A new luxury destination is taking shape in the Polish retail market with the opening of Europejski Hotel. The capital is to see the completion of the renovation and redevelopment of one of Warsaw’s most recognized buildings with 160 years of history. The 2,700 sqm of ground floor retail area will feature boutique units. Cushman & Wakefield is responsible for commercialisation of the scheme.
Europejski Hotel will operate under the Raffles brand as the third hotel in Europe of this luxury chain. The five-star+ hotel will not only offer 103 luxurious guestrooms and 7,100 sqm of Grade A+ office space located over top two floors, but also an exquisite retail area. Europejski Hotel will also feature a spa with six treatment rooms, a restaurant specialising in the exquisite traditional Polish cuisine, a bar and a pâtisserie.
Designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by the acclaimed architect Henryk Marconi, Europejski Hotel originally opened in 1857. It quickly became the most important social venue of Warsaw, extremely popular among cultural and intellectual circles, frequently visited by notable artists. The building accommodated also retail and services functions for affluent clientele and in the period of the Second Polish Republic was home to the legations of Spain, Lithuania, Belgium, Brazil and Finland.
“The aim of the refurbishment was to revive the cosmopolitan and exclusive character of the city’s former social, business and retail focal point. With the current contextualised, culturally astute and socialised commerce as well as the increasing drive for experience-based spending, Europejski Hotel is set to create an unrivalled luxury retail destination. This trend towards all-encompassing shopping experience can be seen for example in Budapest, where luxury and premium brands are spreading out in the prestigious and historic location near the State Opera House on Andrássy Avenue, a World Heritage Site, home to Neo-Renaissance town houses, palazzos and upscale apartment villas”, says Renata Kusznierska, Partner, Head of Retail Agency at Cushman & Wakefield in Poland.
