In Krakow, JW Marriott transforms a 1922 bank into a luxury hotel

There are construction sites where the opening date is announced before the first shovel hits the ground. This one is doing the opposite. On Wielopole Street in Krakow, the monumental former headquarters of the PKO bank is being transformed into a JW Marriott, and the investor refuses to commit to a schedule. “It takes time,” summarises the project management. In a sector that lives by opening dates, this admission is worth noting.

From a financial bastion to a luxury hotel

The building is no ordinary office block. Built between 1922 and 1924 to the designs of Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, one of interwar Poland’s major architects, it features a monumental colonnade that makes it a landmark in the centre of Krakow. Adaptation work began in late September 2025.

Before the main structural work, a preservation phase was systematically carried out. Conservation teams catalogued and protected the original decorative elements: moving parts were sent to secure warehouses, while fixed structures, period wood panelling, and monumental fireplaces were wrapped in custom-made casing. Adapting an early 20th-century administrative building to five-star standards then requires major interventions: new partitions, excavation of lift shafts, and entirely rebuilt technical networks.

The dome, the parquet floors and the eagle

The signature of the future hotel lies in its ceremonial spaces. The financial banking hall, topped by its dome, will become the heart of the establishment, under a restored skylight. The original parquet floors are undergoing specific treatment, and the former executive office, a remarkable piece of fine woodwork, will be preserved.

The most symbolic gesture concerns the exterior. The Polish eagle, a sculpture destroyed during the Second World War, will be reinstalled on the monumental facade. The building’s shell will be cleaned to restore its original brightness, and the surrounding area landscaped.

What the hotel will offer

The address will feature around 120 rooms and suites. The spaces of the former offices lend themselves to extraordinary suites, with high ceilings and views of the historic centre. The most appealing detail is found in the basement: the spa and its indoor pool will occupy the former vaults. A fine-dining restaurant, whose concept is yet to be revealed, and a permanent exhibition dedicated to the building’s history complete the programme.

A Krakow market in full transition

This operation is not happening in a vacuum. In the summer of 2026, Pekao bank prepared the sale of its own historic city-centre building, while other projects conversely plan to convert existing five-star hotels into apartments. Krakow is deciding, asset by asset, between luxury hospitality and high-end residential. In July 2026, the road layout on nearby Dietla Street was also reconfigured to prepare access to the future establishment.

Our take: the lack of a date is the real news

Heritage conversion has become a reflex in luxury hospitality, and for good reason: a listed building tells a story that no new build can replicate. Restoring a dome and reinstalling a long-lost eagle reflects a sensitivity that international guests appreciate, and Krakow is better suited to this than most European cities.

But the most instructive part remains the refusal to announce a date. In a sector where the opening date is a marketing tool, doing without it is tantamount to admitting that the construction site dictates the pace, not the marketing calendar. This is rather a good sign for the quality of the restoration. It also means we will have to be patient, and be wary of any deadlines circulating that do not come directly from the investor.