Checking In at The Westin Grand Munich

I have slept in most kinds of place by now: a Couchsurfing sofa belonging to a cat that loved the shower, an Airbnb flat, hostels, and a fair number of hotels. Every one has its trade-offs, and things can go wrong anywhere. What you choose usually comes down to why you are travelling and who with — a conference, a family, or simply a wish for a comfortable few days.

The Westin Grand Munich is the third kind of stay. Its motto is Feel well. Stay well. Eat well, and it takes the words more seriously than most hotels take a slogan. I spent two days there and kept being surprised.

Where it is

The hotel stands in Arabellapark, in the north-east of Munich. From the Central Station it is exactly ten minutes on the U4, or a taxi if you prefer. That is close enough to treat the centre as an extension of the hotel, and far enough that the evenings are quiet.

My room was on the fifteenth floor and looked across the city. The giant art installation outside was impossible to miss, and the Olympia Tower stood in the distance. If you have not been, the Olympic Park, the tower and the BMW Museum are all worth an afternoon — I had seen them on an earlier trip, so this time I stayed put.

The room

The bed is the famous one, the Heavenly Bed, and it earns the name. The bathroom has a rain shower. Robes and slippers were already in the room, which meant no phone call and no waiting when I wanted the spa.

The welcome was the part I did not expect: a personalised note and a platter of desserts waiting on the table. Coming back after a day in the city, I found a complimentary bottle of wine as well. Small gestures, but they change how a stay feels.

Wellness

The Arabella Spa is the reason to book here if you want to do nothing at all. Saunas, an indoor pool and a fitness area that stays open around the clock, all inside the building. I used the pool and the saunas and wished I had built in an extra day to use them properly.

Eating

Breakfast is served at Zen and it is generous — a proper buffet, with a long row of fresh juices that matches the Eat Well half of the motto.

Two details I liked. On weekends breakfast runs until noon, because the hotel would rather you slept in than queued at eight. And there is a separate midnight snack menu for the nights you come back late having skipped dinner, with lighter dishes designed not to keep you awake.

For lunch and dinner there is the Paulaner Beer Garden inside the hotel, and the Ducktails Bar makes a good cocktail.

If you are working

The business centre is one of the largest in the city. The Westin sits beside the Sheraton Arabellapark, and both belong to Starwood, so if you are attending a conference in Munich there is a decent chance it is being held in one of the two.

I signed up for Starwood Preferred Guest on this trip. Membership brings better rooms, upgrades, extra amenities and points whenever you stay in a Starwood property anywhere in the world, and it gives access to the business lounge on the twenty-second floor here — computers, meeting space, coffee, and the city underneath you. You can join online before you arrive.

Getting around

The metro does the heavy lifting, but there is a nice alternative: tram 16 leaves from behind the hotel and runs to Schloss Nymphenburg, the palace. It is slower than the U-Bahn and you see far more of the city on the way.

Tickets are reasonable. A day ticket for the inner city costs around six euros, and a three-day ticket about sixteen. The hotel sells public transport tickets at the desk, hands out maps and city-tour suggestions, and runs bus tours to Neuschwanstein and the surrounding castles.

What it costs

This is a luxury hotel that has been priced to be reachable. Book ahead on their own website and a standard double starts at 100 euros, with breakfast optional. A Double Deluxe runs to roughly 250 euros, and a Grand Deluxe or a suite more than that. Season and demand move the numbers.

They also run offers. When I last looked there was an Oktoberfest promotion: book by 16 June for 30 per cent off. There is also a 21 per cent discount for booking 21 days ahead, and others besides — they are all listed here, on their website.

The small things

My room had been recently renovated and the heating was not behaving. I mentioned it, and it was fixed quickly; they brought an extra heater as well, in case. Every member of staff I dealt with was helpful and courteous, and the atmosphere of the place is calm rather than grand.

It was my first stay in a Westin and I came away impressed. Now that I am an SPG member, I will be looking for Starwood and Westin properties whenever I want a stay built around wellness rather than sightseeing. I had two days; I would happily have taken four.

Thanks to The Westin Grand Munich, which partially covered my stay. I liked the place and would go back. This post is linked to Monday Escapes and City Tripping.

For other places I have stayed, try my notes on hotels in Montmartre, or the shower-loving cat in Barcelona. Would you stay at the Westin? Tell me below.