MGallery Hotel Am Konzerthaus, Vienna
Nov 7, 2010, 3:39 am
Check in was a real pleasure. Staff welcomed me and asked if this was my first stay here and hoped that it won't be the last. Before I could say anything they said they had upgraded me due to my A-Club status. The room (601) was large and comfortable. A personalised welcome gift was already waiting for me in the room (chocolates). The decor looks a little bit dated and was further accentuated by the patterned carpet but the bed was very comfortable. Internet was free and high speed which was a definite plus. Free water and a Nespresso machine with more chocolates were a nice touch.
The only small gripe was that the air condition was not very powerful (it was an unseasonably warm November weekend).
The bathroom was spotless and featured a wide array of L'Occitane en Provence toiletries.
Breakfast was not included in my rate but was reasonably priced at €17. A good choice of hot and cold options.
Verdict: A very good midrange hotel with an exceptional approach to service. The biggest asset of the hotel are its staff who were outstanding throughout.
Feb 9, 2018, 6:32 am
the hotel itself is a compact size hotel, i think the restaurant size consider not bad.
status recognition was good (platinum), welcome drink, welcome amenities, free minibar & refill everyday, evening turn down service providing tea-bag and chocolates, but no room upgrade for my trip.
nespresso machine, biscuits
free minibar for platinum member, refill daily
superior room
welcome amenities and card
superior room
bigelow toiletries
sending these during evening turndown service, daily. (tea bags, mashmallow, chocolates, )
weather info card with nextday forecast, provided during evening turndown service
pillow menu
Feb 13, 2018, 1:55 pm
If you (dear FT readers) happen to stay there, make sure to ask for eggs made to order. This is not clearly advertised or actively promoted by the staff, as the breakfast room is often beleaguered by upscale tourist groups, but on request they will whip up an omelette - or Viennesse eggs - worth the extra wait.
Oct 7, 2018, 10:43 am
Hotel Am Konzerthaus Vienna - MGallery Collection
Am Heumarkt 35-37 Vienna, AT 1030
Mgallery Hotel am Konzerthaus Vienna (15 Photos)
Hotel Am Konzerthaus Vienna - MGallery Collection
Almost 8 years after my first stay at this hotel I returned twice within a month. This is a summary review of both stays, one absolutely awful and one relatively ok.
The hotel have started some renovations. The common areas had a nice make over and the restaurant/bar has been updated. The rooms eventually will be renovated but when I asked when that might be the staff said there were no concrete plans as of yet.
Check In
Check in in both cass was swift. No need to fill in any forms, no credit card swipes. The first stay included an upgrade, the second one was already booked into the best category.
Room
Both rooms were a deluxe room on the top floor, the best in the house. Most other hotels would call them a junior suite. Large but exactly as they were 8 years ago (and they were dated already then). The carpet and furniture seriously show their age. The bed was very comfortable. The room also featured a desk, two sofas with a coffee table each. A mini bar and Nespresso machine were also on offer.
The bathrooms are small and dated too. Toiletries were Bigelow (the more frequently I see them the less I am impressed by this brand).
Service
Service was very mixed. During the first stay I returned to the room after the first night only to discover that it had only partially cleaned. The bed was made but nothing lese, no bins empty, no vacuuming, no cleaning of the bathroom. Totally unacceptable.
The bar and restaurant staff and front desk staff were friendly, though nowhere near as good as during my first stay at the hotel, all those years ago.
Dining
Again mixed. The hotel caters to large tourist groups and the facilities cannot cope. During the first stay people were queuing the entire length of the long corridor to the restaurant for breakfast. If you expect that many people for breakfast be creative. Offer your guests breakfast in the room. But alas no warning. When I complained they sent some quick continental breakfast up.
I tried the upgraded restaurant after reading a local review, apparently the chef has aspirations and it did not disappoint. The food was lovely, not cheap but very nicely presented and tasty. The staff were a little overbearing.
Location
The location is central. The CAT airport train is a 12 minute walk away and the Stephans Cathedral is about 10 minutes. A taxi rank is right outside but I recommend Uber as taxis aren't cheap in Vienna.
Elite experience
Drinks voucher was handed over on both occasions, and no funny limits. Some nice G&Ts were had.
The welcome amenity was a selection of sweets and a small gift each time. I liked the duck ;)
Overall
This hotel shows up the problem with Accor's branding and their standards. Many moons ago this used to be the local Sofitel. Then, not being up to standard, it was demoted to MGallery. The new Sofitel, now a /SO, stole the show. Now MGallery is called MGallery by Sofitel but this hotel, not renovated, clearly does not deserve to be called anything "by Sofitel". Once they have completed their renovations maybe but at the moment it is the same tired hotel I stayed in 8 years ago. The common areas look nice, maybe there is hope once the rooms are done.... whenever that might be.
The problems encountered, lack of cleaning and crowd control at breakfast, were serious during the first stay, the second one was better but the crowd problem was still there, just less extreme.
Would I return? Not sure. The /So has upped prices after the rebranding so for the moment I am sitting on the fence.
Oct 7, 2018, 11:41 am
Thanks for writing it.
Dec 1, 2018, 6:46 am
Dec 10, 2018, 3:38 am
Eye mask and ear plugs provided, info card with the weather forecast for the next day, an herbal tea as well as a can of Snooze, an herbal drink.
May 1, 2019, 1:04 pm
Status recognition was great - received the upgraded room #702 . Also received welcome drink vouchers which can be used for a drink up to €30 each which I thought was very generous. You can’t redeem for bottle of wine though. Also received a box of chocolates and late checkout.
The coffee machine was a Nespresso copy now.
The negative: this room can hear the whirring of the lift constantly. I don’t know if this is only on the top floor or whether it occurs throughout the hotel. The provided ear plugs do block out the sound. Not sure if this is the reason they are provided as I couldn’t hear any street noise.
This hotel was good value for the price - but the lift noise took the shine off a decent hotel.
Jul 14, 2021, 1:04 am
Here comes an update on this property after it's been renovated. I was last there two years ago and the rooms were really showing their age, the bathroom particularly was in a very bad state. It's much better now and it's an excellent 4 star hotel.
The lobby was already renovated 2 years ago and looks very nice:
The hallways have been renovated too.
As a Gold member, I got a one category upgrade to a Deluxe room on the top floor, which looks completely different now. The carpet is gone, the Klimt is gone... The room isn't very large, but large enough. If you want more space, they have junior suites and suites now as well. Soundproofing is excellent, but it's not a very noisy street anyway.
Bathroom looks much better now, even though it's quite small. The bathtub has been replaced by a shower (including a rain shower) and CO Bigelow amenities replaced by L'Occitane in larger dispensers.
Because of the pandemic some items (like the coffee machine) are missing from the room and have to be ordered to be put back into the room. I had written to the hotel prior to arrival to put all the items in the room and everything was there when I arrived.
Also, because of the pandemic, the minibar is empty, but you can call the reception if you want anything and they will bring it to your room. And again because of the pandemic there is no turndown service, which used to be excellent in this hotel and I really miss it.
Service was really good, the staff are very nice and polite. At check-in we were provided with cold wet towels for refreshment and a welcome drink voucher for 2 people (valid for soft drinks, beer and wine). Welcome amenity was waiting for us in the room. It's the same box of chocolates as before, but now there is also a surprise in the minibar - a small bottle of sparkling wine.
Breakfast was good, although I expected a larger spread. I've seen more items in Mercures. However, the quality was very good and there was an egg station where you could order omelettes and the like.
The restaurant is still quite small so it gets very busy very quickly. When we arrived at 7.30, there was already only one table left. This, combined with the price of the breakfast, the underwhelming selection of items, is why I will probably have breakfast somewhere else in the future (unless there is a good deal including breakfast).
To sum up: this is now a very decent 4-star hotel, with freshly renovated rooms and very nice staff. I felt really good there and this will be my go to hotel in Vienna from now on as I personally find SO/ Vienna a bit overrated and a lot overpriced. The location couldn't be better, it's close to everything: you can walk to the city centre, the MuseumsQuartier and the Mariahilferstrasse. The only thing I'm missing is that amazing view that you get in SO/ Vienna, but you can't have everything.
Jul 14, 2021, 3:13 am
Jul 14, 2021, 12:32 pm
