Dresden's Westin Bellevue earned every one of its five stars
Written: Mar 21 '05 (Updated Oct 21 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exemplary service, great breakfasts, and we didn't have to pay!
Cons: Mandatory donation to a charity
The Bottom Line: A luxury hotel that lives up to its image, but I'm still glad this was on the company's tab.
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| lyagushka's Full Review: Westin Bellevue Hotel |
Our very last trip while residing in Europe was to Dresden by way of Prague. We spent three days in Dresden because of a business conference my husband was obliged to attend. That means we didn't get to choose the hotel but we also didn't have to pick up the tab. Fortunately, whoever organized this particular conference picked a gem of a hotel to host it. A member of the Starwood Alliance, Dresden's Westin Bellevue delivers excellent value for whatever it is they charge. Sitting at the central bend of the Elbe river on the Neustadt side of Dresden, the Westin Bellevue provides easy access to the main attractions of Dresden. I found that from the hotel it was only a five-minute (though frigid) walk across the Augustus bridge into the old town.
Our first view of the Bellevue was of the large corporate-type lobby with inviting 2-seater sofas and coffee tables. A bellman helped us with our luggage when our taxi dropped us off under the sheltered entrance. Before we could even pay the driver, our bags were loaded onto a trolley. We were checked in very promptly and courteously by an employee with fluent English skills. We were given a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor, and two card keys. The bellman directed us to the elevators and then brought our bags to our room on the fourth floor.
Looking out our window, we realized we hadn't been given a room with a river view. We weren't too disappointed, though our view was only of the entrance and the parking lot. The room was a very pleasant one, reasonably spacious with gentle earth tones, and floor-to-ceiling drapes. Our room was also very quiet with little noise coming from either inside or outside, despite the fact that the room faces the street. Everything was Germanically clean of course, and nothing was worn or looked old.
The room contained two twin beds with firm and comfortable mattresses and large down pillows. The room was carpeted throughout except for the bathroom, and we had one bedside table and one lamp between the twin beds as well as a writing desk, a large floor lamp, a TV, a wingback chair and small breakfast table. There were data ports on each of the two phones but no alarm clock. A nicely framed mirror and a generic print adorned the walls. There was an individual thermostat in the room. A closet with real hangers occupied the space just inside the door and opposite the bathroom. There was also a built in luggage rack here with several drawers below it for clothes and some cabinets above it. I found a small room safe in one of the cabinets.
There were plenty of extra touches about the room, including a free minibar stocked with beer, mineral water, chocolate and roasted peanuts. Another little bit of chocolate was waiting for us on our pillows when we checked in. Though there was only one pillow per bed, non-allergenic pillows were brought up promptly on request. (I have an allergy to down.) So we ended up with two pillows each. Looking through the hotel's in-room directory, I was stunned to find the list of other items that were available simply for the asking. Everything from babies' diapers to toothpaste, condoms and a loan of an umbrella was apparently only a phone call away. Clearly, the Bellvue is willing to go the extra mile for its patrons.
Our bath matched the room's luxurious appearance. Brecciated green marble framed the sink and there were tiles of tan marble on the floor and in the bath itself. An abundance of fluffy white terry cloth towels and terry cloth robes in mint condition made a hot bath a real treat. The toiletries were standard for this sort of hotel, but the bottles were larger than is typical in a hotel. We had plenty of hot water but the temperature varied a little bit at any time of day.
The Bellevue has a fairly extensive fitness center with weights and exercise machines, as well as a heated indoor pool. I used the pool once, while my husband used the rowing machine. The pool area was rather large for a hotel. The water wasn't all that warm, but that made it good for exercising, and not for little kids who just want to splash around. There was a separate, smaller and shallower pool perhaps intended for kids. The lounge area around the pool that faces the gardens was quite inviting, with a complimentary basket of apples set out on a counter top. It was nice to lounge for a little while on a day bed, wrapped in a thick terry-cloth robe as big fluffy snowflakes came down outside.
The Bellevue also has a fine dining restaurant with Italian leanings. We didn't try it, but there's also a little bar-café just off the lobby. On afternoon, coming in from Dresden's blustery frigid weather, I asked for a pot of tea there. After drinking it, I asked the barman if I could charge it to my room number. He simply waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, as if it were too trivial a matter to bill for. It was complimentary, apparently.
The Germans sure know how to do breakfast right. The Westin Bellevue put on a very extensive breakfast spread. There was so much food I hardly knew where to start or how to choose. The dazzling offerings included no less than a dozen different kinds of bread, nine different jams, six different honeys, six different kinds of milk plus buttermilk, six different yogurts, five fruit juices, cold cuts, pickled fish and vegetables, sliced tomatoes, cereals, muesli and dried fruits such as whole figs and banana slices, omelets made to order, chafing dishes with eggs, bacon, several different kinds of sausage, pats of butter on ice (either salted or unsalted), crepes with maple syrup and whipped cream and a tea and coffee station with a wide selection of black and herbal teas and actual teapots to brew my cuppa in. The food was excellent. Additionally, there were always several employees in the dining area waiting to see if you needed anything, or clearing away used dishes and napkins. We had hot milk cheerfully delivered to our table each morning for our tea. We just had to ask and it was promptly seen to.
Service at the Westin Bellevue was exemplary and courteous in all the interactions we had with the staff. The front desk workers spoke English well, despite the fact that this is a rarity in Dresden. There's an unmistakable German style of service - a pride in both appearance and performance, wedded to the notion that there is no lack of dignity in a service profession. I got the sense that German culture does not regard waitressing or cleaning as menial positions deserving of little respect, and that the employees were perfectly content with their jobs. The staff of the Bellevue at all times displayed extremely high standards of professionalism and customer service.
Etc.
While headed for the breakfast room in the mornings I noticed that the doorknobs of some rooms had German newspapers hanging on them. Apparently complimentary newspapers are available if you speak the right language.
The one and only thing that annoyed me about our stay in the Westin Bellevue was that a charitable donation of one euro was automatically charged to our bill. Now don't get me wrong - we were informed of this charge ahead of time by a notice left in our room, and we could have denied it if we wished. The donation went to Unicef to fund vaccinations for children in impoverished countries. Who could be such an ogre as to refuse a donation of a single euro for such a do-gooder cause? I don't begrudge the euro. What I take exception to is the decision being taken out of my hands unless I'm willing to stand up and say, "As a matter of fact, I don't want to fund vaccinations for poor children!" I would gladly have contributed if the hotel had provided an envelope allowing us to do so at our own discretion. I could have spared more than a euro's equivalent in Czech crowns, which I had no further use for. I just really don't like being put in the situation of having to contribute without choice or being made to look and feel like a complete grinch.
To wrap up, I was extremely impressed with all aspects of our stay at the Westin Bellevue. Though I'm glad that we didn't foot the bill for our stay there, I think that the Bellevue lives up to the image of a five star, luxury hotel. I can't give an exact figure for the cost of our room per night, because the fee was included in the total charge for my husband's attendance of the conference. If this were the sort of lodging I preferred and could pay for on a regular basis, I certainly would feel I'd gotten my money's worth. I have no qualms about recommending the Westin Bellevue very highly to anyone in the market for this sort of hotel.
Looking for more information on Germany? These reviews might be of interest to you:
• Dresden - what you might want to see and do while you're here
• Munich - simply a fantastic city, with so much to see and do!
• Nuremberg -a smaller, more northerly Bavarian town with a great Christmas market
• Aachen - home to marvelous hot springs & a World Heritage Site
• Bavarian Cuisine - is a lot more impressive than you might imagine
Recommended:
Yes
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