 OUR FAVOURITE PALACE HOTELS: (Updated 14/11/2008) IMPERIAL
(*****L): One of the world most famous and
luxurious palace hotel. Just Accommodations include 76 spacious and elegant guestrooms, and 62 amazingly luxurious suites. All equipped with satellite TV, IDD telephone, minibar, individually controlled air-conditioning, and beautiful bathrooms with heated floor. 4th - 6th floor rooms and suites have been carefully restored between January and May 2000. This 10 billion US$ refurbishment includes a face-lift of the facade, the addition of three maisonettes on the 5th floor offering a grandiose view on the Belvedere and Karlskirche. Rooms are still displaying those precious antiques capturing the spirit of 19th century Vienna. They come more comfortable than ever with up to date amenities. Fitness and sauna facilities have been installed on the 6th floor. Guests can also use the nearby "John Harris" health club: one of the best equipped in Vienna. All major attractions and business are a short walk from this strategically located hotel. We like very much the Cafe Imperial, which is a fine way to enjoy the great atmosphere and service of the hotel when you can't afford it. A lot of Viennese people made it their five o'clock meeting place, and the ambience at that time is very "gemütlich". This is where you can touch the deliciously old fashioned Austrian way of life. Later in the evening, music enthusiasts come for a snack or a slice of the tasty though hyper caloric famous Imperial Torte. The hotel makes an industry out of it, and can export it anywhere in the world by express mail! The Restaurant Imperial offers award-winning traditional Austrian specialities together with a very creative and light international cuisine, served in an ambience of understated elegance and typical Viennese charm. The cosy Maria Theresia Piano Bar is one of the most relaxed places in the hotel. Rates are
upper scale, but still quite affordable for such an exceptional hotel.
A double room is about EURO 510 - 625. Suites start from EURO 880 (Imperial
Junior Suite in the low season), rising up to EURO 4,365 (Royal Suite,
high season). The lovely Maisonette Suites are in the EURO 1,600 - 2,110
range; one of the best value in the hotel. Complimentary chauffeured limousine
transfer from airport or railway station for certain room categories. Suites
and Imperial Rooms confirmed at full rate include complimentary personal
English Butler Service.
The IMPERIAL is managed by STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE and is part of THE LUXURY COLLECTION. SEE OUR SPECIAL REPORT ABOUT THE IMPERIAL IMPERIAL:
Kärntner Ring 16, A-1015 Vienna
BRISTOL
(*****L): The new Millennium starts elegantly,
with a rejuvenated BRISTOL. Since early 1999, more than 100 rooms
and suites have been given a new The first floor boasts the largest suite in Austria: the "Prince of Wales Suite". Fitted for royalties, it covers a total of 360 m2: including a library, a dining room, a cigar lounge, three bed rooms and bathrooms, as well as a private sauna and fitness room. In the living room, an antique desk displays inkpot and pen made out of fine crystal and gold! Called "basic suite" on the hotel press kit, the same "Prince of Wales Suite" can be used more "simply" with only one bedroom (still generously covering at least 230 m2...). One will easily understand why Woody Allen, Brigitte Bardot, Bill Cosby, Tony Curtis, Paul McCartney, Roman Polanski, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or the Rockefeller family are part of the BRISTOL faithful guests. Note that the other suites are also pure marvels. The new penthouse suites, for instance, are fascinating. Corporate guests will like them quite a lot, as they are close to the business centre installed under the roof. How to make sure you book one of the very best suite? Nothing more simple: the most exclusive accommodations are named after the BRISTOL most important guests: there is of course the already mentioned "Prince of Wales", but also the "Giacomo Puccini", "Enrico Caruso", "Arturo Toscanini", "Sergei Rachmaninov", "August Sirk" and "Yehudi Menuhin" suites. The other fine rooms are bearing the names of the managers of the Viennese Opera House, on which they offer a splendid view. The BRISTOL takes part of its fame from its restaurant Korso. Awarded three Gault-Millau "toques" (just like world famous French chef Paul Bocuse), chef Reinhard Gerer made it ranked on the very top of the most acclaimed gourmet temples in Austria; and even in the rest of Central Europe. Rates go parallel with the quality of this extraordinary palace hotel: starting from about EURO 345 for a Classic Room (low season), till EURO 1,980 for a Penthouse Suite (high season). The Prince of Wales Suite costs EURO 3,430 - 3,970, depending on the season. The BRISTOL (a WESTIN HOTEL) is managed by STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE, and is part of THE LUXURY COLLECTION. Rated as the best business hotel in town. BRISTOL:
Kärntner Ring 1, 1015 Vienna
GRAND
HOTEL WIEN (*****L): Built
on the "Ring" in the 1860s, according With bathroom and telephone in each room, equipped with the first steam elevator in Austria, the Grand Hotel was seen in 1870 as the summit in term of inventive comfort. Royals from all over Europe chose it as their Viennese headquarter. This is where, in 1894, Johann Strauss was celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as an artist. Colleagues like Enrico Caruso or Johannes Brahms used to be regular hotel guests. Turned into an office building in the 1950s, the Grand Hotel got its resurrection in 1989: under the auspices of Japan’s largest air carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). This is now the property of a family from the Middle East. While the historical facade of the palace was retained, the interior was completely redesigned: with a generous use of exquisite fabrics and rare antiques. Which now makes the GRAND HOTEL WIEN Vienna's newest 5 star deluxe hotel. One of the best choices for a stay would be a Deluxe Suite . Furnished mainly in soft beige tones, they display ultimate comfort. An open fireplace in the living room and a whirlpool in the bathroom offer high class relaxation. A fully equipped kitchen, a separate wardrobe and a guest toilet are also at the guest's convenience. The adjacent Exclusive Room may be connected to the Deluxe Suite. Luciano Pavarotti always requires that kind of accommodation when staying in his Vienna's favourite hotel. From the Superior Room till the fitted for an emperor 220 sq.m Presidential Suite, each of the 205 rooms of the GRAND HOTEL WIEN comes with minibar, coffee & tea making facilities, satellite TV, radio, electronic safe, trouser press, hair dryer, individually controlled air conditioning and state-of-the-art Inncom IDD telephone and room control unit. Those rooms are the home away from home for the jet society: Faye Dunaway, Riccardo Muti, Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, Placido Domingo, Jessye Norman, Martin Scorsese, Jerry Hall, Claudia Schiffer, H.R.H. Prince Takamado of Japan, HRH Karim Aga Khan or the Dalai Lama replaced the late Prince of Wales, Pasha of Egypt and other legends of the past in one of the thickest golden book in Vienna. The GRAND HOTEL WIEN recently opened its new fitness center. Located on the 6th floor of the hotel, displaying the latest training tools, it is world class indeed: with every machine equipped with a television, video and headphones to ensure that keeping fit never gets boring! Access to the fitness center is free of charge for all hotel guests. The GRAND
HOTEL WIEN also features the gourmet restaurant Le Ciel. Offering a combination
of French and Viennese cuisine, with a splendid view over Vienna, its has
been recently awarded two Gault Millau toques. On summer time the
place is even more romantic, with a service on a roof top terrace.
GRAND
HOTEL WIEN: Kärnter Ring 9, 1-1010 Vienna
RADISSON
SAS PALAIS HOTEL VIENNA (*****): Spreading
its ritzy comfort Located on the aristocratic "Ring", the Viennese "Champs Elysées", the RADISSON SAS PALAIS HOTEL VIENNA stands one stone's throw from the Vienna State Opera, Museum of Art History, Imperial Palace, Burgtheater, Town Hall, University, and St. Stephen's Cathedral. This is a strategic location: both for tourists and businessmen. Top VIPs guests, featuring Mihaï Gorbachov, Ornella Muti, Lionel Richie, Silvio Berlusconi, the Supertramp, Placido Domingo or Michael Jackson, enjoyed the 247 exquisitely furnished rooms and suites, in which the style of the original palaces has been safely kept: in close co-operation with the experts from the Department for the Preservation of Historical Monuments! Some with a view both of the "Ring" and the Stadtparkof. Due to the discerning comfort of its 43 suites and Maisonette Suites, it is quite logical that after only six year operation this splendid palace on the "Ring" has already got one of the most impressive guest book in town. A same fin de siècle atmosphere is also available in the hotel's public areas. In the "Beletage", for instance. Accessible by a palatial staircase, this meeting and reception floor is constituted by 17 salons. Renovated in the original style, with parquet floors, elaborate wooden doors with their original fittings and relief, they are one of the most prestigious venue for high profile meetings and parties. The banqueting team's proficiency matches the quality of the place, also reputed for its F&B facilities. The restaurant "Le Siècle", has been the first palace hotel restaurant to launch fish specialities in Vienna. Of course there is a typical salon-de-thé: the "Palais Café": already ranked among the best along the "Ring". The RADISSON SAS PALAIS HOTEL VIENNA is also housing a brand new fitness center, looking out over Vienna's rooftops. Its sauna, solarium and fitness machines, supervised by John Harris, are available to all hotel guests. Part of
the RADISSON SAS group of
hotels.
RADISSON
SAS PALAIS HOTEL VIENNA: Parkring 16, A-1010 Vienna
A charming and top comfortable apartments-hotel: APPARTEMENTS
ROTHENSTEINER (****): We have been impressed
by this traditional Viennese Each apartment
has its own bathroom, WC, a fully equipped kitchen, safe, IDD telephone,
and Sat-TV including English and Arab speaking channels. Tourists and businessmen
will like the generous volume of the Studio Apartments. Ideal for families,
the Family Apartments can host up to 6 person, and feature living room
and separate sleeping rooms. Rates,
( including taxes and a generous buffet breakfast), are good value for
money: a Single
Studio Apartment starts from EURO 62. A Double
Studio Apartment from EURO 47 (person/day). A Family
Apartment from EURO 40 (person/day). Special full service arrangements
for long-term stays of one month and more. Pick up service included on
stays exceeding one week.
Situated within easy reach of the shopping centers at Maria Hilfer Strasse and the sights of the Wiener Ringstrasse like Parliament, Rathaus and the Imperial Ringstrassen Museums, the APPARTEMENTS ROTHENSTEINER constitute an ideal place to discover Vienna and to deal at ease with either tourism or business. Public transports like bus and underground are also located nearby. APPARTEMENTS
ROTHENSTEINER: 1070 Wien , Neustiftgasse 66
|
peep
into the lobby, and you feel like a guest of the Habsburg: a painting representing
Franz Josef stands over the monumental stair. Concierge staff, wearing
long tail jackets, makes the place even more solemn. Impressive, even for
a clientele used to stay in the leading five star deluxe hotels, the IMPERIAL
is an original Württemberg Palace, inaugurated in 1873 and patroned
by Emperor Franz Josef I. The building's architectural detail exemplifies
the typical style of the "Ring". Once the only hotel raised to the
status of " Imperial & Royal" (K & K), it has always been
the home away from home for royalties and statesman: from Otto Von Bismarck
till Queen Elizabeth II. This is also a favourite for artists: featuring
Thomas Mann, Richard Wagner, Sarah Bernard, Alfred Hitchcock, Herbert von
Karajan, Luciano Pavarotti, Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Rubinstein. For
the US and Russian presidents, this is somehow the local annex of the White
House or the Kremlin. Therefore not only one of the best hotels in the
world; but also one of the safest!
design
and interior: bestowing new splendour to one of Vienna's oldest and most
prestigious palace hotel. Challenging more than ever its partner hotel
to
the plans of Karl Tietz, this is much more than an hotel: a monument! The
Habsburg, Strauss, knights and baroness are still haunted the walls of
the recently refurbished GRAND HOTEL WIEN. Just step into the lobby -may
be the most palatial in town; certainly the most impressive- and you will
wonder if you didn't simply lost your way into the nearby Vienna State
Opera! Though the opera looks somehow more modest by space and luxury than
this leading five star hotel...
over
two faithfully restored palaces, former property of the illustrious Leitenberger
and Henckel von Donnersmarck families, this leading Viennese top luxurious
hotel survives successfully the "gemütlich" atmosphere of the
Empire.
property,
