RTWSTARALLIANCE

Sorry about that. Thank you. We will be there this month. I will e-mail the concierge or try the shop listed in the thread. Definitely will not pack the tux.

We will try the tea as my wife loves that stuff. I have a Mobal phone but like to get a local SIM because the rates are lower. Have another phone for Japan. Thanks. Appreciate.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Preface: On holiday for our anniversary.

Status: Platinum.

Rate: Combination of current promotion and cash & points awards.

Transportation: We took a cab from VIE. I wanted to spare my wife the train in after our long flights. About 34 euros.

Parking: n/a

Check-in: I contacted the Hotel before our arrival and received a quick response. Upgraded immediately. Knew before we left the US that had again been improved upon. Efficient check-in. Had to wait while room was prep. Took points as amenity.

Our confirmation said we had butler service. Asked about it at check-in and was told firmly- if we had it the butler would be here. Took our printed confirmation down and told we had it. Then just spoke to front desk and told if you are on a upgrade the butler is not a service in suites. But then he coded our reservation for butler service. According to front desk there is no particular morning service by having a butler aka tea, coffee or juice. Just an afternoon item. The butler is gone for the day so maybe we will see him tomorrow.

Perks: As noted above. Upgraded to Elisabeth Suite.

Lounge: None here.

Room: We do have a suite. Our phones do not work and the a/c is out of control. Can not be shut off. We have three areas for lack of a better word. The entry has a bathroom with tub and shower absent a toilet. The toilet is in a hall bathroom. This area has a closet.

The middle portion contains a desk, with flat panel tv, coffee table and side chairs.

Our bedroom has a king bed with flat panel tv. At least three chandeliers. We do have street noise. The suite is nice but not over the top. Ok. We are slightly impressed.

Bathroom: Separate tub and shower. Double basin sink. Bvgari amenities all around. Count that as a double set. At evening turndown everything was replenished.

Internet: Wired in room but 30 plus euros for 24 hours. The business center has terminals and hsia lines for your laptop comp.. A good deal.

Gym: Have not been.

Spa: Not been.

Eating venues: Have not tried but will do tea here and most likely at Sacher.

Local markets: We have not found a small store yet. Received two bottles of water and chocolates with turndown. Also received a bottle of champagne from GM. Nice touches.

Local area: Close to everything.

Negatives: None.

Closing: A great value based upon the current promotion. Never dreamed of staying here.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

We are having a nice time in VIE. We bought two day passes for the hop on hop off bus today for 46 euros total. Less with the VIE card. This was a nice way to see everything and tomorrow we will do some palaces.

The butler appeared today at noon. We did receive chocolate covered strawberries this afternoon. But the service is nothing like say the St. Regis Rome. No morning service.

This evening we found a very reasonable and good Japanese restaurant behind the Galleries or Hotel Wien. Called Neko. That had lots of their roll specials at up to 50%. We had sushi, futomaki, yakitori, my wife had miso soup and tea along with a Fanta for me. Less than 23 euros all in. A nice place.

SanDiego1K

I'm trying to understand the butler service. Which rooms are entitled to it? The way you describe it, all the butler does is bring you a small food treat but nothing more. Is that all it is?

bizaro86

I had booked the regular room on a recent mistake rate, and received a small treat each day from the Butler, so I would expect suites where butler service is included would get additional service. However, it may be on a as-requested basis.

Michael

RTWSTARALLIANCE

To be specific. Butler service is not given on upgrades at least per front desk. We asked the "butler" about the services directly and it seems to mostly just include packing. When we talked about Rome and the St. Regis we just kinda got a chuckle. I take it he has heard that before. You can have other items but they are charged. Yesteday we did get chocolate covered strawberries but today nothing. But we are now into our cash and points night so suspect this reservation is not coded for butler service. Each day our fruit has been replaced. Did receive a copy of the IHT this morning. You can get a copy of the WSJ and additional bottled water from the business center. If the water is gone check the cabinet.

I do feel that if you are in a suite which is supposed to have butler service it should be offered. Not that is cost the hotel much. I would much much prefer a room on a higher floor. We are sensitive about noise and every night I awoke to street noise.

SanDiego1k. If you plan to be here for an extended period bring an extra suitcase to check. Those amenities add up and especially when you are already packing items from LH F. New Bogner amenity kits this trip over. Off to FRA tomorrow and a hotel with a Lounge. Regards

LH738

The butlers/butler service in the Imperial are very famous and offer services (if you have booked a suite) like
- help to pack/unpack the luggage
- serve tea/coffee in the morning and an "IRONED" newspaper
It is also said that they assist during shopping, e.g. to collect the bags (maybe more for celebs).

Nevsky

Has anyone eaten at the Imperial Restaurant? What is it like? How dressy is it? Will be staying there later this summer with the Free Weekends and with points for the second night.

TanteKaethe

Food and service is excellent in the Imperial restaurant. I have eaten there several times now during the last 2 years. The restaurant has a special "old traditional" atmosphere. There are other restaurants in Vienna with superior food like Plachutta (Tafelspitz!), Steirereck though. Some of them have even lunch specials.
If you want to collect some additional starpoints and eat in an excellent restaurant, you can't do wrong with the Imperial restaurant. If collecting starpoints is only secondary, then there are better choices.
I'm not aware of a special dress code - there is no need to wear e.g. a tie (on the other hand you should also not wear short trousers or a badly wrinkled shirt).

HansHuckebein

Does anybody know which instant awards the hotel offers? Do they have breakfast and/or a dinner on the list?

bizaro86

The hotel has numerous instant awards, and as I recall they were excellent value, based on the list price of the things offered. Included were a couple of meal options (Breakfast, and a few dinner choices) as well as hotel items (logo bathrobe). The one that I took, which was a great value, was the imperial torte. I looked up the debit in my spg account, and I spent 3000 points for two of the tortes. I believe they were 45 euro each, or 3 euro cents per point, which is a good value in my opinion. The torte is, incidentally, worth every penny of that 45 euro, and should not be missed. We brought those back home with us, and our family/friends insisted on getting the website address where they can be ordered.

Michael

PS: I looked it up, the address is below, and they're 47 euros.

https://www.imperialtorte.at/en/shop/

Condition One

Does anybody remember how much breakfast at the hotel is? Or if there are any good breakfast places nearby? As I normally go running in the mornings, I'm looking for something a bit more substantial than a cup of coffee and a pastry.

LH738

IIRC, breakfast is 35-40EUR per person - but in a nice setting.

There are several options for a richer breakfast in the area around the Opera, e.g. http://www.aida.at (Opernring 7).
Somewhat further away is Meinl http://www.meinlamgraben.at/

Condition One

I checked into the Hotel Imperial, and was upgraded to a nice Junior Suite with high ceilings. I believe it’s similar to the one(s) described elsewhere in this thread. It’s a bit L-shaped, with a chandelier in the bedroom and bathroom. I inquired about an Elisabeth Suite, but was told that I could have it my first night only, as they were booked for the subsequent nights of my stay. That’s not what I saw online, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe that the receptionist was lying to me (she was very nice). In the end, I was happy with my room, so no harm, no foul.

The gym is a bit of a joke. It’s extremely small, and seems to be put there as an afterthought. As a matter of fact, I think it was (during the renovation a few years ago). There’s only one treadmill, a bike, and one or two of those multi-weight machines, along with a set of free weights. I just went running outside instead, which afforded some great sightseeing opportunities.

There is a business center open 24/7, with free wired internet. There are bottles of still water that you can take as well. Breakfast in the Imperial Café seems pretty decent. Not being able to afford a daily 39 Euro breakfast buffet, I was glad to see they had a menu with very reasonable prices. The first morning, I wasn’t very hungry so I ordered two scrambled eggs with sausages for 8 Euros. What I received was about 3 eggs, with 6 small sausages. Other items on the menu were similar in price. The a la carte menu is probably the best deal I’ve ever encountered in a hotel!

Oh yeah, the room key is electronic, which is attached to a heavy mini-baton. It’s almost like carrying a roll of quarters in your pocket. I didn’t figure out until the second day that you can drop it off at the reception desk and pick it up on your way back. All in all, a very nice stay so far. About 2 blocks from the Hotel Bristol and the Metro stop.

Here’s a list of Instant Awards:

Ironing service – 1500
Imperial Butler Service – 10,500
Imperial Bath Services – 4,500
Champagne Breakfast for 2 – 4,500
Traditional Viennese Lunch – 3,000 (3 course menu, 1 glass Austrian wine)
Coffee and Cake for 2 – 3000
Cocktail of your choice for 2 – 1,500

Pre-Opera or Pre-Concert Snack at the Bar – 3,000 (2 glasses champagne, 8 select canapes) & 10,500 (1 bottle Laurent-Perrier, 16 select canapés)

Gold Soiree at Restaurant Imperial – 7,500 (4 course menu, 1 glass champagne, wines as recommended by our sommelier, mineral water, coffee.

Dinner served on golden Augarten porcelain and golden cutlery.
Champagner Brunch in the Festive Halls – 4,500 (Buffet of International and Austrian specialities, 1 glass of champagne, 1 glass of Austrian wine, mineral water, coffee, and live music on Sundays) Note: The hotel doesn’t offer a brunch in the summer.

Umbrella – 1,500
Hotel Imperial Book – 1,500
Hotel Imperial Ashtray – 1,500
Bathrobe – 10,500
Bulgari Bath Amenities – 3,000
CDs – 1,500 (single) 3,000 (double)
Cuvee Imperial Kracher (bottle of dessert wine) – 3,000
Imperial Torte – 1,500 (Queen size, 9 portions) 3,000 (King size, 16 portions)

SanDiego1K

I will be arriving in Vienna by train from Budapest. What is the best way to get to the hotel? Taxi? Public transport?

Is the Tourist card at 18.5 euros a good value?

Does the hop on hop off sightseeing bus pick up in front of the hotel?