the interesting anecdotes from shopkeepers about how when they were children it was Russian they were taught in school. The Westin is the right choice for location to town, the Zoo, the train station, and it is likely the better choice for conventions, for business and for larger groups. For a romantic and quieter time as in the same location I would pick the Hotel Fursetenhof, but both are great options in the city.

Tower of Chocolate Leipzig Bahnhof

Train Station

Westin Leipzig

Westin Leipzig Lobby

Westin Leipzig Bathroom

Westin Leipzig Bedroom

Westin Leipzig Welcome

Westin Leipzig Platinum Benefits

Leipzig Shopping Passage

Leipzig Church

Statue Leipzig

Leipzig Church

Old Town Leipzig

Leipzig Old Town Hall and Market

View from Tower Room

Unhealthy Dinner in Westin Leipzig Lobby Bar

Gym Westin Leipzig

Westin Leipzig Spa Area

Rooftop Bar Westin Leipzig

Hotel Fuerstenhof Leipzig

Hotel Fuerstenhof Lobby Leipzig

St. Nicholas Church Leipzig by Night

View from Room Westin Leipzig

Morning in Leipzig

Exterior Westin Leipzig

Room View Westin Leipzig

Breakfast Buffet Westin Leipzig

Church near Zoo Park Leipzig

Men's Sauna Westin Leipzig

Pool Westin Leipzig

Infared Sauna Westin Leipzig

Interior Men's Sauna Westin Leipzig

Me alone in Spa Complex

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Around the World With Starwood Hotels in 30 Days - Day 20 Westin Bellevue Dresden

The train from Prague to Dresden was forty-five minutes late so I had a beer at the station’s beer garden restaurant and then checked out the CD or First Class Lounge. It is just a room with a children’s play area and some chairs, so no need to make time for that. This train trip was uneventful as I had the train cabin to myself. After arriving in the Dresden Hauptbahnhof I made the quick jump to the neighboring platform to get the S-Bahn the short three stops over the river to my hotel, the Westin Bellevue Dresden. As we were crossing the bridge I saw a large thunder storm heading towards the city. I knew it was a short ten minute walk from Dresden Neustadt station to the hotel right on the river, and so far Mother Nature had cooperated with me on this trip. I thought I could make it and sure enough the rain was starting to fall just as I reached the hotel.

I was given a very warm greeting, an upgrade to a Grande Deluxe room on the top floor with a view onto the park, the river and the city, and an umbrella. The rain started to pour down so I opted to drop my bags, check out the gym and pool facilities, and get some work done. The room was a standard hotel room, modern and efficient, with a stunning view of the city and the storm rolling by outside. What was lacking were some features I consider standard. There was no iron or ironing board, no tea or coffee machine, and no bedside clock. As was becoming too common I shorted the power out with my power converter but unlike in Hamburg the situation was rectified in ten minutes. After two hours of work I shorted out the power again though the lights still worked, so I headed down for a workout in the once again small gym, but as in Berlin with a beautiful view out not only to the pool, but beyond that to the river, park, and city. The view made cardio fly by. I had a sauna in the sauna area where there is one shared sauna for men and women and a separate warmer sauna in each change room.

When I had initially approached the hotel I was disappointed, rather then a larger castle like structure as shown on the website the hotel looks like a standard four story rectangle from the street side. What I did not realize is that the lobby and many of the rooms are in this new section. The heart of the hotel lies in the original building on the riverside which I explored quickly before braving the weather. The old area has the main restaurant which was closed on Mondays and the wine cellar as well as garden cafe. I looked around all of these closed areas, then I went outside into the rain and took pictures back to the hotel, its beautiful grounds, and the beer garden. I made the quick stroll across the bridge into the old city, though it was now dark and pouring. I did a quick walk around the main sights, the beautiful churches, the walkway along the water, and the cites broader historic area before I returned to the hotel to dry off and get some sleep.

The next morning there was a break in the weather and in desperate need of coffee since I had no coffee machine I went to the McDonalds in the old town, since the Starbucks does not open until 7:30 am, something I was finding increasingly common in Europe. I walked around for an hour looking at the beautiful buildings and museums again but it was too early for them to be open, then I made the trip back over the bridge as the rain started and I had a quick workout, then went down to the breakfast restaurant with a beautiful view over the river. No change in the buffet here, breads, cheeses, eggs, meats and other items, all quite good. I then walked around the Neustadt to see some other churches, the Japanese Palace, and the Baroque Architecture, but the weather was so terrible I came back for a sauna before heading out on my next train trip.

After Prague it is difficult for any city to live up to such beauty, but Dresden certainly comes close. The focus of the property is most definitely on the pool and spa area, with two pairs of shoes and two robes in each room and guests encouraged to wear these at the property and take the separate elevator down to the pool and spa area. The staff was wonderful, the food great, and the location and view as well as the property’s amenities are excellent in sun or rain. The only thing missing are the little extras that help a busy traveller or a business traveller, but that is definitely not the focus of this relaxing hotel.