Hilton Vienna, Austria

In July 2016 I celebrated a milestone birthday and we decided to spend it in Austria. A wish of both, my fiancé and I, was for a longer time to stay at the Hilton Vienna, the largest hotel of the country.

We booked two separate nights, one after we arrived and the other before our departure from Vienna International Airport. This is a combined review of both stays.

The hotel is ideally located. We took the City Airport Train, short CAT, to Vienna Mitte train station from Vienna International Airport and the Hilton Vienna is just across the road. This remembered us about the Hilton Kuala Lumpur and their connection between the KLIA and the hotel incl. KLIA Express [KLIA Ekspres] and the Central Train Station [Sentral].

At first sight it was easier to find the side entrance than the main entrance.

Reception was on the immediate right, when entering via the main entrance. The Lobby Bar and Lounge is to the left and there is a sign, indicating the bar with an arrow with Gin Tonic and the other arrow the reception with check in.

The check in experiences were very different each time. The first was businesslike, the other warmer and more personal.

We had once paid cash and once with points. Each time we had chosen a King Cathedral View Room. During our first stay we weren’t upgraded. The second time we received a Corner Junior Suite with views over the city, the Stadtpark and the Steffel.

During our first stay a convention of Neonatologists took place, so the hotel was very busy, but the convention didn’t disrupt other guests.

On the ground floor was also S’Parks Restaurant, which won best “Genuss Austria” [which promotes regional products] restaurant in Austria for 2015/2016. We ate dinner there twice – a review will follow – and we can confirm that the award is well deserved.

We liked also the display cabinet with different awards, for example best traditional gugglhupf in 2012, a Hilton Vienna Teddy Bear and kid’s lunch boxes on offer.

The elevators were a bit hidden away and not too far from the public rest rooms.

Our room was located on the 6^th floor and had the desired views over the Stadtpark and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The furniture was made from blond wood and the overall color scheme was light brown and felt fresh and attractive.

As a gold member of the Hilton Honors loyalty program we received a personalized welcome letter from the hotel manager, Roemer Quelle still water from Austria and three pistachio macaroons. They were yummy. We appreciated that our preference for still water had been remembered.

The writing desk had a glass plate with little white dots printed on it and a stylish lamp.

There were also a wardrobe and credenza, a comfortable bed, a coffee table with magazines Wien Exklusiv and First Class Vienna.

The minibar was stocked with Vaihinger juices, Roemer Quelle, Evian, Manner wafers, Kitkat, Red bull, Coca Cola in glass bottles, Havanna Club, Beef Eater and much more.

The snacks were 3.50 Euro (ca. 3.85 USD), the non-alcoholic beverages ranged from 4.25 Euro to 5.75 Euro (ca. 4.65 USD to ca. 6.30 USD), beer was 5.50 Euro (ca. 6 USD) and all liquor 10 Euro (ca. 11 USD), while Champagne was 48 Euro (ca. 52.50 USD).

The flat screen TV had 86 channels, of which around a third were German speaking. The rest was international and included CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg.

On one of the German channels we saw Ali Guengoermues of the one Michelin-starred restaurant Le Canard Nouveau in a reality TV series, where he trains an ambitious young chef.

We had lunch at Le Canard Nouveau in Hamburg in April earlier in the year, so it was nice to remember our encounter with the chef, his cuisine and to see him on TV in “action”.

There were also a tea/coffee making facility with Tschibo coffee and Ronnefeldt tea.

The bathroom was small with a bathtub/shower combination, sink, toilet, marble top, wood, and tiles. Amenities were by Peter Thomas Roth. We liked also the mosaic in different shades of green.

Overall the atmosphere of the hotel and room let us relax and we felt well throughout.

As gold we received complimentary breakfast at S’Parks. The breakfast buffet was large and had everything one could want. On a personal note, I would have preferred, though, to have a few more vegetable choices. Otherwise I loved it. The quality was memorable and included an egg station, an Asian section, yogurt, fruits, smoked salmon, cold cuts, cheese, different types of bread and pastries. Tea and coffee was self-service.

Our Corner Junior Suite was large and open plan. The floor to ceiling windows offered stunning views.

The color scheme was different shades of brown and blond wood furniture and had a lot more storage space. There were three wardrobes and a credenza.

We also had a seating area for two, a coffee table and again Wien Exklusiv and Cercle Diplomatique – the leading magazine for the diplomatic corps, international organizations and the economy – and a flat screen TV.

As a welcome gift as golds we received three chocolate macaroons and still water. My birthday had been five days earlier. I was pleasantly surprised, when a personalized birthday card, two vouchers for sparkling wine at S’Parks and a coffee flavored cake were waiting for us. A wonderful/personal touch which we both appreciated very much. Our thanks to the Hilton Vienna.

The bathroom had the same size as the one we had during our first stay. The Peter Thomas Roth amenities included the massage bar, which is rare and we like, it seems this particular soap bar is available at suites only at the Hilton Vienna.

In both rooms were artwork of Viennese landmarks.

With the upgrade to the Corner Junior Suite came Executive club lounge access.

The lounge on the 12^th floor was divided into three rooms. Some gave views over the Stadtpark, others over the neighboring buildings.

When we arrived during Happy Hour wine, beer, vodka, sparkling wine and gin were served as well as alcohol free beverages. Appetizers included ham salad, curly fries, hamburgers and dessert Panna Cotta.

Breakfast was a choice between S’Parks and the club lounge. We chose the club lounge, because we thought it would be quieter there and we’d already tried the breakfast at S’parks during our first stay a few days earlier and decided it would be good to compare both offerings.

The breakfast was smaller of course, but included all essentials and had to my happiness more vegetables on offer, overall we felt well catered for and received throughout memorable service in a memorable and beautiful hotel in the heart of Vienna.

Would we stay here again? Yes, definitely. The staff is very friendly and efficient, the location, club lounge and restaurant are excellent. We enjoyed the comfort of our room/Junior Suite and the recognition as gold members was wonderful too. Good to know: the hotel through the concierge offers also reasonable priced luxury limousine airport transfers from/to the hotel.

 

 

©2017