Originally Posted by
bhrubin
THANK YOU! This is exactly what I was looking for. You da best!
My feeling was that the Imperial is my best bet--barring air con issues--and this largely confirms that. Because I also can get two free award rooms at the Imperial on points is a major plus, not to mention the plus of my SPG Plat100 status getting me a serious Suite upgrade and concomitant cost/benefit advantage.
My only concern therefore is with the Imperial's air con, something that most others won't worry about at all for October but which still greatly concerns me--since my luck is to always visit a city with much warmer than expected weather! Obviously, this is my biggest personal idiosyncrasy for which I'm rightly notorious.
Still, my mother will love the Imperial's authentic Viennese style and history. I will love the Imperial's tremendous service and dining. And I will pray for a balcony or window that allows in cold air!
I was in Vienna in October (in a 4 star property) and whilst I typically prefer an open window to air con (and the temperatures would certainly have made it a perfectly comfortable option) my hotel room overlooked a busy street, which made it quite loud overnight. My advice would be to ask the hotel if they have a room that overlooks a quieter street (I am afraid I don't know the Imperial well enough to know if that is possible).
One slightly funky thing about some European properties (and I have no idea if the Imperial is one of them I am afraid) is that their heat / air may be centralized and it is either on or off for the season (in the same way some apartment blocks operate) Whilst in theory you can control the temperature in your room this only works if the heat / AC is on centrally. I stayed in Vienna twice last October - on my first stay, the AC was on and it was very comfortable. On the second trip a week later, the AC was off and the heat was on, meaning I couldn't cool down my room (other than opening the window, hence why I know the street was loud!)