As part of a vacation in Russia, I chose the W Saint-Petersburgfor my stay in this romantic city. The property, located near all of the city’s tourist attractions, is fairly new.

Review of this memorable stay where the quality of the property was felt both in the room and in the service.

Booking

As usual, I made my reservation on the SPG website. Even if the prices in St. Petersburg are supposed to be lower than in Moscow, the price for this room seems, at first sight, excessive. Indeed, it is at more than 230 € per night that I can book a room. That’s quite something for Russia: it’s the minimum wage in the country!

Impossible to get the bill down, despite my numerous searches before my arrival.

For this stay, I choose to use one of my guaranteed suite upgrades, made possible by my Platinum status. Unfortunately, the hotel did not confirm this upgrade and so I think I’ll end up in the room originally booked, which is not so bad! Nevertheless, a few days before my arrival, I notice a proactive upgrade of a few categories. Always nice!

Arrival

As usual when I arrive in a country I don’t know,I book a car in advancefor my transfer from the airport. So, I arrived at the hotel with the car I had booked.

The doorman and valet service seems to me rather inefficient:nobody identifies me as a hotel guest, probably because I am dressed in a relaxed way. I don’t really like this attitude, but I will often see it during my entire stay in Russia. Be aware that for all your travels, you will have to be dressed in a rather formal way: restaurant, museum, concert, walk in town: everything is good to show yourself in your best light.

Once I arrived in the hotel, I was received in a very warm manner by the receptionist at the priority desk. The formalities are done: customs form, visa, passport. I was confirmed to beupgraded to aFabulous room, as well as having breakfast included in my rate. One specifies the modalities of breakfast, of access to the spa is to the room of fitness both located in the basement of the hotel. Very good reception thus, with just a weak point for the service of valet of doorman.

Room

My room was located on the second floor of the property. Due to its size, in many hotels this room would be considered a Junior Suite. The decoration is in the style of the W hotels: quite modern, but also flashy. The entrance is quite large and has plenty of storage space. Also in the hallway are the minibar and the espresso machine.

The entrance leads directly to the bathroom: it has a sink and a large mirror, a toilet separated from the rest of the bathroom, as well as a shower and bathtub area separatedfrom the rest of the bathroom by a large glass window. The whole is very pleasant and the glass door is effective enough not to soak the bathroom when using the shower.

The night space is quite basic: beyond the bed, very comfortable, a daybed allows you to rest and read after a day in the cold. The desk, against the glass, is well equipped, especially with electrical outlets.

Overall, the room is very pleasant to live in and allows you to relax well after a long day of visiting.

Hotel facilities

Spa

As in all the hotels of the chain, the property is equipped with a bliss spa. For once, I decided to treat myself to a treatment called foot patrol, which is available at all W’s: it’s actually anenhanced pedicure that lasts more than two hours, and makes up for horrible feet like mine!

After this well-deserved and very effective treatment, I go downstairs and decide to test the other facilities of the spa: perfect changing room as usual; sauna, very pleasant; jacuzzi a little cold; swimming pool a little small; hammam very pleasant but not hot enough.

Business Center

On the same floor is theBusiness Center: it is very well equipped, with two computers and a self-service printer.

Restaurants

The property has only one restaurant, Cococo. This is surely due to the small number of rooms it has (about a hundred).

Breakfast

Breakfast was included in my room rate. The restaurant is open to external guests, who can choose from an à la carte menu. Hotel guests can enjoy the W buffet.

This buffet, very comprehensive, is also very qualitative. Beyond the buffet, the waitresses ask if you want to order something from the menu, and this will not be charged. Don’t be surprised: for accounting purposes, even if your rate includes breakfast, a bill will be brought to you to sign. It also allows you to tip if the service was good, which was my case.

The pictures speak for themselves: you won’t be disappointed with the breakfast.

Lunch/Dinner

Apart from breakfast, the restaurant also welcomes you for your other meals: please note that it only reopens at 2 pm. Therefore, there is no lunch service as such. Then, the restaurant is open until midnight, which is very convenient for your late returns.

I would describe the menu as Russian fusion, or modern.

Not everyone will like it. Nevertheless, I found the cuisine to be quite creative, and reasonably priced for a five-star hotel that is among the best in the city. In fact, it is not the dishes that are expensive, but the drinks: a bottle of mineral water at nearly 10 €, and a glass of wine at more than 10 €, for the entry level of the menu! Although the dish was excellent, I took the scoop of vanilla ice cream served as dessert, at more than 5 € each, for a mockery, and I remain polite!

In short, good food, but be careful about the extras! It is not normal, in a country like Russia, to get by for nearly 50 € for lunch!

Bar

During the summer season, the property has a rooftop lounge bar. When visiting the city in October, it is obviously closed due to temperatures that go well below zero all day.

Only thelobby bar remains open: the staff is adorablebut the prices will make you run away. There are many alternatives around if you want to have a drink in a nice atmosphere and at very reasonable prices.

At least in this hotel you won’t find the lonely women, that I would call of little virtue, waiting for the customer. It’s not the house style!

Departure

The departure formalities were simple. A provisional invoice has been issued for my verification. This one had no errors, except for my address which I changed and which was corrected on the final invoice.

Conclusion

This stay was, for my part, memorable. It wasn’t necessarily the room that impressed me, but the location of the hotel was exceptional. And, finally, it is the kindness and friendlinessof the staff that were key in my impression. You can have the best hotel in the world the most beautiful property the most beautiful menus in the restaurant, it is the interactions with the staff and therefore the training in a way, that are essential in the customer’s mind. Systematically, I was called by my name in all repeated interactions with certain staff members. My status in the chain’s loyalty program was systematically recognized. And finally, when you are loyal, isn’t that what you expect?