Park Hyatt ViennaOfficially opened in June 2014, the day before our arrival, the Park Hyatt Vienna is a very welcome addition to the limited selection of Hyatt hotels in Europe, adding a very important tourist and business destination to the Hyatt portfolio. After eagerly anticipating the opening of the hotel and checking out the photos online, we had high expectations of our stay. Although we were among the first paying guests, the hotel had been operating on a soft opening for a few weekends beforehand. In such a new hotel, we expected some teething problems but were pleasantly surprised how few there were and how quickly the couple of small problems we did encounter were sorted out.
After an evening flight from Berlin, we took the S-bahn and a taxi to the hotel, arriving at approx 9pm. Our first impressions were very positive - the conversion of this old bank has been sensitively and beautifully achieved. Proceeding to the check-in desk, we were warmly welcomed and escorted to our room to complete the formalities. This was a nice touch - we were tired after a stressful week and eager to see the room. For the diamond amenity, we were offered a choice of points, something sweet or a bottle of wine and went with the latter (in a Park Hyatt there is no club lounge and it's nice to have a glass in the evening). Park Suite KingDuring our tour of the hotel, we also viewed a Park Suite (the standard upgrade when using a confirmed upgrade certificate). This was similar to the standard room, but with a very spacious walk-in wardrobe and much larger living area, completely separated from the bedroom by a door, so great if entertaining or with children. The lounge area also had a useful dressing table, perfect for applying make-up.
One thing to note is that the hotel uses the original rooms that were in the bank. As such, there isn't a standard room size and some of the lower category rooms may be larger than the small end of the higher category rooms. As such, we would recommend booking a standard room or a suite if you need the extra space. Choose a view room if you don't like inner-courtyard rooms but the views are nothing special, the hotel in surrounded by shopping. All rooms in the hotel have a high-spec finish including a TV in the bathroom, specially commissioned artwork and extensive use of contrasting materials, a characteristic of Park Hyatt hotels. Thick textured wall paper, leather, cotton, wood and shiny marble create a sumptious feel to the room - perhaps our favourite feature was the red marble (perhaps quartz) backdrop to the bath. The dimmer lights were also a good addition to the room, if a little difficult to use. Spa and LeisureThe spa and leisure facilities at the Park Hyatt Vienna are a real highlight of the hotel, especially for a venue in the centre of a European city. The gym is a decent size (although lacks a rowing machine) and offers cooled water and refreshing moist towels. Technogym provides a quality work-out experience and there is a range of weights and cardio equipment.
Unfortunately, the sauna facilities are in the changing rooms and thus segregated. The hotel are considering bringing in times for couples to be able to use these facilities together, so request this if interested. Two dark, cocooning relaxation areas are available - the upstairs one has beds we wish were installed on aircraft for first class. So comfortable we could have fallen asleep in moments. Something missing was a bowl of fresh fruit, a selection of dried fruit and hot tea on demand. The piece de resistance is the stunning swimming pool situated in the old bank vault. The curved ceilings are atmospheric and day beds arranged in perfect symmetry. It's a pity there is no jacuzzi, but the water in the pool was warm and we always had the space to ourselves (room occupancy was 40%). The spa offers a range of treatments and has a nice couples' treatment room, although the tariff seem a little on the high side. Perhaps offers will be introduced with time that will make the prices more reasonable. |
Park Deluxe View KingWe were informed that we had been upgraded to a Park Deluxe View King, as per our Hyatt Gold Passport diamond benefits. To be honest, on our later hotel tour, we couldn't see the difference between the Deluxe and the standard View King. Regardless, the rooms we saw were of a good size. A small entry hall has a very useful walk-in wardrobe on the right hand side and entrance to the bathroom to the left. Straight ahead was entry to the bedroom, which had a small seating area with sofa and chair. On the table was a fruit bowl with some ripe plums (not exciting but tasty) and the minibar was housed in a drinks cabinet. The TV was elegantly concealed by a sliding mirror - the best place for it in our opinion! Behind the comfortable bed was a large desk. Unfortunately no international power outlets were available, although an universal adapter plug was in the wardrobe. Curtains and blinds are electronically controlled from a switch by the door or by the bed, but also are set on entering the room depending on the time of day. One problem was that the air-con was somewhat feeble - we were too hot at night despite turning the fan up and the temperature down as far as possible.
The bathroom was a highlight of the room - twin sinks, beautifully packaged Blaise Mautin toiletries in silver (and a better aroma than many) and a wonderful temperature controlled bath. The rain shower was set in a large enclosure, although our shower flooded the floor the first time we used it. After mentioning this to Monique Dekker (GM) during our interview, this was fixed within hours. DiningAs diamond members, we were invited to enjoy breakfast in The Bank, the hotel's restaurant, or through room service. As we were staying 2 nights, we decided to try one of each. The first day, we ventured downstairs and found a full breakfast spread with solid service. The goats cheese, egg dishes and fresh fruit in particular were very welcome. The only oddity was that we were served jasmine tea after asking for sencha - turns out they didn't have any green tea, despite it being on the menu, but it would have been better to say so up front rather than hope we didn't notice. In-room breakfast the next day was less good. It was unclear from the menu what was included and we ended up with a small omelette and dainty fruit salad. Being used to the generous servings at the Andaz London, this was sufficient but a little disappointing. No bread or bakery basket was included for example.
On our second evening, we ordered room service dinner and shared the 'create your own' chicken with tomato salsa, rice and mushrooms. This was delicious and a reasonable size portion. It was a little unfortunate that one of the portions of bread served had cheese on top despite us advising of our allergies in advance; however, at least one of the breadsticks was edible. The hotel also offers a lounge, bar and smoking room (which amazingly doesn't smell of smoke). These are beautiful spaces and hopefully will be enjoyed by guests and outside visitors alike. Within a couple of weeks an outdoor terrace will be added to the hotel - the perfect place to enjoy a glass of crisp Sauvignan Blanc in summer. |
Overall Impression
Overall, we were very impressed with the Park Hyatt Vienna. The few technical teething problems we had in our room were sorted within hours after just mentioning them in passing and service was with a smile. The hotel is stunning - no expense has been spared in creating a true luxury hotel. Our room was spacious with a great bathroom and walk-in wardrobe and, in general, food was high quality.
Our few recommendations would be limited to the leisure facilities and F+B. Firstly, the introduction of mixed gender sauna use would be a fantastic addition to the spa; adding a rowing machine to the gym would be very welcome, and a monthly special offer on spa treatments would tempt guests to use the facilities. Re. F+B, the in-room breakfast menu needs to be clarified to explain what is allowed off the menu (currently it states 1 drink and 1 food item for €33, not the best value for a glass of orange juice and fruit salad! We were told we could order fruit and an egg dish, but no pastry items came, despite them being on the menu. In room, the air-con needs to be more powerful and the fruit plate could have been more interesting. However, these are small complaints and the hotel is functioning surprisingly well for such a new property. We are already planning our return and recommend the hotel wholeheartedly for a weekend getaway.
Our few recommendations would be limited to the leisure facilities and F+B. Firstly, the introduction of mixed gender sauna use would be a fantastic addition to the spa; adding a rowing machine to the gym would be very welcome, and a monthly special offer on spa treatments would tempt guests to use the facilities. Re. F+B, the in-room breakfast menu needs to be clarified to explain what is allowed off the menu (currently it states 1 drink and 1 food item for €33, not the best value for a glass of orange juice and fruit salad! We were told we could order fruit and an egg dish, but no pastry items came, despite them being on the menu. In room, the air-con needs to be more powerful and the fruit plate could have been more interesting. However, these are small complaints and the hotel is functioning surprisingly well for such a new property. We are already planning our return and recommend the hotel wholeheartedly for a weekend getaway.
