Hotel Imperial
Category :
5 stars
Prix :
from 580 € / night – double room basis
Le Figaro's opinion
8/10
«Stay at the Imperial and feel like an Emperor», said Charlie Chaplin. This palace where he stayed has welcomed the Viennese and international elite for a century and a half. From Queen Elizabeth II to Michael Jackson, from Gorbachev to Mick Jagger, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga, from Hitchcock to Wes Anderson (who was inspired by The Grand Budapest Hotel)… The list is long of all the dignitaries, crowned heads and celebrities who have stayed at the Imperial. Originally the residence of Duke Philip of Württemberg and his beloved wife Maria Theresa, this palace dating from 1865 became a hotel in 1873, for the Vienna World's Fair. The establishment with its rich history joined Marriott’s “Luxury Collection” in 2016.
The situation
10/10
Dreamed. On the Ring, in the Innere Stadt. We exit the metro and find ourselves facing the Opera. A few minutes' walk and the neo-Renaissance facade of the hotel appears. The Musikverein (the Philharmonic, where the traditional New Year's concert is given) is just behind. Want Jugendstil? The little palace of the Secession and its Frise Beethoven signed Klimt are a stone's throw away. We cross Karlsplatz, glancing at Otto Wagner's Art Nouveau pavilions as we pass, and here is the marvelous baroque St. Charles Church. A short stroll leads to Saint-Etienne Cathedral and the Graben. As for the splendid Belvédère, it is three tram stations away. And for Schönbrunn Palace, barely fifteen minutes by metro are enough to reach it.
Hotel Imperial, Kärntner Ring 16, 1015 Vienna. Such. : +43 1 501 100. Metro: Karlsplatz (lines U1, U2 and U4).
The decor
9/10
As soon as you pass through the revolving door, the tone is set by the vast lobby where portraits of the first owners stand. In the Duke's time, it was a courtyard which housed stables! The Imperial Bar, with its comfortable armchairs, its piano, its immense chandelier, is just as monumental. We take the royal staircase – so much better than the elevator! – to access the 79 rooms and 59 suites: at the top awaits you the full-length portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph, who regularly went to the Imperial to meet the greats of this world. Without forgetting that of the beautiful Sissi, with her long hair dotted with diamond stars. Everywhere, statues, paintings, marble, gold and rich coffered ceilings of dizzying height. Everything recalls the splendor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Marriott / Photo presse
The rooms
10/10
The Sisi Suite tested (n° 78, twin, 65 m2, from €1,050 per night, “champagne breakfast buffet” included), very romantic, is a model of its kind with its 6 meter high ceilings, its moldings, its blue silk tapestries and heavy velvet curtains, its vestibule and living room with antique furniture… It nevertheless has two televisions and all the digital comforts. The bedding is comfortable and soft. “Palace service”, of course: drinks, fresh fruit and sweets await you on your arrival. And on the pillows, every evening, a delicate touch: the Imperial Torte, in petit four format (read further). But it was the beautiful and spacious bathroom in pink Italian marble that we fell in love with (amenities by Byredo).
Visual tour of the Imperial Hotel
Access the slideshow (14)
Service and equipment
9/10
The welcome is worthy of a palace, but warm and not stuffy. The staff, smiling and adorable, takes great care. The butlers are attentive, and the room service is not an empty word. Here, the concierge is an institution and will reserve a table, a show, a concert for you on request… Everything is possible, we are told. We wander through the cozy corridors feeling at home. In addition to the bar, restaurant and café, the establishment has historic reception rooms. Fitness room, but no pool or spa. But do we come to Imperial for that?
- Gym
- Restaurant
At the table and at the bar
6/10
The gourmet restaurant (Opus) being closed during our stay, we were not able to try it. The Café Imperial – which once counted Gustav and Alma Mahler, Sigmund Freud and Stefan Zweig among its regulars – serves local specialties, such as Wiener Schnitzel, a hearty schnitzel with light, puffed breading (€36). If the weather permits, prefer the terrace to the old-fashioned benches in the room which has become a little dreary.
Breakfast, served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., contrasts with the rest of the hotel's services. In a somewhat small and poorly arranged room, we sit at the buffet under unflattering neon lights. The service is a little impersonal, the classic breakfast. On the other hand, we will leave with the Imperial Torte in our luggage, a house specialty made with chocolate and marzipan. Don't panic: it will keep for six weeks in a cool place.
Marriott / Photo presse
Value for money
7/10
Obviously, the rates for rooms and suites are high, but the classic double room (30 m2) starts at €580 per night, “champagne breakfast buffet” included. To do once in your life to complete the experience of imperial Vienna.
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