The Andaz Vienna has so much going for it. Spacious rooms. Friendly staff. Tasty breakfast. Cool rooftop bar. But location, location, location…
I had to twist the arm of my business partner to stay at this hotel. We always stay at the Park Hyatt Vienna, but I wasn’t about to visit Vienna without visiting this recently-opened Hyatt property. It’s right in town, I assured him. Little did I know…
Andaz Vienna Location
Vienna is such a beautiful city, but the inner-city really is stunning. And right in the middle of that is the Park Hyatt. While the Andaz looks to be in central Vienna, at least if you look on a map, it really is not. At least not in the very heart of it, especially if you are a tourist.
Instead, you’re located a good 40 minute walk or 15 Uber ride away. The central train station is adjacent to the hotel: perhaps that will be convenient to some. There’s also museums and palaces within short walking distance.
But that heart of Vienna filled with cafes, restaurants, bars, and shopping is not nearby. Just warning you. It took me by surprise…don’t let it take you by surprise.
With that one potential negative out of the way, let’s move on all that is wonderful about this hotel.
Andaz Vienna Service
The young lady who checked me in recognized me from the Park Hyatt Vienna (she used to work there), but was very excited about her transfer and the new Andaz property. I appreciated that she seemed more excited than I was over my suite upgrade. The hotel has 303 rooms including 44 suites.
We ordered room service breakfast and the man who took our order and later delivered our food also showed a level of care that you don’t always see even at top hotels. For example, regular readers know I am a coffee snob and I asked for the cappuccinos with breakfast to be freshly made from a manual machine, not from a push-button dispensed automatic machine. Not only was he happy I made the request, he went on to offer different blends of coffee (Fair Trade of course) and assured me I would not be disappointed by the coffee.
The afternoon and evening bartender downstairs, pictured below (with her consent) also made tremendous coffee and cocktails.
Overall, the staff was friendly, proud of the new hotel, and eager to serve.
Andaz Vienna Suite
I was upgraded to a corner suite on the 13th floor, room 1322 to be exact. After stepping out of the elevator, I had to walk through a covered bridge to another wing of the hotel to find my room.
I really liked the style of the room. It was a “real” suite (separate living room) and although not huge by any means, there was plenty of room to spread out. The living room featured two sitting chairs, a desk, and a buffet that included a minibar (non alcoholic contents were free).
Just behind the desk, just adjacent to the entrance, was a walk-in closet.
The bedroom was small and included a bed with nightstands. We were jetlagged and up late working, so I cannot say I slept well in the bed, but it was a comfortable place to work.
An easy-to-control thermostat kept the room cold on what was an unseasonably hot day.
The bathroom area included a marble tub and separate shower and plenty of counter space on the sink.
The water closet was in a separate room and had some odd wallpaper on it that includes sketches of attractions in Italy.
Looking at the hotel floorplan map affixed to the door, it appears the suites are not that much bigger than the standard rooms.
Andaz Vienna Room Service Breakfast
When we finally fell asleep…it was 8:00AM. And we slept right through breakfast downstairs. When we finally woke up about 2:00PM, I ordered breakfast via room service, which offers breakfast 24/7.
As a Globalist in the World of Hyatt program, my breakfast was free and I could order whatever I wanted. My breakfast included:
- Cold-pressed beet juice
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice
- Mixed berries
- Croissant
- Cappuccino
- Yogurt
- Cornflakes
- Bottled water
I might have ordered French Toast or waffles as well, but did not want to overdo it and this was more than enough.
All food and drink was served at the proper temperature and tasted fresh and delectable.
I love that I can eat breakfast when I want not, not before a certain time in the morning. Sometimes jetlag rears its ugly head and the flexibility was nice, for I did not order breakfast because it was free, but because I wanted it…even in the afternoon.
Andaz Vienna Fitness
All of the fitness equipment, mostly from Italian-made Techno Gym, was brand new. The gym is spacious, with a large cardiovascular and free weight section. It also happened to be empty both times I visited it.
Andaz Vienna Spa
Adjacent to the fitness center are a trio of spa rooms and a wellness area with sauna and steam bath. While the gym was empty, the spa area was fairly crowded in the early evening when I used it.
There’s also a relaxation area that has complimentary bottles of water (more on that below) and mints.
Andaz Vienna Restaurants + Dining
On the ground level of the hotel, you’ll find Eugen21, a “modern Austrian tavern with classic and modern cuisine, inspired by Prinz Eugens travel.”
Since I slept through breakfast, I cannot really evaluate that…but I did enjoy a couple coffees and an adult beverage in the bar, all excellently made.
Much to my chagrin, I missed Cyclist, the hotels’ coffee shop. As you might imagine, that made me feel very stupid…though at least the coffee with breakfast came from here. The Andaz describes Cyclist as “an urban meeting place for athletes and health-conscious people with authentic, flexitarian food, sandwiches, salads and grilled dishes.” Oh brand speak…
Finally, I did venture up the rooftop bar, called Aurora, for some great views of the city. It’s a wonderful place to have a drink overlooking the city at night, but arrive early: the outdoor patio was so crowded I did not even bother to take a picture of it.
But I enjoyed this view:
Andaz Vienna Happy Hour
Each day from 5:00PM to 7:00PM, a complimentary happy hour is offered in the Eugen21 bar. It includes Austrian wine and beer and light snacks.
By the way, anytime you want free coffee or water you can head down to the lobby. The coffee is self-serve and the refrigerator always unlocked.
Andaz Vienna Style
Lastly, let me address the style of this hotel. While not quite as over-the-top as the Andaz Amsterdam, it is certainly more avant garde than the Andaz in Munich. I liked the eclectic style of the lobby and common areas, though I suppose I am too dense to sense a theme.
The hotel is also very “hip and with it” on environmental issues. Instead of bottled water, tap water is used for evening turn down service. Remember, you can get bottled water from the spa area anytime.
You’ll also have large bottles of Saint Charles soap, shampoo, and conditioner rather than single use ones. Rather than be paranoid, I decided to go with it…the scent is great.
CONCLUSION
This is a Category 3 property, so a great opportunity to your free night award from the Chase co-branded Hyatt Visa Credit Card. Frankly, this hotel won’t be a Category 3 for long. I expect it to jump to at least a Category 4 and potentially a Category 5 in the years to come. We paid about 200EUR/night for the room.
There’s no question about it. I am not coming back here if the Park Hyatt Vienna has availability. But that is hardly a condemnation of this hotel as much as it is a praise of the Park Hyatt and my preference for that location.
If you’re looking for a very comfortable hotel with high service levels at a fair price, this is a great new option in Vienna. Just bring your walking shoes!
A self-service portafilter espresso maker? How cool! Never seen that before. Though I doubt that everybody can use it properly.
Although it looks fancy, it’s actually a push-button machine. Silly illy! 😉
The Sigmund Freud doorbell is AMAZING!
DREADED TYPO STRIKES AGAIN: “After stepping out of the airlines, I had to walk through a covered bridge to another wing of the hotel to find my room.” I think you mean “elevator” not “airlines”. But I was tired enough that it took me a minute.
Looks nice but the location is not great for public transport or walking, unlike the PH.
In any case, I don’t ‘do’ elevated walkways between buildings, covered or otherwise; they are the work of the Devil.
It’s located right next to HbF, so actually public transportation isn’t the issue, just time if you want to be really central in Vienna.
Great report. Nice pics. You are my favorite lawyer/photographer…!
Thank you!
Good information. If you were with your business partner, presumably you were in Vienna on business, so why would it matter that you weren’t in the tourist zone downtown?
In this case, our business was with retailers in the downtown zone.
Matthew can you comment on any construction noise or train noise that you might have experienced?
Good question. I was fearful the trains would keep me up since the Hbf is literally directly under the hotel, but the glass is thick. No noise issues.
That’s good to know, thank you.
Matt – Your timing is always great in relation to my upcoming travel plans – ha. I’m staying at this Andaz this Christmas during my SkyTeam mileage run to Vienna. Keep up the good work and thanks for always somehow writing up places I am about to go to : )
Very nice review and great pics!
I say this in the kindest way possible. On the contrary, the location of this hotel is near perfect. Open your eyes to what’s right around the corner: the Belvedere. The park contains several gorgeous buildings, one of which (Schloss Belvedere) houses Klimt’s “The Kiss”. There are two amazing museums there, and the grounds are stunning. The Ring is about 10 minutes away by tram from the hotel. So walk down to the Innenstadt on the way there, passing through the Belvedere gardens, and take the tram back up. Tram 71 runs from the hotel and then past the Opera, the Fine Arts Museum, Parliament, the Hofburg, the Rathaus, the Votivkirche, etc. You’ll see everything in one go and can just hop on and hop off as needed.
Great review ! – I almost stayed at this hotel when I was in Vienna last week but wanted to be closer to the inner city for the touristy stuff. The design of the hotel looks awesome though ! How was the neighborhood around the hotel?
Your description of the location is inaccurate. It’s a quick 15 minute tram ride to the City center. Or, you can walk to the Albertina Art Museum in 30 minutes.
It took me longer.