FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Hotel Imperial, Luxury Collection, Vienna, Austria [Master Thread]

Oct 24, 2024 | 2:06 pm

#266

jef7

Join Date: May 2004

Location: Portland, Oregon

Programs: AA EXP UA 2KMM AMB

Posts: 2,415

Tale of Two Sisis

We spent two nights in Vienna, and after combing through the different options of hotels in the city, we decided to pick the Imperial Hotel for its unique history and also because the property fit the theme of our trip, aiming to visit castles, mansions, or palaces with unique architectures and characters. We booked using our Marriott points for a junior suite with a cash supplement. The room was then upgraded to a Sisi suite about a day prior to our arrival.

We opted to take Uber from VIE and this turned out to be an easy option. We followed the instructions for a quick meet up with the driver requiring us to go up to the departure level and about 25 minutes later, we were being greeted and our bags taken care of at the doors of the Imperial.

We were immediately blown away by the grandeur of the lobby area of the Imperial. I remember being fixated by the chandeliers that loom large, regal and elegant, up above through the main doors. My Platinum status was acknowledged, we were offered the choice between full breakfast, or points, and we were even asked if we needed a late check out two days later. This was a friendly welcome, and shortly we were escorted to our Sisi suite in the second floor which is located towards the back of the building facing the Vienna Concert Hall. Now, it turned out that this will be our first Sisi room for this stay. You see, we were certainly grateful and amused by the suite upgrade, and the intricate details and grandeur of the reddish Sisi room assigned to us was certainly appreciated, but there were issues with it later on that necessitated for us to move to a different suite the following night. The Sisi suites come in different sizes, colors, and lay out. Our first one had closets along the main hall and bathroom branching to the right, and with the living room areas, separated by doors from the main bedroom. Meanwhile the second Sisi suite, was a fresh light blue and actually had a walk in closet branching to the left and a bathroom branching to the right. The second one even had a separate shower, while the first one only had a combo tub and shower. So overall, the second Sisi suite we moved into was definitely better.

The gentleman who escorted us was welcoming and friendly and took his time to walk us through the different areas of the room. Inside was a bottle of champagne along with a cake and balloons, really showing a generous effort to celebrate my birthday. Now, the room is certainly special for its design and history and should be appreciated for what it is. The bathroom is older, and the cabinets do show the age and wear of the hotels’ years, but all the comforts and amenities are definitely available. Yes, there was a hunt for viable usb outlets for two travelers, but we found a couple of them available in the suites without needing to use an adapter. The technology is certainly not the most modern, and on the subject of air conditioning, which is a huge topic for us, especially if one prefers cooler rooms, this maybe an issue when selecting the Imperial, as we had to open the windows just to get the room to cool down. Now though this is an option, to certainly let cooler air in, I definitely have compunction in having completely open windows. It’s a personal thing, a personal issue perhaps! I always think about birds, or insects, or let alone, a sleep walker, and all I know is I prefer my rooms completely secure than having an opening easily accessible to the outside elements. This was the reason we requested to move the following morning, as the first suite became unbearably hot the first evening. The request was apologetically acknowledged and granted.

For this trip we tried the Cafe Imperial for both dinner and breakfasts. We did try the Wiener schnitzel for dinner, along with their Imperial tortes and they are certainly recommended. Just a warning that they are huge! Now I discovered the Esterházy cake on this trip which consists of buttercream spiced with cognac or vanilla, sandwiched between four and five layers of almond meringue (macaron) dough and this was certainly the highlight of Vienna for me. This cake is just so delicious! Breakfast was more than sufficient, with lots of options buffet style, and one could also order a la carte as part of the elite status. We also had dinner at the Dstrikt Steakhouse which is located at the Ritz Carlton, about 5 minutes away, and we would certainly recommend this place for great service and quality of food.

As many reviews have already mentioned, the public spaces here at the Imperial are gorgeous. We certainly took the time to explore some of the corners and hallways of the hotel and admire the stunning architecture and artwork. I will let the pictures do the talking, and even cameras are really not even capable of capturing the beauty of this grand dame. Location is also ideal, as we simply walked towards the Vienna Opera House, where many of the tours meet or terminate, and as I mentioned, the Ritz along with the Bristol, are all right along the street just a short walk away. Vienna was a wonderful city and we both ended up longing and wishing for a longer stay, and we are grateful to have experienced the Hotel Imperial.