flyertalker00156

I just booked a junior penthouse suite for next summer. Is there a chance it will be renovated by then? Also I am SPG gold, would I get upgraded to an opera view since I believe some of these rooms are non Opera facing.

Starwood Lurker II

Spoke to the front desk few minutes ago and was told that both WIFI and wired internet services are available in the guest rooms. Charges are applicable. Do call to confirm again.

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Thyetus Lee | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

clublounger

I stayed this past April. Had Wifi in my awesome suite.(Thanks Hotel Bristol!) Wifi was less than awesome, though. It didn't work at all in the bedroom. Worked in the living room, but was slow.

remymartin

I can confirm I had the same wi-fi problems clublounger describes in an opera suite. Other than that, an excellent and memorable stay!

Ross0

Thanks! I figured that was the case, but the website suggested otherwise.

MSPeconomist

I had fine wifi in my renovated room.

There's also a small business center just in front of the elevators on the top floor, to the right of the entrance to the health club. It's a small windowless room open 24/7 with your keycard; staff provide water and IIRC apples. You can use two computers and a printer for free there.

capitalflow

Does anyone know if the buffet breakfast at the Bristol offer sparking wine or champange?

We are returning to VIE for the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend this year and last year, we stayed at Hotel Imperial and had a nice time. The Bristol was sill under renovation so this year, we thought we'd try the property. But we loved having the champagne at the breakfast buffet (and as an SPG platinum, it was such a treat), I thought I would ask. We can stay at either property but the champagne at the buffet for breakfast might decide it for us.

Thanks!

Andrito

MSP,

Was it fast enough for streaming? Thinking about staying here on a football Sunday and want to make sure that it can keep up with GamePass.

Thanks

MSPeconomist

I don't think I tried any video streaming while I was there. Sorry.

supatight80

First off, staffs here are super friendly and welcoming. They do go out of their way to satisfy guests.

Upgraded to Jr. Suite (with terrace) which is sufficient for 1 person as it doesn't feel that big even though it's 450ish square feet. It is however Easter weekend so all Jr suites and penthouse suites are sold out (I checked and the only suites available were the opera suites and Prince of Wales suite which I don't think is in the upgrade pool). But with my big rate of 165 euros net with breakfast, it's a pretty good deal :-)

Haven't tried breakfast yet so will update on that later. Wi-Fi is pretty good. Can view streaming videos.

Not too sure if they are renovating all rooms, but I think they should at renovate the bathroom. Feels gloomy. Also change their hair dryers to something that isn't circa 80s. And also add a table on the terrace.

But staffs here are really great and special thanks to Paul who made things happen at the very last minute and got me and my friends to the guestlist of Volksgarten Dance Club!

Also all my special requests (like extra bottled water, basket of fruits,etc), were provided so pretty good that this property does look at the ambassador's notes

GloverParker

I spent four nights at the Bristol earlier this month and had quite a lovely stay - was upgraded to an Opera Suite (using SNAs) which is enormous and quite ornately decorated, if you like that kind of thing. The service throughout our stay was friendly and helpful and the breakfast was good but not spectacular (for the question regarding champagne, yes, there is champagne). For what it's worth, the breakfast was offered to me as an option plat benefit, instead of points or a gift. That hasn't generally been my experience so I pressed it once but let it go.

The location simply can't be beat -- you can walk to just about everything you want and it certainly makes for a nice easy stroll home after the opera!

MSPeconomist

The SPG rule is supposed to be that Plats get free continental breakfast OR welcome amenity points OR local gift.

TennisNoob

Although you may of preferred the other options, the breakfast was a much better option. This hotel property exceeds in customer service. I was offered points at check-in instead of High speed internet, I passed.

Hotel manager left a note with a fruit basket even for a lowly gold like myself.
This hotel went above and beyond to accommodate virtually any service requests. (early check-in, room preferences)

----------------------------

To answer the question above in 11/28/14 for future readers, this hotels high speed internet is up to par for video streaming.

pinniped

Any recent Gold reports from either this hotel or the LM down the street? We have a 5-nighter in July...awards and C&P are available at both hotels. 2 adults + 2 kids...I'll book two standard rooms and won't expect much in the way of upgrades, so it's mainly a comparison of regular rooms - not the suites.

Leaning towards Bristol, as the reviews here are that the staff is generally much nicer than the LM. (Some of the LM reports are downright awful.) Also, the worst-case scenario at Bristol appears to be a King bed in each room, whereas the LM could leave me with a Queen in each if the hotel is sold out and I get ZERO (even minor) upgrades at all.

I'm just going to assume that no breakfast option exists at all at either hotel for Golds. It's Vienna...figure finding tasty food nearby shouldn't be hard.

Does either property have any kind of unusual Gold welcome amenity?

Reading Wifi complaints...is it strong enough in the rooms to get a basic connection? Thinking we'll use it for emails, Skype calls, etc. Not planning on streaming movies or anything like that... We'll be accessing via tablets and smartphones, so we do want *some* access to wireless (as opposed to wired) Internet.

Only thing that LM has in its favor is the pool, which the kids would use a little bit. However, the website has no photos of the pool, which leads me to believe it's not exactly a FUN pool, but perhaps a smaller one adjacent to the fitness center. We're spending the following few days in Barcelona at a hotel that is both near a beach and with a big outdoor pool, so the pool isn't a dealbreaker in Vienna.

EDIT: I notice part of Tennis Noob's post suggests he was Plat (breakfast being a welcome amenity) and part references Gold (fruit basket). Golds surely aren't offered breakfast, are they?

MSPeconomist

When I stayed here as a Plat during a very busy period, I was quite impressed by the Bristol's elite recognition. They apologized for not being able to upgrade me and preassigned the best room of the category I had reserved. My room contained a personal note, fruit basket, and bottle of wine. I seem to recall some comment to the effect that the "best available in category" is what they normally do for Golds. It's the published benefit, but I consider it good that the hotel tends to take this very seriously. [However, not that my room was quite small.]

Are adjoining or adjacent rooms an issue for your family? If so, you might want to ask each hotel what they can do for you on this.

LM is almost across the street (one of the ring strasse, on the inner ring but I forget what this section is called), so the locations are equivalent. The styles of the two hotels are very different, although both are in historic buildings. In addition, much of the lobby level of the LM seems to be a very popular loud bar for young people, while the separate bar (smoking allowed) off the lobby and the bar area of the restaurant at the Bristol seem to attract an sedate older and apparently somewhat wealthy crowd. I wouldn't describe either hotel as particularly family friendly.