worldtrav

Probably too late to answer you now but yes, the Bristol has sparkling white wine on the breakfast buffet, Schramsberg I think it is. Over at the Imperial you have the choice of the sparkling wine or Laurent Perrier champagne.

TennisNoob

I was running remote desktop and didn't have much complaints about the internet. I do a speed test the first thing I enter any hotel. Didn't see any issue with the high speed internet option.

**No I didn't get free breakfast. I was suggesting that Breakfast was a much better options than 500 points or whatever the welcome gift is.

Splittin' Aces

We stayed here last week. Internet was fine for emails, etc. I think my daughters pulled up netflix and watched some videos too without issues. I'm plat so can't comment on gold benefits here, but the staff was super. No suite upgrade but one of our two rooms was upgraded to deluxe which was very large. We stayed three nights and really, really enjoyed the hotel.

habshabs444

I enjoyed a 3 night stay here a couple of weeks ago as I was in town for a wedding. Upon check-in, I was upgraded to a penthouse junior suite which had a small balcony facing north towards St Stephan Cathedral. I'm not sure I would have defined the room as a junior suite, however, it was rather sizeable and decorated in the older non-renovated style. One rather odd feature was that the toilet was on the opposite end of the room from the shower/bathtub. Another interesting feature was the old school keys that were attached to a long metal cylinder which you would drop off and pick up at the front desk each time you leave the hotel.

The clerks working the main desk were always friendly and helpful remembering me each time I would come and go. Although I selected the breakfast as my platinum amenity, I only had the breakfast one of the three days which covered the full buffet and was plentiful with made to order eggs/omelettes.

The concierge also proved to be extremely helpful. I was looking forward to returning to Vienna's famous schnitzel restaurant - Figlmuller, however I had heard from someone else at a wedding get together the night before that the main one was closed for renovations and the other smaller restaurant was taking reservations 2 weeks plus in advance. I enquired with the concierge who called and easily got us a reservation for 30 mins later for lunch on the Saturday. While enjoying our lunch, we saw group after group being turned away as they were completely booked/full.

Location of this hotel is as good as it gets being directly across from the Opera House and walking distance to all the touristy sites. There is a subway stop outside the front door. I will note that the Vienna subway system is extremely user friendly and convenient.

Prices at this hotel can be very pricey, however I was able to book cash+points which made things much more affordable. Transportation to and from the airport was booked through Totaltaxi which for 29 euros each way in an E-Class Benz was a steal.

For someone visiting Vienna for the first time, I would definitely recommend this hotel, however at 350 Euros for a base room in the middle of summer it definitely isn't cheap.

yvr76

Had a 2 night stay here this week. Hotel was fully booked, so no upgrade. I had requested an early check-in (not through Your24 since I had SNAs pending). Got there are 10am and they initial said that our room was occupied by another Platinum member who had a 4pm check-out. Left them our number. They called an hour later and said turned around room for us. ^

Service was impeccable throughout and breakfast was fantastic. We also had dinner at the Bristol Lounge and food was good.

I've now stayed at all three properties in Vienna (Imperial, Bristol and Meriden) and would recommend any of them. Although I think on my next trip we'll do either the Imperial or Meridien.

Internet was slow and unreliable throughout the whole stay. Mrs. YVR and I resorted to tethering our phones. I mentioned to this on checkout and they said they are aware and upgrading their internet later this month.

on a side note - I'm getting pretty fed up with hotels that charge $10 - $20/day for HSIA and are not able to offer a 5Mbps symmetrical connection. SPG should establish some minimum requirements across their brands.

TennisNoob

Did you select HSIA? Because if not I think that explains your slow internet.
Plat should have the HSIA free.

jdrtravel

Any recent experience at this property? We are staying 5 nights in August on points. We've booked a standard room and requested SNA's. Really looking forward to our first time in Vienna.

SkiAdcock

I don't have recent experience w/ the Bristol beyond what's already been posted (last stay there was a while ago), but I went to school in Vienna & have been back several times. I frequently get asked (in the Marriott forum) about things to do/places to eat/transportation in VIE so I created a word doc re: all of that rather than retype it every time I'm asked. If you'd like a copy, PM me w/ an email address & I'll send it to you. Enjoy your trip!

Cheers.

TennisNoob

I'd say one of the best SPG properties in Europe in terms of service. They truly will take care of you without an doubt.

Lobby is an bit small compared to the Imperial but nothing else is inferior.

Conveniently located in the Ring, Concierge and staff is very helpful.

Non-NonRev

+1

Bristol has ideal location directly on the Ring. The Staatsoper is next door, and the Karlsplatz U-Bahn station is a short 2 block walk.

The rooms are a pleasant mix of classic and some modern elements. I find the Imperial far too over the top as far as its rococo decor, while the Bristol strikes me as "just right".

As noted, the concierge staff is well connected and should be able to get you whatever you need. They are kind, not stuffy at all.

jdrtravel

Great to hear all the good stuff. We booked a basic room and requested SNA's. If they don't clear and we don't get upgraded, will we still be happy with the basic room?

MSPeconomist

When this happened to me, the hotel went out of its way to give me the best possible basic room. It was small but recently renovated in a way that combined some of the hotel's classic elements with trendy contemporary stuff. The view was of a pedestrian area behind the hotel--i.e., on the opposite side from the Ring and unfortunately not overlooking the opera house either. IIRC there was also a bottle of wine as an apology.

jdrtravel

Thanks. Was the room still nice? I understand that it will be on the smaller side, but did it still feel like a Luxury Collection hotel?

Also, were you trying to use SNA's or hoping for a platinum upgrade at check in?

MSPeconomist

IIRC I had tried to use SNAs, although I never check junior suite room categories for them. It must have been a stay of about three nights and the hotel was fully booked.

I had a choice of an unremovated room in their traditional style, individually decorated with antique furniture and lots of floral fabrics but I picked the renovated room which was very modern in the historic building. I recall a entryway, a nice but small bathroom, and a king bedded room that had a round table near the window with comfortable chairs, but I wouldn't describe it as a separate sitting area. It was interesting and perfectly fine for one person, but I think it could have felt crowded with two. It had the typical LC amenities: nice bathrobes and slippers, lots of decent toiletries, turn down service, but don't expect the Bristol to be one of the more luxurious LCs. The location is great, even better than the Imperial, but it's almost always cheaper than the Imperial for a reason.

tds

Staying here now. It's fantastic. As others have stated, service is top notch and location is perfect. We are staying on SPG points and were upgraded to the Opera Suite...huge room overlooking the Vienna Opera building. One of the two best upgrades we've ever received as a Platinum. We have our daughter with us and needed a roll away, so the extra space was greatly appreciated.

We were not able to check in at 3 pm because a platinum member was in the suite the prior night and exercised a 4 pm late checkout, so we had to wait until 5 pm to get in the room. Also, bellman missed one of our bags in the car when we checked in...we didn't realize it until later in the evening. Staff was very apologetic and kept us up-to-date on status of getting the bag because it took some time to retrieve. Staff arrived at the room with a free drink voucher to apologize for our late check in and delayed bag.

Breakfast is better than any we've previously had in our several previous stays at SPG properties in Europe...all the usual European breakfast options plus more, including several made-to-order egg dishes (including wonderful Eggs Benedict) and champagne.

Regarding question about Internet, plats do get comped high speed internet...need to choose that option when logging in first time.

Our best hotel stay in Europe to-date. Now I understand why when I was on the phone with the SPG plat concierge prior to the trip she remarked, "I get a lot of great comments about The Bristol...I've had people adjust their dates of stay just so they can get a room at this hotel."