It was only €179 a night for an Advance Purchase Breakfast + Dinner Rate in a Hilton Guest Room, but I also knew I would get an upgrade to an Executive Room with Lounge Access.
So for €179 I got an Executive Room valued at €248 (the price for just the room at the time of booking) and Full Buffet Breakfast €20 + €20 and Dinner €35 + €35. That is €200 worth of extras for €179. With a deal as good as that I had to stay at the Hilton at least 1 night.
The Hilton is situated in a fantastic location in the heart of Vienna directly in front of the beautiful Stadtpark.
From the hotel it is only a short walk to the historical center. In terms of transportation this hotel could not be beaten. The hotel is located directly above a metro stop from where you can get anywhere in Vienna and it is directly above the terminal for the fantastic City Airport Train CAT. The distance from the CAT was a major draw-card when choosing a hotel in Vienna. This meant I could drop me bags off within minutes of leaving my room, check-in for my flight and head back to the hotel for a wonderful buffet breakfast and then jump on the quick airport train and be at the airport in about 15 minutes without having to carry my check-in luggage and wait in line for my boarding pass, all I had to do was walk straight to my boarding gate. That was the best airport experience of my life!
Location:
Fantastic in terms of transportation but not a good in terms of walking distance from sights.
Hotel Design/Feel and Ambiance:
The hotel is rather generic and plain which was a let down given the antiquity of the the city of Vienna. As soon as you enter the hotel it is like being in a little America, apart from the items on the menu there is nothing to remind you of where you are in the world. You could be inside any Hilton hotel in the world. There is absolutely nothing Austrian or Viennese at all. This really takes away from the experience of being in the beautiful city of Vienna. As for the same price I was able to stay at the Radisson Blu Palais that was a former place built in 1872. Although not as refined and comfortable as the Hilton I truly felt that I was in Vienna every second of my stay.
Having said that the hotel lobby is very nice with a fantastic restaurant and bar.
Check-In:
The Hilton is situated in a fantastic location in the heart of Vienna directly in front of the beautiful Stadtpark.
From the hotel it is only a short walk to the historical center. In terms of transportation this hotel could not be beaten. The hotel is located directly above a metro stop from where you can get anywhere in Vienna and it is directly above the terminal for the fantastic City Airport Train CAT. The distance from the CAT was a major draw-card when choosing a hotel in Vienna. This meant I could drop me bags off within minutes of leaving my room, check-in for my flight and head back to the hotel for a wonderful buffet breakfast and then jump on the quick airport train and be at the airport in about 15 minutes without having to carry my check-in luggage and wait in line for my boarding pass, all I had to do was walk straight to my boarding gate. That was the best airport experience of my life!
Location:
Fantastic in terms of transportation but not a good in terms of walking distance from sights.
Hotel Design/Feel and Ambiance:
The hotel is rather generic and plain which was a let down given the antiquity of the the city of Vienna. As soon as you enter the hotel it is like being in a little America, apart from the items on the menu there is nothing to remind you of where you are in the world. You could be inside any Hilton hotel in the world. There is absolutely nothing Austrian or Viennese at all. This really takes away from the experience of being in the beautiful city of Vienna. As for the same price I was able to stay at the Radisson Blu Palais that was a former place built in 1872. Although not as refined and comfortable as the Hilton I truly felt that I was in Vienna every second of my stay.
Having said that the hotel lobby is very nice with a fantastic restaurant and bar.
Check-In:
Check-in was pleasant but the staff weren't very competent or knowledgeable. I purchased a Hilton Advance Purchase Breakfast and Dinner Rate to which the check-in staff had no knowledge of this type of rate. I have purchased this rate at nearly every Hilton I stay at and never have any difficulty but the staff had know idea and I had to bring it to their attention after I had checked in and I had to wait for about 10 minutes for them to phone other staff members before being told what would be offered. On the plus side as a Hilton HHonors Gold Member my status was thoroughly recognized. I was given a Executive Room with Lounge Access and all the normal benefits plus a fantastic welcome food presentation in my room.
Room:
I stayed in a Executive City View Room. The rooms were a reasonable size and very functional with many power outlets in wise locations. The room also had a large desk and fast free Wi-Fi as a Gold member. The beds were also very comfortable and the view was very nice. But the furniture was a little cheap looking and plain.
The bathroom was also one of the smallest I have ever seen at a Hilton hotel, especially for an executive room. There was only a combined bath and shower. But the bathroom was very clean and the Peter Thomas Roth Amenities were great.
The Executive Lounge:
The executive lounge was fantastic. There was a great selection of food and the evening drinks were great. The lounge was a great size with very helpful staff. The view and ambiance were also special. The coffee was also very good. The only letdown was that the computers in the lounge were unusable as they were soo slow and old.
The buffet breakfast at S'PARKS was to a very high standard there was absolutely nothing to fault. The setting was nice, the food and selection were good. The juice was fresh, the coffee was good and came quickly and there were plenty of staff on hand to clear plates.
Buffet Dinner:
As per my Breakfast Dinner Rate I chose the buffet over the la-carte menu. The buffet was good but nothing special. But the desserts were very good. The setting and ambiance were also very nice.
Although this was another Generic Hilton hotel, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at this hotel and would definitely return given my first choice is now gone. The location was fantastic, the lounge was great and the food and recognition of my status was very good as well. And given my inclusion of Breakfast and Dinner in my rate it would be hard to go past this hotel.
The bathroom was also one of the smallest I have ever seen at a Hilton hotel, especially for an executive room. There was only a combined bath and shower. But the bathroom was very clean and the Peter Thomas Roth Amenities were great.
The Executive Lounge:
The executive lounge was fantastic. There was a great selection of food and the evening drinks were great. The lounge was a great size with very helpful staff. The view and ambiance were also special. The coffee was also very good. The only letdown was that the computers in the lounge were unusable as they were soo slow and old.
Food
Buffet Breakfast:The buffet breakfast at S'PARKS was to a very high standard there was absolutely nothing to fault. The setting was nice, the food and selection were good. The juice was fresh, the coffee was good and came quickly and there were plenty of staff on hand to clear plates.
Buffet Dinner:
As per my Breakfast Dinner Rate I chose the buffet over the la-carte menu. The buffet was good but nothing special. But the desserts were very good. The setting and ambiance were also very nice.
Although this was another Generic Hilton hotel, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at this hotel and would definitely return given my first choice is now gone. The location was fantastic, the lounge was great and the food and recognition of my status was very good as well. And given my inclusion of Breakfast and Dinner in my rate it would be hard to go past this hotel.
Hilton HHonours Points Earned: 2,816
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