When the Prudential Building was under construction, it was the second highest building in Europe. The architect, Marcin Weinfeld, and engineers, Stefan Bryła and Wieczesław Poniż, created a building of concrete and steel – that was the building technology used in New York back then. It was 1934, and Warsaw gained highly luxurious apartments and offices. It played a strategic role during the Warsaw Uprising – it housed the first television transmitter in Poland – which resulted in considerable damage due to a huge missile strike and shellfire. It was home to Hotel Warszawa until 2001. It currently plays the function of a luxurious and comfortable hotel in the heart of the city, having retained its historic name – Hotel Warszawa. Between 9 and 11 September 2022, it will also host a new initiative bringing together art circles – Hotel Warszawa Art Fair, and the best Warsaw-based galleries will showcase their art in 20 hotel rooms.
On the occasion, I had the pleasure to talk to Amanda Likus about the fair, art patronage, and the role of art and culture in the approach to brand development.
Dobromiła Błaszczyk: You will co-organise the Hotel Warszawa Art Fair for the first time this year. What made you decide to engage in this initiative?
Amanda Likus: The whole idea behind Hotel Warszawa is based on our becoming a part of the city. Hence the historic name we decided to retain. The restaurant’s name is “Warszawska”. We strongly promote Polish hospitality and we are very proud that such a building as the Prudential was built in Poland. We are proud of our culture and we are trying to shine a light on it. We believe that art is an inherent part of the city and its culture, and that is why when the organisers presented their project to us, we decided that it was something appealing to us and interesting for the city. This is the first art fair held in a hotel space in Poland. The concept itself is very interesting. We open up hotel rooms which are normally available only to our guests, and allow the galleries we have invited to change them into an exhibition space. We want our hotel to become an art hub during this September weekend. In addition, cooperation between these two sectors, the art and the hotel industry, is simply fascinating. Of course, such collaboration initiatives have taken place worldwide, and since Warsaw is as intriguing as other cities abroad, the idea quickly made sense.
DB: The fair will feature the best Polish galleries based in Warsaw. Most of them have been operating in Warsaw for years, and some of them are active internationally. For the guests, it will be an opportunity to get to know the best selection of current art trends in your spaces.
AL.: This was a condition we have set out. If we host such an event, it must be done at the highest level possible; we are a five-star hotel after all. We provide top-level service and meals, so anything we organise at the premises must reach the standards – quality is essential to us. Of course, the galleries which have been selected this year are only the beginning. We are also planning to engage foreign galleries in the future. We are interested in visits by collectors cooperating with the galleries, but we are also waiting for Warsaw residents. I hope that the idea will turn out to be attractive.
DB: It is a very interesting thread. Your hotel, which is highly luxurious and not available to ordinary citizens, what I mean here is your target group of customers, is entering an interaction with the residents through art, and this hotel has strong connections with the history of Warsaw, their Warsaw.
AL.: It is another aspect which is likely to attract the audience, I hope. The building is still remembered by residents, and through art they will have another opportunity to visit the hotel and see how it looks.
DB: Maybe they will come to your bar or restaurant once they get accustomed to the space …
AL.: Exactly. The building was closed for a long time. Since we opened it, Warsaw residents visit us frequently, recall and tell us how they remember the building from the past.
This opening up to the residents is reflected in our services. This was the idea behind one of our hotel restaurants, Warszawska. It is intended for the residents, and the chef, Darek Barański, serves traditional meals, adding his own touch to them. Through the restaurant, the food, and the idea of traditional Polish hospitality, we wish to open up the space for the city.
DB: Have you organised similar events here or in other hotels you manage?
AL.: We organise conferences, birthday parties, meetings, or anniversaries. We haven’t had any event of this kind yet.
DB: During the Hotel Warszawa Art Fair, you will give the entire floor to art, won’t you?
AL.: There are 142 rooms across 16 floors at the hotel. The first floor has 21 rooms for 20 galleries – and this is only the beginning.
The banquet is planned in Warszawska Restaurant on level -2, and different exhibitions will be organised in the lobby during the fair, courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and the Starak Foundation. Art will not only fill the hotel rooms but also other common spaces in the hotel.
DB: Yet, since art will be showcased in hotel rooms, it must enter an interaction with them and create a situation which is completely different than in gallery white cubes or at art fairs. There are pieces of furniture here and the distinctive style of your hotel.
AL.: When I started thinking about what the event should look like, I thought that the thing you have mentioned was an asset. We will remove our pieces of art for the time of the fair. We currently have works by two artists – Anna Sobol-Wejman and Marianna Stuhr. The art which the galleries present may be arranged in very diverse configurations. All the more so given that every room is different. We have beautiful hand-made furniture, wardrobes, and minimalist yet decorative marble bathrooms… We’ll see how the galleries will interpret the spaces.
DB: This will also be an attempt to create an intimate situation. Unlike galleries or standard fairs, your hotel will give an opportunity to feel and imagine how a given work would look like in your own home.
AL.: Exactly. Perhaps such a form will be more attractive to collectors. They will be able to see how a given work might be arranged, and how they would live with it. A hotel room seems like a temporary situation, but others may spend their whole life there.
DB: It’s like a dream come true for some. Room service, concierge…
AL.: Coco Chanel lived in a hotel for over 20 years if I recall correctly. So galleries have a chance to boast their capabilities.
DB: You’ve mentioned that there are works by two artists in the rooms. Where can we see them?
AL.: All over the hotel. In restaurants and in the halls, practically in every room.
DB: The things that connect your Group with art and culture can also be noticed in Likus Home Concept where a lot of works by great designers can be found …
AL.: It has always been an inherent part of the Likus Hotels & Restaurants Group. This naturally filled new spaces, starting from the first one, Hotel pod Różą in Krakow. Architecture has always been our strength – we wanted to acquire historic buildings and transform them into luxury hotels. And the Likus Home Concept evolved in a natural way. Some items you can find in the hotels are available at our boutique. We have a wide range of furniture, lamps, and other interior decoration items created by Italian designers as well as our own designs.
DB: What is art in your approach to brand development?
AL.: It is yet another touch of luxury we use in our spaces. Art as such is for everybody, but owning it is a luxury. It is surely one of the things which enrich the experience at a hotel. Rooms decorated with works of art are completely different in visitors’ eyes, they are more comfortable, and more beautiful.
DB: Do you collect art?
AL.: Of course! Most of our family members do. There are a lot of u. We have different tastes and like various trends. We have representatives of several generations. My grandmother is almost 90 years old, and the youngest family member has just turned one. I would not call it a collection, but we do collect and buy works of art, and enjoy being close to it.
DB: As co-organisers of the fair, you have become art patrons. I believe it is a very important gesture of support for art circles, providing space for it to exist, especially in current circumstances.
AL.: We have always supported all projects related to culture, so art, as its vital part, fits in very well with everything we do. It is worth supporting good projects. We give something to people, and it always returns to us. This cooperation should be bilateral. Art, events, fascinating discussions – these are vital things on the map of Warsaw, and we are happy to support them, because we feel that we are a part of the city. We have collaborated with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw for some time, and we were, among others, partners of Miriam Cahn’s exhibition.
It is an advantage of a family business. If one of our family members finds something interesting, we are willing to engage in it. It is a great advantage of running your own business which is not a classic corporate operation. We can combine our interests with working here. I also believe that such cooperation is a vital component of building social awareness within our community.
DB: In a civil society, all parties and entities cooperate to develop, raise awareness, and improve life quality in a given social group.
AL.: Precisely! Attractive events do not always need to be organised at our hotel, they may take place at the Museum of Modern Art or any other institution in the city. Such exhibitions will attract visitors, and maybe they will not stay at the hotel, but they will surely see the city, or visit our restaurant. It’s important. We want Warsaw to make a permanent impression on tourists. We are making efforts to make Warsaw a point on the cultural map of the world.
DB: Hotel Warszawa Art Fair is surely a good step in this direction. Thank you for talking to me.
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Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials. -
Hotel Warszawa. Press materials.
Hotel Warszawa Art Fair
9-11 September 2022
