Review: Westin Perth

My first-ever trip to Australia, and indeed the continent of Oceania, would see me visit Perth for two days and three nights as part of my crazy round-the-world trip.

In choosing a place to stay for my time in town, I looked no further than the recently opened Westin Perth, which looked very nice in pictures; moreover, I had never stayed at a Westin before, so it’s always exciting to try out a new hotel brand. 

(The other Marriott-branded properties in town were an Aloft and a Four Points by Sheraton, which didn’t exactly fill me with inspiration.)

The Westin Perth is a Category 5 property within Marriott Bonvoy, with a free night redeemable to the tune of 35,000 Bonvoy points. However, the cheapest cash rate I could find was A$216 ($198) per night using a corporate code, and since I value Bonvoy points at around 1 Canadian cent per point, paying the cash rate felt like better value to me.

Westin Perth – Location & Arrival

I landed in Perth at 11:55pm, so called an Uber to bring me to the hotel. Along the way, I briefly glanced at the Marriott Bonvoy app and saw that I had already been proactively upgraded to a one-bedroom Westin Suite as a Titanium Elite member, which was a pleasant surprise, since I hadn’t had the time to correspond with the hotel over email or live chat as I usually do.

The Westin is located in East Perth, a rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood that the new Westin property had helped to revitalize in recent times. It’s a short walk from most attractions within the city of Perth itself, as well as Perth railway station, where you’d take the train out to nearby Fremantle and other points of interest in Western Australia. 

I arrived at around 12:30am, and the exterior of the hotel was pretty deserted, with no one stationed out front to help me with my bags. In fact, the front door had been locked, and required a hotel associate inside to push a button to unlock. It’s not the most friendly way to welcome your guests arriving late at night, but who knows, maybe the neighbourhood has a homelessness problem, or something like that.

(I took a few night shots of the exterior, and then returned the following morning to snap a few more shots of all of the hotel’s public areas.)

Stepping into the lobby, you can’t help but be impressed by how gorgeously decorated it is. As a brand, Westin Hotels & Resorts are known to emphasize wellness and comfort above all else, and that could be immediately seen from the spacious layout and soothing colours of the lobby lounge. 

The soft beige and maroon colours are ubiquitous throughout the hotel, a nod to the abundant natural splendour of Western Australia.

Westin Perth – Check-In

There was no one else around, so I was helped immediately at the front desk by the single staff member working the night shift. The associate confirmed my upgrade to “one of our nice suites”, informed me that I’d have access to breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres, and all-day snacks and drinks in the Executive Lounge, and also offered me my choice of Titanium elite amenity between daily breakfast in the restaurant and 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Even though I could already eat breakfast in the club lounge, I still wanted to check out what breakfast was like in the restaurant, so I opted for the breakfast, and the associate wrote out three separate breakfast vouchers for me. Then, I was swiftly on my way up to the 22nd floor, via the elevators around the other side of the lobby lounge.

Stepping off the elevator, I was impressed by the decor of the hallways, whose soft tones and dark wooden beams made me feel instantly at ease as I approached my room. Interestingly, I was getting some strong “Japanese-y” vibes from these hallways, as though these designs would feel right at home in a hotel somewhere in Japan (I don’t know, would they?)

Anyway, I had been put in Room 2208 for the next three nights, so I swiped my key and entered. And suffice to say, I was pretty blown away by the Westin Suite.

Westin Perth – Westin Suite

When you enter, you find yourself in a foyer decked out in a beautiful dark wood panelling, with the master bedroom to your left and the remainder of the living space down the hallway ahead and to the right. Let’s check out the living space first.

Turn the corner, and you’ll find a small pantry, which is home to the coffee machine, minibar, and welcome gifts from the hotel.

For my welcome amenity, I had been given a small platter of dark chocolate, almonds, and blueberries, with a placard noting how each ingredient contributes to my wellness, in addition to one bottle of “premium” water and two bottles of a cheaper variety. 

Then we continue to the living and dining area, which takes up such a generous amount of square footage. The dining table seats four, and is topped with a light fixture that embodies the mid-century modern style.

The living area consists of a three-person couch, together with two ottomans on the side, as well as a huge coffee table that dominates the space. Across from the furniture setup is the widescreen television.

Lying behind the suite’s electronically-controlled blinds are a series of stunning floor-to-ceiling windows, and with the blinds rolled up, the suite truly takes on the appearance of a swanky penthouse apartment. I stood at the edge of the room for quite some time, captivated by Perth’s quiet night views. 

Then I remembered that I still had a whole other half of the suite to explore. Heading back to the foyer, I noticed that there’s actually a half-bath here as well, which consists of a simple sink and toilet setup.

Then it’s over to the short hallway leading to the master bedroom. The walk-in closet and master bathroom are to the left, while the bedroom itself is to the right. 

Entering the master bedroom, I noticed that turndown service had already been completed for the night. Westin hotels are famous for their Heavenly beds, which supposedly channel the brand’s focus on health and wellness to deliver some of the highest-quality sleep you can get in any hotel.

Perhaps my crippling jet lag was a factor, but the Westin Heavenly bed certainly did provide me with some very deep rest over my three nights at the hotel. 

Rounding out the furniture in the bedroom were another wall-mounted television, a comfortable chair and ottoman in the corner, and a bench over by the bathroom “window”.

An indulgently spacious walk-in closet provides access to the master bathroom, which consists of one large room for showering and bathing, and a separate chamber at the end of the hallway for the toilet and a small sink.  

In the main part of the bathroom, the countertop featured double sinks, and both the bathtub and the shower were a generous size.

Water pressure on the shower was excellent as you can imagine, and it even came with one of my favourite shower features ever – a small bench to sit on as the water cascades over you!

The bathroom, bedroom, and indeed the overall suite were truly flawless, and I really couldn’t have any complaints at all. I was a huge fan of the mid-century modern style of furniture that the Westin had chosen, and in fact could totally see myself living in a dream apartment that looked exactly like this. 

The room looked even more stunning during the daytime, with the glorious Western Australian sunshine streaming in. Just look at those views!

As a solo traveller on this trip who didn’t happen to know anyone in Perth I could invite over, it was such a shame that this suite was “wasted” on me. I did my best to maximize my time in the suite, although I did (sadly) have to leave it every now and then to actually explore Perth! 

Since I had travelled here all the way from Accra, Ghana (with a brief day tour in Istanbul), my circadian rhythms were all over the place, and I was wide awake upon arriving in the middle of the night. I managed to nap fora few hours in my Heavenly bed, but still woke up awfully early at 6am, ready to check out the breakfast spread.

Westin Perth – Breakfast

I took one of my three breakfast vouchers and headed down to Garum, the modern Italian restaurant attached to the Westin Perth. Breakfast is served here every morning between 6am and 10am. 

This was one of the more interesting breakfast spreads I’ve encountered across my travels. Thanks to the Westin’s focus on helping its guests maintain a healthy lifestyle along their travels, many of the breakfast items were entirely new to me.

Moreover, Garum’s unique interior design, set in a historic exposed-brick building attached to the Westin, allowed the buffet spread to be presented in all sorts of interesting ways.

There was one small spread consisting of the usual hot breakfast items that we’re familiar with, like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and pancakes (or “Ricotta hotcakes”, as they were called).

Then, an entire separate wing of the restaurant was the domain of the “healthy” breakfast spread, where I was treated to delicacies such as silverbeet sultana & honey dressing, faro cauliflower salad, and tomato and ricotta tart. It felt like being in one of those fancy overpriced vegan restaurants, except I didn’t have to pay for anything, so I can’t say I minded too much.

Then there was the decadent dessert spread, which sought to undo any progress I might’ve made in choosing the healthy dishes. Cannoli, bomboloni, and torta della nonna were some of the fanciful options presented here. 

Staff in the restaurant were very friendly, and were on hand to bring you coffee or tea with your meal. You could also choose to enjoy your breakfast on Garum’s outdoor patio as well, which I did on my second morning at the hotel.

Overall, I was very impressed by the breakfast spread at the Garum restaurant – while many of the options were a departure from my usual expectations of a hotel breakfast, it’s nice to change things up every now and then!

Westin Perth – Executive Lounge

After heading out for the day to explore a bit of Perth, I retreated to the hotel’s Executive Lounge to grab some tea so that I could stay awake for a few more hours and get some work done (it was barely 3pm by this point!) 

The Executive Lounge is located on the hotel’s third floor. A dedicated front desk is available to welcome guests to the club lounge, although it’s not always staffed.

The lounge is a very good size, with ample seating space for about 40 to 50 people, and varying types of seating for large and small groups (although I never saw more than 15 or so guests at any given time, even during mealtimes when it’s the busiest).

The Executive Lounge is a great place to have a quick business meeting, take a phone call, or get some work done for a few hours.

The following morning, despite eating breakfast in the restaurant, I stopped by the lounge just to see what the breakfast spread was like here. As you can imagine, the selection is more limited here in the lounge, mostly consisting of the traditional hot and cold breakfast items and less of the fancy stuff from Garum downstairs.

There’s also an evening happy hour spread between 5pm and 7pm, which I visited for a quick dinner on one my nights at the hotel. There’s a rotating selection of two hot items, plus a variety of cold cuts and salad dishes. The staff is very eager to ask you if they can fix you an alcoholic beverage, and I enjoyed a glass of sangria as an early nightcap before heading upstairs and succumbing to the jet lag.

Westin Perth – Other Facilities

In addition to Garum and the Executive Lounge (if you have access), a third option is available at the Westin Perth for light dining and lounging: the Haven Bar, located adjacent to the hotel’s beautiful lobby. Coffee, drinks, and high tea are served here, and I got the sense that many local Perth residents chose to gather here during the day for its soothing ambience. 

The Haven Bar also has an outdoor section as well, where you can enjoy a drink on the patio and soak in the warm February sunshine. 

On my second day at the hotel, I went for a workout at the fitness centre on the hotel’s fifth floor. As you can imagine, state-of-the-art fitness equipment is a minimum expectation for a wellness-oriented hotel, and the Westin Perth did not disappoint, with several exercise machines, treadmills, and free weights available in a sizeable exercise facility.

After my workout, I scoped out the hotel’s pool as well, which doesn’t get much use in the mornings but fills up quickly in the afternoons, when it’s fully basked in sunlight. If I weren’t so stricken by jet lag during my time at the hotel, I certainly would’ve come down more often to enjoy some of the poolside vibes.

Regrettably, while I was staying at the hotel for three nights, my late-night arrival from Singapore and early-morning departure to Auckland meant that I only had two full days to savour the Westin and the city of Perth in general. Since I wouldn’t be able to enjoy breakfast at Garum on my final morning, I asked the Westin if they’d be willing to pack me a breakfast box instead, which they graciously agreed to deliver to my room at 4:30am before my departure.

Breakfast box in hand, I boarded an Uber back to Perth Airport in the wee hours of the morning, bringing my very enjoyable stay at the Westin Perth to an end.

Conclusion

Killer views from my stunning one-bedroom Westin Suite. An impressive breakfast spread at Garum and a well-appointed Executive Lounge. Highly polished service from the staff members throughout the hotel. What’s not to love? My stay at the Westin Perth greatly exceeded my expectations, giving me one of the most comfortable hotel stays in recent memory, and left me feeling excited to stay with Westin hotels again in the future. 

I’ll be back in Perth in November this year, but alas there’s a Ritz-Carlton that’s slated to open in October, and I’ll definitely be tempted to try it out. But on the off-chance that the Ritz doesn’t open on schedule, I’m making a beeline straight for the Westin to rekindle the fond memories from this awesome stay.