Park Hyatt Vienna - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
 

Checked in (reportedly guest #3) earlier today and most of the construction is cleared away and they seem very ready for guests. There is still some construction ACROSS the street from the hotel, but the front entrance doesn't have any trailers/fence up.

I'll post some notes/photos later, but ask away for any questions you might have and I'll try and seek out some answers - now off to find a Käsekrainer...

Before I head to bed a early impressions/thoughts;

- the building is really as amazing and meets up to the hype, particularly the spa/pool area.
- as diamond I was upgraded to a suite - suites do appear to be tucked into the corners of the building
- diamonds can take a breakfast (6:30 to 10) in "the bank", or room service
- diamond amenity was a bowl of fruit in the room - no beverage, nothing special
- internet speeds are pretty bad - on the wired connection I'm averaging 1.2mbps down and 3.5 mbps up
- the rooms are dead-quiet, i'm on the first floor (european first) right above the street and with the double set of windows I can't hear a thing. The room doors are really thick as well
- there is a TON of automation in the room including shades/lights being set as soon as you enter/exit
- staff is excellent, some are from Hyatt Cologne - there was a soft opening over the weekend (May 30th) prior to the Life Ball
- there seem to be a lot of curosity seekers roaming the bars/halls - there is a pride amongst the staff of the opening today
- as part of opening there wasn an invitation to a drink in the "Pearl" bar - interistingly the Pearl bar was also offering select free drinks to those coming in off the street not just to guests
- the "Bank" restauarnt is an absolutly stunning space
- the "Pearl" is an ok space - but their cocktail menu is pretty solid (and mid-tier priced 9-13 euro). Absolutly worth trying is the "Willet Burn" for bourbon fans.
- there is valet parking under the hotel
- there is a "hidden" set of elevators to the left of the check-in desk - very convienent for those in rooms in the "rear" of the building
- no expernse seems spared in the public spaces - the floor of conference rooms is stunning in wood and marble, although to my eyes the spaces seem very small (but they are plentiful)
- the pool/spa really is the highlight of the building. The pool is literally the old vault (there is the vault door in the spa receiption area overlooking the pool). With a quirky nod to its previous use it appears they designed the pool with "gold bar" tile. The changing rooms all feature a sauna, steam room, and rain/ice shower.
- there were only minor service issues to be expected at any opening - phones don't work, some hotspots aren't working, safes were still locked. But staff was always quick to address.
- the only complaint my wife and I can really think of in our sleep-deprived state is some doors are push some doors are pull and its not always labeled/clear which is which so sometimes you may tug needlessly and look silly (how's that for a nit)

More to come, but an early flight tomorrow...(ironcially staying at the CitizenM for their opening...)

Thanks for the report.

People very often confuse the Diamond amenity with the free bowl of fruit that is a standard feature in every suite in more or less every Hyatt in Europe.

I really hope they can offer some nicer and more unique Diamond amenities.

Should not be too difficult to find a decent bottle of wine in Austria, let alone some pastries or sweets in the greater Vienna area.

Just recently, I stayed at various SPG Luxury Collection properties in Austria and had very very nice amenities waiting for me in the room, aside from the usual Plat. gift.

I assume that the Park Vienna wants to play in the Champions League, so the standard bowl of fruit for a Diamond on opening day is a bit lame.

Will be interesting to see how the standard upgrades work out in Vienna.

Let's put it this way, the GM had a certain reputation at her previous hotel. ;)

Where did the GM serve before leading up this hotel?

Quick Google brings up HR Dusseldorf.

Who are / is the owner of the PH Vienna ?

An Austrian real estate investment group called Signa.

non guest review
 

I'm at the IC Vienna and saw the email from Hyatt this morning announcing this hotel was now open. Why couldn't they have sent that email a few days earlier? Oh well. After a good meal at the IC Club lounge, and seeing the nice weather outside, I decided to take the mile walk over to the PH. It was a good thing I didn't try to take a taxi because there was some kind of Nazi demonstration/parade going on and traffic was horrible. But the hundreds of police everywhere, heavily armed with flak jackets on, made sure that all stayed relatively calm.

As I arrived at the PH, there was police on the steps eyeballing everyone who walked up. I swear he checked me out head to toe, even looking at my shoes! Happily I was wearing Gucci. I fear that if I had on jeans and Nike's it might not have gone well. I noticed there was a Dior event going on at the hotel, so everyone was dressed to the nines.

My first stop was to the cigar room in the Pearl bar. The cigar and spirits menu was good, but not as good as high end hotel's in Paris or London. I had a Cuban Montecristo and a Diplomatico rum from Venezuela that I had wanted to try for a while. As he tore off the label he said I'm the first to try this rum here. I replied that there are a lot of firsts happening now, which got a laugh. :) The room itself was oak paneled with a view onto the square. I felt the ventilation could have been better. On the website it says that bar patrons get free WiFi, but I was told that it isn't set up yet for non-guests.

Well fortified, I went to the front desk and asked for a tour. They happily complied and showed me around. The building is an old bank and they really are proud of this and show it off where they can. The pool is in the old vault and the old vault door is still there. It's a smallish pool, I'd guess about 10 meters, but it is all beautiful. The mens locker room has sauna and steam and is well equipped. The fitness room is equally well equipped, but not huge. I guess it is fine as there are only around 150 rooms. The whole spa/fitness area was empty this evening while I was there.

Then I was escorted up to the rooms. First a Park suite was was quite nice with lots of space and a huge bathroom. But then we went to one of the smaller room, one level up from an entry room. I think it was called a Park view. It too was quite large and well equipped with a decent size bathroom with a TV by the sink. The only knock on the rooms that I could see was Euro only outlets. No US or GB plugs. But of course they will give you adapters. And there was an outlet by the head of the bed which is nice as people like to sleep with their iDevices these days. I was told that each room can be different, even within the same category. This is due to the old architecture of the bank.

Overall it is a stunningly nice hotel that mixes very modern furnishings with the old architecture. The location is perfect for tourists, but not great for people who like public transportation. It would be a pain to take the airport train then metro to this hotel, but I would guess that most guests take a taxi or limo. However once you have shed your bags, the center of Vienna is easy to walk around and the area around the hotel is lined with shops, restaurants and cafe's. As with most PH's, there is a huge Louis V shop just steps away. ;)

The IC is the first and oldest luxury hotel in Vienna, but now there is a lot to choose from. I would say the PH is now the best. At least from the standpoint of non-residing visitor.

Actually, it was an anti-right wing/nazi demonstration. Pretty big difference.

The U1 at Stephansplatz is about a 500 meter walk, and Schottentor, a large public transport hub with access to the U2 and a variety of trams, is about the same. The U3 Herrengasse is only a 200m walk and takes you direct to the idiotically located terminus for the airport train at Wien Mitte.

I said some kind of Nazi demonstration. I didn't say pro or con as I didn't stop to ask.

But I agree about the location of the CAT.

:D:D:D

I would say the Imperial is much older than the IC ;) And if it is as good as the Palais Coburg we will see as well - because nothing beats their Petrus collection (biggest in Europe) :D

Ever tried out the Sans Souci designed by P. Starck?

Well the IC bills themselves as the first Luxury hotel, but I guess that is debatable. But surely the IC is the first hotel belonging to an international chain in Vienna. And it was only in 1985 that the Aga Khan acquired the Imperial and expanded it.

Petrus collection you say? Yum.

to be fair, yeah maybe the IC is the first international brand to be categorized as a 5 star hotel, yet the Sacher and the Imperial are much older than this ugly monster IC lol

Regarding Petrus... Here is the wine list of the Coburg, which is hard to beat by any other luxury hotel I am aware of - wouldn't mind if you could prove me wrong lol.

http://www.palais-coburg.com/_en/dow...Mai%202014.pdf (Rothschild pdf page 70 and Petrus pdf page 82 + 135)

http://www.palais-coburg.com/_en/index.php?page=30

btw, lemme know when u r back in the city, have the feeling of opening a bottle with you at Silvio Nickol's restaurant ;)

A fair benchmark for the PH would be the new RC.

The Coburg is a boutique all suite hotel that plays in a completly different league. So far, most of the Park Hyatt properties did not really force the issue trying to get one or even more Michelin stars, with the usual exception here and there. So under the bottom line, the gourmet resto at the Coburg also plays in a different league and is targeting other customers, so is the wine list. Aside from the positioning of the restos, I also see completely different themes, classic French cuisine vs. fine regional cuisine.

All the other 5* chain hotels in Vienna should be a notch below the PH, Hilton(s), Marriott, IC come to mind quickly, regular five star chain hotels that are priced in a different league as well.

The PH should find its niche in Vienna, I see lots of customers from Russia and Asia, so maybe they even keep the official rates above Euro 300 for most of the time. Sales at the RC saw the rates falling into the high 200's, but it is a significantly larger property as well.

As stated already, due to the rates charged at the PH Vienna, I do not see them in a higher category anytime soon as long as we keep the current categories with the hotels currently listed in the top category.