Austria's physical proximity to Eastern Europe played a part in the rise of Vienna as the centre of a neutral territory in the post-Second World War era. Such was the attraction of "neutral" Vienna that Opec chose the city for its headquarters in 1965, and in 1980 the United Nations Office moved into the Vienna International Centre, a ground-breaking development on the east bank of the Danube which is now known as Uno-City.
The fall of the Iron Curtain, and in particular the Velvet Revolution in former Czechoslovakia in 1989, further enhanced Vienna's growing economic influence in the new democratic central Europe. Many international companies (Siemens, McKinsey, Boston Consulting, Hutchison Telecoms) and national companies (OMV oil, A1 telecoms) located here as a stepping-stone from which to test the emerging markets of Eastern Europe. Of course, since then many have pushed far further eastwards. The vacuum has been filled by the renewed impetus of last year's EU expansion. Only a member of the Union since 1995, Austria nevertheless held the Presidency during 2006.
A new initiative sees the possibility of a twinning between Vienna and the Slovak capital, Bratislava. A mere 65km apart, they are apparently the world's closest capitals; close enough for Bratislava to be Ryanair's "Vienna". And the "twinning" is not just the usual shiny new sign on the roadside. Under consideration is public funding for business start-ups and relocation, as well as common policies for infrastructure and education to help create a united Vienna-Bratislava business and living area. To date the co-operation only extends to a shared parking-ticket scheme; however, a new boat transfer, the Twin City Liner, was launched this summer, taking 75 minutes centre to centre.
And there's no stopping the pace of expansion. Vienna International airport has a new Skylink terminal under construction that should allow it to handle 24 million passengers by 2010. This goes some way towards making up for the airport operator's recent failed bid for Bratislava airport. Vienna's airport now accesses the city centre by a direct train link, with the inspired name, the City Airport Train or CAT.
The RX Messe Wien conference centre opened in 2004, joining the purpose-built Austrian Centre Vienna and the imperial grandeur of the Hofburg Congress Centre, the former winter palace of the Habsburgs, as the city's main meeting venues. Together these ensure Vienna retains its position as the world's number one venue for international conferences (Source: International Congress & Convention Association, 2005). Significantly, a growing majority of the exhibitors are from outside Austria, attracted perhaps by hotel room rates that in the five-star category are lower than neighbouring Prague.
The hotel sector is no exception to all this expansion. New for 2006 are a pair of boutique hotels, DO & CO and The Levante Parliament, both members of the Design Hotels marketing organisation. They join one of its first members, the Das Triest, a former coaching inn transformed some ten years ago by Sir Terence Conran. This "timeless classic" was looking a little long in the tooth but an on-going refurbishment programme, still under Conran's auspices, has already seen the suites made over with custom-designed sofas. The two conference rooms have been upgraded and free wireless LAN is available. The restaurant, Collio, has adopted a warmer terracotta colour scheme which, with a flexible lighting system, provides a more comfortable experience that appeals to media-oriented guests. Completed this autumn are the lounge and lobby areas, with the remaining guest rooms on the list for 2007. General manager Manfred Stallmajer remains at the helm, providing superlative service in this 72-room gem.
Matching the Das Triest with a location just outside the inner ring road, or Ringstrasse, is The Levante Parliament. It opened in June 2006, with most of the 70 guest rooms overlooking a quiet courtyard. Still to come are the four suites on the fifth floor plus the spa and gym area. The hotel is richly decorated with striking red glass installations and the guest rooms, with particularly high ceilings, are accented with the same colour used for the leather desk, seat upholstery and bathroom toiletries. Free internet access and desk space make the hotel suitable for the business traveller. Meeting space is available in the contrasting baroque splendour of the adjacent Palais Auersperg. For longer stays, The Levante Laudon, a sister property some ten minutes' walk away, offers serviced apartments with full access to all the hotel's facilities.
For the most central location in town, DO & CO, which opened in May 2006, cannot be beaten. Located directly opposite the gothic grandeur of the Stephansdom, Vienna's main cathedral, the hotel occupies the Hans Hollein-designed Haas Haus. A "wing" similar to the Soravia Wing, also by Hollein, on the nearby Albertina museum, tops the curving grey-green façade. Forty-one guest rooms and two suites occupy the middle floors of the building. Beautiful teak cabinetry and mustard-coloured suede wall panels make for a tactile experience. Look for the leather pull-tab to reveal the hidden bank of international power and communication sockets. Kilim bed throws and hand-worked silver-effect coffee trays/tables are a nod to the hotel's Turkish owners.
A lively bar and restaurant with sushi "tower", wok station and fabulous roof terrace top the lot. What the hotel lacks in meeting facilities is more than accounted for by its position (and pricing) as a modern accommodation alternative in a city where tradition has generally been the norm.
Also centrally located is the 78-room Radisson SAS Style Hotel, which opened in January 2005. Its "Milan chic meets Viennese tradition" design had it earmarked to be the first of the fashion hotels from Rezidor SAS. The former bank's oval lobby is now a spacious internal lounge of reflecting surfaces and an under-lit patterned glass floor. This space links the entrance, the onyx-fronted H12 bar and the Sapori Italian restaurant. Dark colours and boxy, Hoffman-inspired furniture give rooms a slightly masculine feel, and with free internet access as standard, they are more than functional. Enter through the original bank vault door to the basement spa.
Two other relatively recent arrivals include Le Méridien and Palais Coburg. A member of Relais & Châteaux, Palais Coburg opened in November 2003. Just 35 luxurious suites are accessed through the stunning lobby – a glass insertion over the old city walls, which have been modified into a sommelier's delight of high vaulted tunnels. Together with the meticulous garden and state salons, these are ideal event venues.
Right on the Ringstrasse, Le Méridien Vienna opened at the same time following a €110-million conversion of a grand imperial Viennese apartment block. The 294 guest rooms follow the brand's Art + Tech design philosophy, incorporating clear and minimal design. Three phones and high-speed internet access (which is included in the room rate) complete the look. Eight conference rooms with capacity for 400 cocktail guests put the hotel firmly in the business category. The Shambala bar and restaurant, plus a modern take on a Viennese coffee shop and basement gym with pool, complete the package.
While the Le Méridien brand is a new addition to Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the group has for some years been represented in the city with two properties from its Luxury Collection brand. Just along the Ringstrasse from the Le Méridien, the Hotel Bristol is in classic Grand Hotel style, all marble and chandeliers. An internally lit onyx wall has recently been inserted into the Korso restaurant, providing a strong visual contrast to the hotel's snug, gentlemen's-club bar.
However, the true Grand Dame of the city and the choice of visiting heads of state is without doubt the Hotel Imperial. The sweeping marble staircase, gilded rococo mirrors, vast chandeliers and flower arrangements set a majestic tone. Rooms on the fourth and fifth floors were recently renovated with a slightly more contemporary touch than the original, traditional royal style. Of the 138 rooms, 70 are suites that all come with personal butler service. Prices are not for the faint-hearted, but your address will say it all.
Also in on the refurbishment act is an equally venerable Viennese institution, the Hotel Sacher. Opposite the opera, the hotel is famous for its torte and its association with Graham Greene's The Third Man. Until a few years ago the interiors would probably have been recognised by the film's star, Orson Welles. However, a 14-month renovation program has seen the whole hotel opulently renewed. An additional two stories now cap the existing run of six contiguous town houses, generating 43 new rooms, a luxurious spa and a small business centre, offering free wireless LAN. The top corner suites have unparalleled terraces. The interior design for the new rooms by Pierre-Yves Rochon is a decidedly upbeat and less fussy version of the traditional, elaborately patterned existing rooms. Now the damask fabric covers just one wall. The owning Gürtler family has clearly recognised the need to move with the times in order to attract a younger audience.
Of course the city is not just about the boutique and luxury sector. All the major international hotel groups are well represented here. Hilton has three city-centre properties; the one adjacent to the Stadtpark has just received a shiny new façade. Spanish chain NH Hotels also has three central properties, as well as another right in the airport. The Radisson SAS Palais Hotel has a touch of stately grandeur, slightly let down by a Thai-themed restaurant adjacent to the bar, complete with an electric grand piano. The Marriott next door has more of a shopping-mall feel to the lobby, complete with mock waterfall. Both are in need of makeovers to keep up with the competition.
The InterContinental Hotel has the requisite meeting space for a 453-room hotel. Joining the InterContinental Hotels Group's flagship hotel is a new Crowne Plaza opening this year alongside the UN building and convention centre. Also in the vicinity is the latest addition to Vienna-based Arcotels: the 282-room Arcotel Kaiserwasser is due to open this summer. Here seven meeting rooms and a spa indicate the attempt to appeal to wider audience.
Another local hotel group, Austrian Trend Hotels, is well represented in the city with 17 hotels, mainly in the four-star category. Back on the Ringstrasse, the Grand Hotel, formerly the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has a new owner, JJW Hotels & Resorts. Investor Sheik Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber has also obtained the plot on the other side of the street where the 134-room Ring Hotel will open this autumn. The Hotel im Palais Schwarzenberg, another venerated Viennese hotel, is currently closed for refurbishment and is due to re-open in early 2008.
With both Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton rumoured to be interested in the city, there is clearly plenty of confidence about. This is backed up by significant investment in both infrastructure and individual properties. Add a dynamic tourist office pushing a cohesive visitor programme, which in particular seeks to maintain the city's position in the world conference sector, and it is no wonder that Vienna's hotel market is expanding. However the spectre of over-supply is looming, particularly at the luxury end of the market. This may serve to drive rates down to the advantage of the paying business guest.
Dig the new breed: Design hotels in Vienna
Hotel Das Triest
Weidner Hauptstrasse 12, +43 1 589 180; dastriest.at
Rooms from €159 including breakfast
DO & CO Hotel
Stephansplatz 12, +43 1 24 188 doco.com
Rooms from €310
The Levante Parliament
Auerspergstrasse 9, +43 1 228 28 thelevante.com
Rooms from €170
Radisson SAS Style Hotel
Herrengasse 12, +43 1 22 7800 radissonsas.com
Rooms from €185
Le Méridien
Opernring 13-15, +43 1 588 900 lemeridien.com/vienna
Rooms from €195
Hotel Sacher
Philharmonikerstrasse 4, +43 1 51 4560; sacher.com
Rooms from €239
Hotel Bristol
Kärntner Ring 1, +43 1 515 160 luxurycollection.com/bristol
Rooms from €229
Hotel Imperial
Kärntner Ring 16, +43 1 501 100 luxurycollection.com/imperial
Rooms from €345
Palais Coburg
Coburgbastei 4, +43 1 518 180 palais-coburg.com
Rooms from €560 including breakfast and drinks from the minibar; 14-day cancellation policy on all bookings.
All hotel rates are for a midweek stay in early February, include taxes and are room-only unless stated.
Others
Hilton – hilton.com
NH Hotels – nh-hotels.com
Radisson SAS Palais Hotel – vienna.radissonsas.com
Marriott Vienna – marriott.com/vieat
Grand Hotel – jjwhotels.com
Intercontinental Hotel – vienna.intercontinental.com
Arcotels – arcotel.at
Austria Trend Hotels – austria-trend.at
Ring Hotel – ringhotel.com
Useful Contacts
Vienna Tourist Board
1 Albertinaplatz / Maysedergasse, +43 1 2111 4222, wien.info
Vienna Convention Bureau
Untere Augartenstrasse 38, +43 1 211 14, vienna.convention.at
City Airport Train (CAT)
Links Vienna International Airport with the city centre in 16 minutes, direct.
Trains every half hour 0600-2300.
€9 one way; cityairporttrain.com
