Vienna Trip – Hotel Bristol

Introduction

Edinburgh Airport & Aspire Lounge

Lufthansa Economy Edinburgh to Frankfurt

Austrian Airways Economy Frankfurt to Vienna

Hotel Bristol (Vienna)

Lufthansa Economy Vienna to Frankfurt

Lufthansa Economy Frankfurt to Edinburgh

Hotel Bristol (Vienna)

The Hotel Bristol is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna opposite the Vienna State Opera House and is now one of the most exclusive hotels in Austria and arguably the world after being restructured by the famous hotelier Georg Hochfilzer. It has hosted many historical figures including Teddy Roosevelt. The Prince of Wales and Wallis Simpson sojourned here at the height of their affair, in 1936; the most sumptuous suite is named after him.

I booked this hotel using the American Express Fine Hotels & Resort (FHR) service that I have access to as an American Express Platinum Card holder. For this hotel it meant booking at the flexible rate rather than the lowest available rate other than that there is no premium to using the service.

By booking using FHR this entitled me to:

  • Noon Check-In
  • 4pm Check-Out
  • Upgraded Room
  • Daily Breakfast
  • 3 Course Dinner & Soft drink at the hotel’s restaurant

At check-in I was acknowledged as being a FHR user and a SPG Gold level member, this I selected High speed internet as my Gold level perk, however in addition to the free high speed internet I was given 250 points as well.

Room 167

Room 167

I was in assigned to room 167 which is on the first floor and the corner along from the Prince of Wales suite which is the hotel’s flagship suite.

The Prince of Wales Suite

The Prince of Wales Suite

Room 167 has a view of the State Opera house.

View from Room 167

View from Room 167

Room 167 was large, with an entrance hallway and a bathroom off that hallway.

Room's entrance hallway, with bathroom off to the right

Room’s entrance hallway, with bathroom off to the right

The room’s decor fitted with the hotel, that is to say old fashioned but was large and comfortable.

Room 167's windows & TV

Room 167’s windows & TV

Room 167's bed

Room 167’s bed

The hotel provided bottles of water every night along with some welcome chocolates.

The hotel also left a note to let you know what the weather was forecast to be the next day.

Weather forecast & welcome chocolate

Weather forecast & welcome chocolate

The room key was large but with the intention that you leave it at reception when you go out and pick it up when you return and this was explained to me, though apparently wasn’t explained to ‘Lucky‘ when he stayed at the more luxurious  sister hotel.

The bathroom was also large with twin sinks, a bath, and a shower.

Twin Sinks

Twin Sinks

The Shower, can you spot the fail ;) (1st world problem).

The Shower, can you spot the fail 😉 (1st world problem).

Bath Tub

Bath Tub

The free breakfast that I got by booking through American Express Fine Hotels & Resort was the full breakfast, and was a good spread. The eggs were all freshly cooked to order from fried eggs, to poached, as well as scrambled eggs or omelettes, and were all well cooked.

Hot breakfast options

Hot breakfast options

Breakfast buffet

Breakfast buffet

Cereal

Cereal

Cold spread including Salmon, and cold meats

Cold spread including Salmon, and cold meats

In addition to the above spreads, there was also the option of juices and pastries.

Conclusion

If you like old fashioned hotels this is a great choice, with good hotel service and a great location. When I visit Vienna again I will be staying at the Hotel Bristol again.

Have you stayed at the Hotel Bristol what are your thoughts? What hotel would you recommend for staying in Vienna?

 

Upcoming Trip Report – Vienna

Scotland’s Flyer is pleased to announce that he will be taking an upcoming trip to Vienna.

I will be flying with Lufthansa from Edinburgh via Frankfurt to Vienna in Economy class (Business class within Europe is not worth the price premium in my opinion.)

And staying at Hotel Bristol (leveraging both the American Express Fine Hotels & Resort service and also my Gold level SPG status), I will let you know how that works out during the trip report.

The hotel was named after the British town Bristol. In Vienna it was disproved for the first time that the Bristol had been named after the fourth Earl of Bristol. The Earl lived some 100 years before the opening of Europe’s Bristol Hotels (Rome 1870, Warsaw 1901, Oslo 1920, Paris 1925 and some 50 more), his emblem was totally different from that of the town in Suffolk which has nothing to do with the Earl.

Bristol’s emblem depicts a castle and a ship. Bristol, after all, was the town from where many expeditions put out to sea. The original unicorns were displaced by lions in 1923. Later, in 1932 and 1975, the unicorns appeared again. Today, the emblem bears the lions once again. The motto Virtute et Industria, virtue and industriousness, can be read above our hotel’s entrance door; it is, in fact, the same motto that decorates the emblem of the town Bristol in England.

Have you been to Vienna?

Let me know in the comments section what hints & tips you have so that I and other readers can benefit from your knowledge.

Are you looking forward to my trip report or should I only review trips where I travel Business Class or above?

Let me know in the comments section.