CL9

Maybe the location is a litte bit outside (in my opinion not) but you have a great access to public transportation, better than the other too options (IRS, Marriott).
You must just cross the street and there is the underground station (U4).
From there you are in 2 minutes !!! at Schönbrunn Palace.

In 10 minutes you are at the same station which is beside the Marriott (and from the Marriott you have to walk 6 minutes to get to the underground station)

Only 8 minutes to Viennese Opera and so on.

From IRS you must walk 12 minutes to get to the next underground station.

So in my opinion Ren is the best option.
(depending on location/price, i cannot say anything about the hotels itself, because I never stayed in any Marriott hotel in Vienna :-) )

SkiAdcock

The Rennweg station is literally next to the Ren IRS & it's 1-stop to Wien Messe, which connects to multiple Ubahns. The tram stop is also next to the IRS, which takes one to the ring.

The Ren Wien is farther out (but close to Schönbrunn). It's not forever out but it's not as close as the other 2. As you note, it does have the U4 close to it. One can also walk easily back to Marriott or Ren IRS from some of the main attractions in the first district, which would definitely not work as well w/ the Ren Wien.

It's not like anyone is going to go wrong w/ any of the 3, but given no exec lounge & being farther out & mixed on upgrades, I'd put the Ren Wien #3 on my list. Having said that, if there is a huge price differential & one is staying for multiple days, that could certainly tip it to the Ren Wien. Also, it's currently a Cat 4, so for those who have a Cat 1-4 or Cat 1-5 they could utilize them at the Ren Wien. Marriott is a Cat 8 & Ren IRS a Cat 6.

I used to stay at the Marriott but now stay at the Ren IRS when in town because it's usually less expensive than the Marriott, has a lot of suites to upgrade to, is next to Rennweg/tram, and has a nice exec lounge with good offerings.

Cheers.

catocony

I spent one night at the Ren Wien last year. It's decent, but the rooms are spartan, even for a Germanic country. The plastic bowl chair and small plastic desk were nearly useless. But, I thought the location was fine. It's a 50 euro cab/car service to the airport, and the Schonbrunn is a 10-minute walk. Most tourists to Vienna are probably going to visit that palace. It took me an hour just to walk the gardens, and I didn't make it up the hill to the Gloriette. To do everything inside and out, that's a solid 4 hours, at least. So, saying that the Ren Wien is away from the touristy stuff isn't completely accurate since you'll be out that way for half a day during any trip.

One general note about Vienna - you don't appear to flag down taxis there. You seem to have to find a marked taxi stand, or a hotel with a stand.

ohmark

So, your stay was after the renovation? If so, did you occupy a basic or higher category room? Finally, were you upgraded?

Thanks to you and all the others who have taken the time to offer helpful replies.

ohmark

As to the certs, the rates are currently so low at the Ren Wien, that the usage of certs or points would be close to counter-productive. As to the upgrades you mentioned at IRS: could you comment on the type of upgrade (better view, better room, suite?) and the frequency of occurrence? Thanks, Sharon.

SkiAdcock

Agree re: if the price is cheap, then it's best to save the Cat 1-4/5 certs.

I stayed at the Ren IRS 4 times & Marriott 1 time. No upgrade at the Marriott (in fairness, I was not Plat then). The other stays in Vienna were at the Hilton Stadtpark (which if someone is a Hilton member I'd also recommend).

At the Ren IRS 2 times I was upgraded to junior suite (JS) in the main building. 1 time to junior suite (JS) on the Imperial club (IC) side, & 1 time to a very large club room on the Imperial club site. I'm happy with either. The Ren IRS has 22 suites in total.

The reason I prefer IC over JS is that it's on the same side/building as the exec lounge & not as many rooms/so short distance to lounge. The JS is on the other side & the building is quite long, so not quite as convenient to the lounge. But it's not like we're talking miles.

The JS & IC are both good options. Both are decent size & have large bathrooms, etc. The JS has a privacy wall between the living room & bedroom. However, there's also a small entry room. In the original/long part of the hotel are also a number of junior suites (538sq ft). The Imperial Club rooms (344-506sq ft) are on the same side as the exec lounge, which is on the ground floor, so more convenient to the lounge. There is an Imperial Club suite (570-613sq ft).

While the Imperial Club rooms are closer to the exec lounge, if you get an upgrade to the junior suite on the original/long part of the property they're nice too. So it's not like you'll go wrong with either.

The lounge takes up about 1/2 the ground floor level of the new wing. Key card access is required to enter the building, which of course is where the lounge is.

The 71 tram will get you to the Opera House area of the Ring in about 5 stops/8-10 minutes from IRS. Also, you can take the S7 to Wien Mitte 1 stop away & then catch Ubahns & trams from there. It's about a 20 minute walk to the Ring.

Re: tram vs. Rennweg (general discussion), it depends on where one is going. If closer to Opera House & that section of the Ring, it would be faster to catch the 71 tram than it is to take the train from Rennweg to Wien Mitte & then catch UBahn or tram. But for other locations, sometimes the combo of train/Ubahn is faster than just tram.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

BTW - PaulMCO did a detailed trip report (including pictures) re: the Ren Wien out near Schonnbrun. It's here if you want more details re: it.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25419507-post412.html

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

These are from a few years ago, but here are pics of the Ren IRS exec lounge: (blame FT for the pics coming out so large!)

windhund

Thanks, SkiAdcock!

I currently have a trip planned to Vienna for a few days later this year. Currently staying at the IRS. I notice that it's about 15-20 minute walk between the IRS and the Marriott (where the rate is much higher). My traveling companion and I don't mind the walk to get to that part of town, but is it worth considering the Hilton or another hotel closer to there?

From this thread, it seems like there are easy transportation options from the IRS to get to other destinations, but I wasn't sure how frequently they run.

Also, do you know offhand what a reasonable rate is for a taxi between the IRS and Vienna Airport?

SkiAdcock

The Hilton is at one end of the Stadtpark, the Marriott in the middle, & the Intercontinental at the other end. You also have some SPG properties you could look at (LeMeridien, Bristol, Imperial). My guess is the LeM might be the only one w/ similar pricing to the Ren IRS.

This link https://www.wien.info/en/travel-info...perating-hours has details re: frequency of public transport. I found, whether tram or Ubahn, I didn't have to wait very often/it was quick to get around. For example, the 71 tram that you can pick up outside the Ren to the Ring runs every 10 minutes. You can map routes, time, etc, on Ubahn, trams, etc. Click on English to read the site in English.

Hotel website (Ren IRS) says taxi is 36E to the airport. Uber shows 30E (unless you have a promo code to reduce it). The S7 train which stops next to the Ren IRS at the Rennweg station is 4.4E.

Cheers.

windhund

Thanks very much, Sharon. I definitely should have known to check the hotel website for the taxi cost to the airport.

Since you've been several times, do you have any favorite sights or places to eat?

SkiAdcock

Yes, as I mentioned up thread I put together a word doc re: things to do, places to eat, etc, in Vienna, as I get asked about it a lot since I attended school in Vienna & have been back many times. PM me w/ your email address (the offer is open to any FTer) & I'll send you the word doc via email. The subject line of the email would be Flyertalk - Vienna.

PS - Unless you have a lot of luggage, I'd take the S7 train to/from the airport & use the $$ you save for a meal.

Cheers.

catocony

My stay was in late May, so I believe after the renovation. It was a very quick in and out, so I didn't spend a huge amount of time at the hotel. I'm a life plat, but didn't get a suite or anything. The bed was good, the bathroom was extremely arty but good. The walk-in shower had the shelves and the artwork and everything. The window opened all the way, but was a pull in window, not a push up. When the window was open, it actually took up a lot space.

The desk and desk chair were really crappy and uncomfortable. I wouldn't imagine getting much work done there if I was staying for any length of time. If I remember correctly, the TV was smallish, but I believe there was a small fridge below the TV. The room was fairly small by US standards, but probably average for Europe. Very clean and everything. I would stay there again, but would insist on having a real desk chair brought in. That is a problem at a lot of renovated Marriott properties though. I never knew that wanting and expecting a desk and desk chair in a hotel room made you an old fart.

SkiAdcock

BTW - for those doing the tourist thing, getting the Vienna City Card (24, 48, 72 offers) offers discounts on museums, restaurants, as well as the free transport (airport transport not included).

https://www.wien.info/en/travel-info/vienna-city-card

Cheers.

swiss_global

You are right that the airport station is not covered by the Vienna City Card. But you can buy an add on ("ab Kurzstreckengrenze") to airport, for EUR 1.70 one way. Be careful, it is only valid on the S7 (not the CAT!) and is valid for 1 hour only. So you have to buy or validate it immediately before your trip to/from the airport.