I generally stay away from the big chains when traveling abroad, preferring boutique hotels instead. On this trip, I decided to splurge a little, and go a step up from what I usually do. Kempisnki has a collection of largely historic hotels throughout Europe, including the Palais Hansen Kempinski in Vienna. So I decided to give one a try for the first time. I paid €318.60 per night under the “Travel Your Way” rate with breakfast included. Though I usually forego breakfast, it was less than a euro per night over the room-only rate in this case. And so it made perfect sense here. Disclaimer: the hotel currently plans to re-flag under the Anantara brand effective March 1st. While Anantara plans to refurbish the hotel starting later this year, I expect most of the experience to remain similar.
Note: this post is part of my trip report series covering my visit to Austria in May, 2022. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna
- Schottenring 24, 1010 Wien, Austria
- Website: https://www.kempinski.com/en/palais-hansen?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=KIVIE1&utm_content=gmb&source=S308962248
- Facilities: 2 restaurants, lounge & bar, cigar lounge, spa, fitness center, meeting rooms, limo service, horse-drawn carriage rides
Dates of stay: May 6-8, 2022
Location and History
The Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna is on the city’s famous Schottenring, marking the northwest corner of the Innere Stadt. It’s an easy (20 minutes or less) walk to most of the First District’s main attractions. These include Stephansdom, the Albertina, the Hofburg, the Vienna State Opera House, and more. Other important landmarks just outside the Innere Stadt, including Karlskirche and Stadtpark, are also a ~20 minute walk away. The hotel also enjoys easy access to the Underground via Schottenring station, a few hundred feet north. Or take the tram from the Börse (across the street) or Schottenring stops.
The building itself traces its history to 1873, when Theophil Edvard Hansen built the palace for the Vienna World’s Fair. (Hansen enjoyed quite a reputation in Austria, having also designed the Parliament building, among other notable landmarks). Although initially intended as a hotel, the building didn’t actually open as one. Instead, it housed various municipal offices until 1997. At that time, the city of Vienna sold the building, when private investors purchased it to convert it to a hotel. Thus began a 16-year renovation, with the hotel opening under the Kempinski flag in 2013.
Check-In and Common Areas
I arrived at the hotel about 3:30, initially finding a rather long line to check in. Not to worry, one of Kempinski’s famous “Ladies in Red” came by to help. With that, I completed check-in within a few minutes, and spent a few minutes looking around the lobby area. First impressions – the hotel sure has a ton of chandeliers. I mean, they’re quite literally everywhere. There’s also plenty of high-end marble and furniture to go around. The hotel does give off something of a Gilded Age vibe, which the opulent lobby lounge certainly contributes to.
Speaking of lobby lounge, you can enjoy a quiet drink and snack here during the day. On evenings, a pianist performs classical music, about as classic Vienna as you can get.
Meanwhile, on the 2nd floor is an oddly located, small sitting area with a scale model of the hotel.
Also on the 2nd floor is an outdoor terrace. There is a pleasant space to walk around here, and a few benches to sit and enjoy a coffee when the weather’s nice.
The hotel’s exterior, meanwhile, exhibits the grand design you’d expect from a building constructed for the World’s Fair. The archways in particular stand out in this corner of the Innere Stadt.
On the other hand, as fancy as most of the hotel is, the guest room corridors definitely aren’t. I found them quite dark, which gave them a very drab and dungeon-like feel. I guess I also expected more in the way of artwork and decorations.
Each elevator bank does have a small waiting area off to the side. And there is artwork, though the style seems out of place to the hotel in general.
Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna – Guest Rooms
The “Superior Room” is the base offering, but even it’s fairly spacious by European standards. Measuring 344 square feet, the room features a particularly long entryway from the door, with the bathroom to the left and several cabinets to the right.
The doors on the right actually reveal several different features. In the compartment closest to the sleeping area, there is a refrigerator stocked with water and soft drinks. All soft drinks are complimentary and are replenished daily.
Meanwhile, the next cabinet contains a safe and several cubbies, for both clothes and jewelry.
And finally, a very large luggage storage area, with an oversized wardrobe next door.
Turn left for the bathroom, with its centerpiece the deep soaking tub. Controls are, interestingly, by push buttons, something I haven’t seen previously. If you like a good soak after a long day, this is one of the best tubs I’ve seen for one. It also features a separate walk-in shower and water closet. The bathroom is nicely appointed, with marble floors throughout, and includes Salvatore Ferragamo amenities. While it wasn’t all that cold on my visit, I’m sure the heated towel rack comes in handy in the winter.
Turning back to the room, I did find the layout somewhat unusual, with the TV up against the window. There’s no view from this room, so not like it really mattered. Otherwise, the room features a small desk, a couch, and a large painting on the wall.
One complaint about the room – while the bed looks comfy, I found it uncomfortably firm. I do have back issues these days while sleeping, and it stiffened up pretty good on me after a few hours.
Meanwhile, if you need to work, there is a large desk next to the couch. However, there’s no power port at the desk, limiting its utility quite a bit.
So where are the power ports? Two (European socket) on each nightstand. I stupidly forgot my adapter, though. While the front desk does have one or two you can borrow, the one I received didn’t work. I ended up having to go to the MediaMarkt at the Wien Mitte the next day to buy one. (And yes, in the 21 months since, I proceeded to lose that one, too.) Waiting on one of the nightstands was a small pastry as a welcome gift.
The tablet doubles as a hotel guide, and also provides a USB-A port for mobile devices.
Finally, there is an in-room Nespresso machine above the refrigerator. It’s fine and all, though I preferred to get my morning coffee in the restaurant downstairs.
Overall, I found the room…good, but perhaps not quite as luxurious as I was expecting. I think that mostly had to do with the uncomfortable bed. The bathroom is quite nice, though, and the abundant storage space is a big plus.
Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna – Food & Beverage
I decided to take full advantage of my 1 euro breakfast both mornings. Yes, I know, I’ve said many times I don’t care much about hotel breakfast. Europe, though, is the one place I value it, mainly because a big breakfast provides an alternative to an often expensive lunch.
Anyway, the Palais Hansen serves breakfast in the Wintergarten restaurant downstairs. Though the restaurant features plenty of seating, it does get popular on weekends. I even found no tables available on Sunday around 10:15, though I came back about 15 minutes later and got a table with no problem. I did enjoy the faux outdoor patio look with the plant-covered walls.
For the most part, breakfast is buffet style, though there’s a pretty good selection of items. There are a handful of hot items, including sausage, bacon, and stewed tomatoes.
As you’d expect in Europe, you’ll also find a variety of breads, cheeses, and cold cuts.
Due to crowding, I couldn’t get a photo of anything but the yogurt chiller. However, there are also a selection of cereals and muesli to choose from. You can also see a couple of juice dispensers in the back. Yes, the orange juice is fresh squeezed (and quite delicious).
Several fresh fruits were also on offer.
Meanwhile, there is a live omelette station if you prefer something freshly made. You can also add diced ham, several vegetables, and cheese to make one as you like it.
Coffee drinks are dispensed through a push-button machine. If you’re a coffee snob, it probably won’t do much for you. But I found the cappuccino decent enough for the machine variety.
Somewhat surprisingly, I also found a bucket of sparkling wine. Not a half bad one, either, so grab a flute for a decent champagne brunch.
I grabbed a little bit of everything, getting a good fill to tide me over through lunch both days.
If you’re in the mood for something fancier, the hotel’s other restaurant, Edvard, earned a Michelin star. I didn’t have time to try it, but if you enjoy splurging, you have an in-house option here.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed trying out the Kempinski brand for the first time, but going in, I had the impression of a more luxurious property. I imagined something like the Gilded Age opulence of The Roosevelt in New Orleans or The Brown Hotel in Louisville. That’s not really the style here, apart from the lobby. Overall though, for a high-end boutique experience, this is a nice property, especially if you can score a good discount package in advance.
