Hotel description

There are plenty of big business hotels in Warsaw, but the Rialto is the Polish capital's first boutique hotel. Though brand-new, it's a masterpiece of Art Deco design, its retro décor and authentic antique furniture paying homage to the last time Poland was free — the 1920s and '30s.

This is fitting, as the whole country is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. Though much of the city's architecture did not survive the Second World War, this downtown district was painstakingly reconstructed in the original style (a remarkable feat, given the grey concrete leanings of postwar Eastern Bloc construction). Poland is one of the newest round of EU members, and this new Warsaw is home not just to delightful architecture, but to designer shops, art galleries, and a vibrant restaurant and nightclub scene.

Business travelers will find two modern, elegant meeting rooms, with ISDN lines and state-of-the-art multimedia presentation systems.The hotel has its own fitness machines, sauna, and steam room, and guests are welcome at the exclusive Sinnet Club, featuring tennis, squash, and extensive gym and pool facilities.

All in all, a fine hotel — the atmosphere is exceedingly intimate, the service personal and conscientious, and the city itself is in the midst of a great change — for the better. Check out the Chopin Museum or the Historical Museum for a look at Warsaw's colorful cultural past — or, if you must, scan the skyline for Stalin's Palace of Culture and Science, the bizarre Soviet neoclassical skyscraper, constructed as “proof” of friendship between the USSR and Poland. Trust us, you can't miss it, even if you try, as this strange monument dominates Warsaw's low skyline.