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Police and security forces, however, thwarted Alain's first attempt. Police arrested a decoy climber posing as Alain who got stuck at the twelfth floor, and Alain himself was pulled off the building by security guards.
That was only a minor setback, however. Alain, 34, waited for the commotion to die down and on Wednesday, June 3 made a break for it. He scaled the building in 15 minutes flat, adding the Marriott to his list of more than 30 climbing accomplishments.
"He didn't want to leave Poland without achieving his goal," said Andrzej Klodnicki, marketing manager at Alpinus, the company that sponsored Alain's climb in Poland.
The Marriott is only one of a long string of accomplishments for "Spiderman." In his 19-year career, Alain has conquered the tallest building in the world, the Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur as well as the Empire State Building in New York, Center Point in Sydney and others.
"He is very consistent in what he does," Klodnicki said.
Klodnicki said that Alain received several thousand dollars for his Warsaw climb, although he refused to disclose the exact amount.
Alain was detained by police upon reaching the top of the Marriott building. Authorities let him go three hours later, but only after they had given him a strong lecture on the dangers of climbing skyscrapers with no equipment or safety net. Alain uses only climbing shoes, talcum power and magnesium to maintain his grip on the buildings he climbs, with no other equipment whatsoever.
Authorities had to let the Frenchman go, however, because there is no "law saying it is forbidden to use the outside of the building," said Dariusz Janas, a police spokesman.
"It would be pointless to stretch the law so the case would fit it," he said.
While Alpinus sponsored the climb, Klodnicki would not say if the company could be held responsible if Alain injured or killed himself by falling off the building. He also would not say whether Alain would still get his money if he failed to scale the skyscraper.
Overall, however, he said the company was thrilled that Alain succeeded in his first Polish climb.
"What he (Robert) did was a really good advertisement for our company," Klodnicki said. "Even despite the negative critics."
The affair, however, did not exactly please Marriott officials.
"This climber was just risking his life," said Piotr Czarnowski, president of First Public Relations, which handles public relations for the Marriott. "And if something happened we would feel morally responsible for that."
The Marriott does not plan to file any charges against Robert or Alpinus. "Any potential physical damage could happen only to the climber, not the hotel," Czarnowski said.
While Alain made the Marriott his target in Poland, the reknown climber did not stay at the luxurious hotel. "And it's a shame," Czarnowski said. "Because if he did, he could get a room at the top and would have a really good view without this whole climbing."
That was only a minor setback, however. Alain, 34, waited for the commotion to die down and on Wednesday, June 3 made a break for it. He scaled the building in 15 minutes flat, adding the Marriott to his list of more than 30 climbing accomplishments.
"He didn't want to leave Poland without achieving his goal," said Andrzej Klodnicki, marketing manager at Alpinus, the company that sponsored Alain's climb in Poland.
The Marriott is only one of a long string of accomplishments for "Spiderman." In his 19-year career, Alain has conquered the tallest building in the world, the Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur as well as the Empire State Building in New York, Center Point in Sydney and others.
"He is very consistent in what he does," Klodnicki said.
Klodnicki said that Alain received several thousand dollars for his Warsaw climb, although he refused to disclose the exact amount.
Alain was detained by police upon reaching the top of the Marriott building. Authorities let him go three hours later, but only after they had given him a strong lecture on the dangers of climbing skyscrapers with no equipment or safety net. Alain uses only climbing shoes, talcum power and magnesium to maintain his grip on the buildings he climbs, with no other equipment whatsoever.
Authorities had to let the Frenchman go, however, because there is no "law saying it is forbidden to use the outside of the building," said Dariusz Janas, a police spokesman.
"It would be pointless to stretch the law so the case would fit it," he said.
While Alpinus sponsored the climb, Klodnicki would not say if the company could be held responsible if Alain injured or killed himself by falling off the building. He also would not say whether Alain would still get his money if he failed to scale the skyscraper.
Overall, however, he said the company was thrilled that Alain succeeded in his first Polish climb.
"What he (Robert) did was a really good advertisement for our company," Klodnicki said. "Even despite the negative critics."
The affair, however, did not exactly please Marriott officials.
"This climber was just risking his life," said Piotr Czarnowski, president of First Public Relations, which handles public relations for the Marriott. "And if something happened we would feel morally responsible for that."
The Marriott does not plan to file any charges against Robert or Alpinus. "Any potential physical damage could happen only to the climber, not the hotel," Czarnowski said.
While Alain made the Marriott his target in Poland, the reknown climber did not stay at the luxurious hotel. "And it's a shame," Czarnowski said. "Because if he did, he could get a room at the top and would have a really good view without this whole climbing."
