Vienna, the new destination of choice for hoteliers. Month after month, the number of hotel openings has risen to such an extent that the Austrian capital has become a major tourist destination. one of Europe's most dynamic metropolises with Dublin, Frankfurt and Lisbon. According to Cushman & Wakefield, the hotel supply is set to grow by 4.2% over the period 2023-2025, compared with 1.1% in Paris and 2.5% in London.
In 2022, one of Vienna's new flagships, the prestigious Rosewood to one of the most famous squares in the historic centre, Petersplatz, in what was once the headquarters of the Erste Group Bank, transformed into a luxury hotel with 99 rooms and 27 suites, including a huge 1,800 m² presidential suite, in addition to three elegant lounges for events of up to 120 people.
Many other establishments were added last year, notably in the lively Brigittenau district with the voco Vienna Prater, from the IHG group, a contemporary hotel with 141 rooms and three meeting rooms. For Hilton, it was a new business hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Vienna Schonbrunn, with 247 rooms and a conference space for up to 600 people, all in parallel with the renovation of the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront. As for the Ascott group, which specialises in long-stay accommodation, it has made the Austrian metropolis the showroom for its brands with the opening, in quick succession, of three establishments at the end of last year: the lyf and Somerset Schönbrunn Vienna and the Citadines Danube Vienna.
2024 promises to be just as exciting packed with new products. In mid-March, the luxury brand Anantara, part of the Minor group, set up shop on Vienna's main thoroughfare, the Ring, in the prestigious Palais Hansen. Converted into a hotel just over a decade ago under the aegis of Kempinski, this historic residence dating back to the end of the 19th century is one of Vienna's most prestigious hotels.e The century-old hotel is changing hands and will be undergoing a phase of refurbishment to retain all its charm by next year. It comprises 152 rooms and suites, a dozen function rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Just two weeks later, The Hoxton hotel has opened, providing its lifestyle breath to a fairly standard range of hotels. Housed in the former headquarters of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, in the IIIe This modernist building from the 1950s has been revisited by AIME Studios in the spirit of its era, with fifties furniture inspired by early twentieth-century design.e of the Wiener Werkstätte, particularly in the 196 bedrooms, decorated with geometric curtains and headboards inspired by the architect Adolf Loos.
Lifestyle in business
Distinguished by its vast, double-height lobby bathed in light, this new hotel from Ennismore, a subsidiary of the Accor group, offers its guests a bistro, Bouvier, with a menu that takes guests back and forth between Paris and New York, from Caesar salads to gougères and moules-frites, with the added advantage of being extended by a terrace in fine weather. In the basement, there's a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, The rooftop terrace features a Cuban-style bar and swimming pool.
However, beyond these key elements of contemporary hotels, the Hoxton Vienne is also a true business hotel. The brand is offering its meetings concept The Apartment, comprising three rooms ranging from 32 to 54 m², grouped around a large communal area with kitchen and pantry. This is an event space for all kinds of events, from meetings to dinners and private parties. But above all - and this is a first for the brand - the hotel has a real auditorium, with direct entrance from the street. Descending in tiers like a cinema, the 143 m² auditorium is ideal for large-scale events.
Another Viennese heritage building to be revamped, the Imperial Riding School, will become a new member of the Marriott Group's Autograph Collection in May. Based on the former armoury founded in the XIXe century, in the time of Franz Joseph IerThe building then became the city's largest cinema, before being converted to hospitality. Redesigned by London design studio Goddard Littlefair, it will feature 342 rooms, a bar and a restaurant, as well as a wellness area with swimming pool, sauna, hammam and fitness centre. But the highlight of its offer will undoubtedly be its vast interior garden, right in the heart of Vienna, overlooked by the bar and restaurant. An ideal setting for cocktails and corporate events, the Imperial Riding School, Autograph Collection also has meeting rooms for up to 375 people.
In a more affordable styleIn the second half of the year, Vienna will also see the opening of one of the largest Hampton by Hilton hotels in the world, with 358 rooms, not far from the central station. As for the German budget brand Motel One, it intends to develop its top-of-the-range and lifestyle Cloud One brand in the Austrian capital in the near future. Among other current projects, Hyatt's upscale lifestyle brand Thompson is also due to open in Vienna next year. Located on Mariahilferstrasse, in the heart of Vienna's shopping district, the future 148-room hotel is to be part of an ambitious property complex that also includes a top-of-the-range shopping mall.
