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Vienna is such a beautiful, historical city of Austria and I just had to stay in a hotel that matched it’s ambiance. Grand Hotel Wien seemed like the perfect place to stay known for its exquisite hospitality and refined luxury.

HISTORY

Grand Hotel Wien opened in 1870 and was the first luxury hotel of Vienna. It quickly became famous for being the hub of Viennese social life. Johann Strauss, the king of waltz, celebrated his 50-year jubilee here. It was nearly impossible to get a room here because the hotel was always fully booked. 

In 1911, the hotel expanded and offered 100 additional rooms. In 1945, the hotel had to close its doors for 10 years as the Russian troops occupied the building. In 1958, it became the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency for over 20 years. In 1994, the building was renovated and once again became the beautiful, luxurious hotel it was originally known for. So much history!

GETTING HERE

We arrived in Vienna via train at Vienna Central Station (Wien Hauptbahnhof). It’s a huge, modern train station (compared to Budapest and Bratislava) and fairly easy to navigate. An uber ride to the hotel was about 10 minutes and cost around 20€. If you’re arriving at the Vienna airport, an Uber ride will be about 20 minutes and roughly around 35€.

FIRST IMPRESSION

When we arrived at the hotel, there was a doorman standing outside waiting to grab our things and escorted us to the front desk. We walked through he fancy revolving doors and into a beautiful lobby with a grand chandelier hanging down from the ceiling.

We arrived a little early at 10am so I wasn’t expecting to get a room since check-in time is normally 2pm, but I was pleasantly surprised that they were able to give us a room right away. 

THE ROOM

The room was gorgeous, as expected, with it’s classic historical charm. Even though this hotel has been renovated over the years, they still kept the original feel of it’s classic, royal look and it was very fitting for our stay in Vienna.

We booked superior room with two twin beds and although the beds weren’t the most comfortable, it was the best two nights of sleep I had on my entire European trip. The room is soundproofed very well and I didn’t hear any noises at all. Even though the room is described as “superior” it was pretty tiny compared to other hotels I’ve stayed at. I would say it’s a standard size room.

The room came with a TV, working desk, a little sitting area with complimentary bottle of water, a big closet, a trouser press (the first time I’ve seen something like this), umbrella, extra blankets, slippers, shoe shine kit, coffee, tea, and a safe. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall seeing a refrigerator in the room unless I completely overlooked it.

The bathroom was gorgeous and spacious with two sinks, a large bathtub with shower,  a magnifying mirror with light, plenty of toiletries, large and soft towels, a plush stool to sit on to apply your makeup or style your hair and two robes. There is a separate area for the toilet and bidet and I especially appreciated the little baggies they provided for women’s feminine products. Very thoughtful.

We stayed in Room 342 and didn’t have much a view since it was located on the side where it was facing another building nearby. If you want to a better view, I would definitely ask for this beforehand.

THE AMENITIES

The hotel houses many restaurants and bars including a Japanese restaurant, a rooftop restaurant with 1 Michelin star, a bar lounge and more. We tried to dine at the Japanese restaurant, Unkai, but they were fully booked. If you want to dine at one of their restaurants, I would highly suggest making a reservation.

They also have a spa, gym, ballrooms, and conference rooms. One of the most convenient things I encountered was the mall that was connected right to the hotel. There is a store within the mall that sells basic essentials, so if you forgot to bring something with you, this would be an ideal location to purchase something. There were also numerous clothing stores and a grocery department downstairs that had fresh looking fruits and vegetables.

Free wifi is provided but only up to two devices. There is an extra charge of 10€ if you would like to have wifi on additional devices. The wifi worked really well but there was one day we had some problems with it. I called the front desk and they resolved it rather quickly by giving me a code.

I loved that they offered turndown service as well. We didn’t need the turndown service but it was nice that they offered it and they still left us chocolates.

THE LOCATION

The location is absolutely perfect and central to everything. It’s steps away from the Opera House, palaces, museums, shopping and the famous Cafe Sacher. Although it’s in a central location, the hotel us tucked away in a corner where you’re not overwhelmed by massive crowds.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We absolutely loved our stay at Grand Hotel Wien. The service was superb, the rooms were richly decorated and the location was perfect. It’s not a cheap hotel, but Vienna is generally a bit expensive with their accommodations (average is around $200 per night in the city center), so I just spent a little more on this hotel and glad I did. Everything was very luxurious and convenient.

GRAND HOTEL WIEN
ADDRESS: Kärntner Ring 9, 01. Innere Stadt, 1010 Vienna, Austria