FD1971

I can assure you that people in Austria, especially Vienna, know how to handle renovations in order to keep the original appearance.

Just book one of the more upscale rooms at the Imperial reserved for important guests and you will notice the difference.

capitalflow

I am nervous now about our upcoming 5 night say given the reviews here. This one trip is important for personal reasons. How was your stay?

zagy

stayed here in February and loved it.

I've stayed in Vienna 5 or 6 times this year after that, mostly at Le Meridien because the stays were work related.

All 3 hotels are nice and their location is great. So relax

kamel123

Don't worry about your upcoming stay. This is a great hotel. This is where I went for the very first international trip with my then girlfriend, and many years later, we made it the first stop on our honeymoon (with a few visits inbetween).

Although my assessment may be distorted due to the personal memories I associate with this hotel, I would recommend you the following:

1. This hotel has many repeat guests, including celebrities and sometimes even heads of state (during our first visit, the emperor of Japan was there, for example). These people pay for their suites. So, if a guests expects "special recognition" because he is a "platinum member" of some program, he might end of slightly disappointed. They reserve their special recognition for their repeat guests booking their suites on cash. Guests haggling over how many breakfasts of what type are included as a plat amenity are simply not their target group (sorry, no offense intended to anyone!).

That said, the hotel fully plays by SPG T&Cs. I have had very nice rooms even on points stays. If you absolutely require a suite to make stay special, I can only recommend to book one. I can recommend the maisonette suite, which is a nice two-story suite with a sitting area on the upper floor looking down on the bedroom below. The butler service in the suites is great - for example, when we returned from sightseeing each afternoon a different set of tasty snacks was waiting in our suite. Alternatively, the junior suites on the top floor are also nice. They are very spacious and some have small step-out balconies with great views over Vienna.

2. Service is indeed a bit formal, as is the overall atmosphere. I can fully imagine that as a guest that does not fit the mold (e.g., walking into the lobby in sweatsuit and sneakers), they would treat you professionally, but a tad more coldly. To each their own. This is an old world institution, and such places must also have a right to exist. If you want a casual place, look somewhere else - there are many great alternatives in Vienna.

We only had good experiences with the concierge. He got us excellent restaurant reservations, and was very helpful in securing hard-to-get concert tickets.

3. Regarding breakfast. Yes it is nothing special, and no it is not worth EUR 39, even adjusting for typical luxury hotel inflated breakfast pricing. If you want the convenience of an on-site breakfast and are not worried about price, just have it. Otherwise, there are many excellent cafés nearby.

capitalflow

The breakfast buffet in the Cafe Imperial was excellent. Huge selection of breads, pastries, tort. Five different kinds of juices. Fresh yogurts. Various kinds of cold cuts. Lots of fresh fruit. Sausages. Bacon. Eggs. Champagne.

Overall. A wonderful experience upgraded to a junior suite. The Hotel Bristol opens after it's Art Deco renovations and looks like it will have a more modern feel to it, quite similar to the Prince de Gaul. It will be hard to choose which hotel next time I am in VIE.

But isn't that airport awful? The way-finding system is terribly confusing.

crimson12

Hi, Wondering how this hotel compares to the Bristol nearby? As far as I can tell both are quite similar hotels. Have a trip coming up to Vienna and trying to choose between the two. Thanks!

jaejaez

The imperial is obviously a lot more grande - the 'wow' factor is there when you walk into the lobby. the furnishings, the rooms, the staff are a lot more formal, though a bit cold.

The Bristol may look similar on websites but in real life feels very different. It is a much cozier hotel, as is evident from the lobby (small and dark) - feels more like a former mansion of a very rich person than a palace.

just my two cents.

crimson12

Thanks. Do you have an opinion as to which would be better with small kids (ages 3 and 1)? Our kids are used to traveling and well behaved, so that isn't an issue for us, but would the hotel look askance?

I guess Imperial is 20k and Bristol is 12k -- the real question is, is Imperial nearly twice as nice as Bristol...

supatight80

This hotel never disappoints. Always upgraded to Elisabeth Suite since 2009.
Butler service, bulgari bath products, free box of imperial torte and/or chocolate covered strawberries daily. Always delivers exceptional service. You can even go shopping, give them the hotel business card with your name on it as "temporary resident", and have a guaranteed table reservation at club passage!

Luvs it!

EuropeanPete

I stayed here last week for two nights and was very happy with the hotel. I generally have a strong preference for modern design hotels, but Hotel Imperial takes the idea of an old Imperial Palace hotel and implements it extremely well.

I liked the look of the place which I found more intimate and slightly smaller than I had expected. I used an SNA to upgrade to an Elisabeth Suite which was attractive enough, but not kitted out to the same standards or modernity as the likes of the Gritti Palace, for example. Our suite was slightly oddly shaped but met our needs well.

There have been comments about the staff being somewhat cold, but I actually found the opposite. Staff appears to be universally Austrian and most are over 40 years old. That brings a real personal identity to the service where the barman, concierge or receptionist will say they will see you later on in a shift because the hotel is small enough that each individual has their role to play.

Whilst not friendly in a back-slapping Southern American kind of way, I was impressed with each of them (e.g. a receptionist running out to fetch a taxi from 50m down the road). Manfred the concierge managed to track us down a table at a fantastic restaurant despite Vienna having been sold out several weeks beforehand.

The hotel does "grand" very well, and so if you're looking for a romantic stay in Vienna or if you're someone who just misses the feel of your 130 year old private members' club when you leave the colonies I can recommend the Imperial.

malioil

I'm worried about some of the reviews here. I and a friend are going to be at the Imperial next week, I have booked an Elizabeth Suite while she has a Classic Room. We are both paying the full rate with Signature Travel amenities. I really hope we wind up with a good experience... any recent reviews?

MSPeconomist

Why isn't Decembeer 2014 recent enough? How quickly do you think traditional hotels change?

EuropeanPete

Maybe he'd just noticed that I talk nonsense and was politely asking for a second opinion

malioil

Your opinion is more than valid Pete, it is just that reviews have been somewhat inconsistent and as a result I was wondering if everyone else's stays measured up to your experience.

remymartin

I don't know what Signature Travel amenities are, but if you have booked a suite and have breakfast included, I think you'll have a splendid time here.