Luxury Hotel Review: Hotel Bristol Vienna and a Little Yuletide

A Heritage hotel in Vienna

About the hotel

Who: Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Where: Kärntner Ring 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

What: A city hotel located right next to the Viennese State Opera House.

Room Type: Classic Double Room

The elevator felt like stepping into a time machine (in a good way).
The elevator felt like stepping into a time machine (in a good way).

First Impressions

Before I start, I need to be completely honest with you. This is a completely biased review because Hotel Bristol Vienna is one of my favourite hotels in the world. There are no bad words here. This was the first Luxury Collection Hotel that we stayed at, and what started an obsession of mine to stay at every Luxury Collection Hotel. Walking into Hotel Bristol Vienna is like stepping back in history to a time – as soon as you enter you can tell that they value the heritage of the hotel. 

The Christmas decorations in the hotel entrance.
The Christmas decorations in the hotel entrance.

The Look

The building is pure Viennese charm, grand enough to stand across the road from the Opera but cosy like a traditional Viennese coffee house. The style is very Art Deco and even though they’ve managed to keep the traditional features (like the elevator), everything is still very curated and cared for.

The Classic Room
The Classic Room we stayed in (one bed).
A chocolate on the pillow, a classic.
A chocolate on the pillow, a classic.

The Room

We stayed in one of their more basic (read: cheapest) rooms, but there was nothing basic about it. The decor made me feel like I was living in a museum, where even the rug and the vase were from a time revered.

Luxury Collection Byredo toiletries.
The amenities include the signature Luxury Collection Byredo toiletries.

The coolest thing about this room was that the window overlooked the alley that ran alongside the hotel, which has a Christmas Market that lines the street during the afternoon and evening. This is one of the most magical things you can experience during the festive time! There is also a spacious storage area at the front of the room to store your suitcases and hang your clothes which is so rare in a city hotel.

Hotel Bristol Vienna christmas markets view
The daytime view from the window.
Hotel Bristol Vienna Christmas markets
In the evening, the Christmas market lights are just magic.

The Facilities

Like always, Sara Lou went to the hotel gym to have a look with zero intentions of actually doing any exercise. The views from the gym are spectacular. You get a full view of the Opera house while doing your morning run without even leaving the building. It almost convinced me to exercise. Almost.

Hotel Bristol Vienna views
The view from the gym, which is open 24/7.

The Food & Drink

There is a bar, Bristol Bar, which looks like it is straight out of NYC and would be the perfect place for a Manhattan. Then there is the Bristol Lounge, which has cosy coffee house vibes and is also where hotel breakfast is served. It also is a great spot to have a coffee after walking around the city.

Hotel Bristol Vienna
Take the stairs on the way down to breakfast and make sure you look at all the art in the hallways.
Hotel Bristol Vienna Christmas time
Hotel Bristol Vienna is right in the city.

The Location

Like I hinted at in the beginning of this review, the location is perfectly splendid. In the morning, we headed out to grab a quick snack from the Christmas Market below our balcony (the smell of roasted nuts, cinnamon, and pretzels had me drooling by 11am), and then headed over to explore the Opera House.

Christmas markets in Vienna
It is so easy to spend hours wandering Christmas Markets.

After a bit of shopping in the city, it was so easy to just pop back into the hotel to drop off all my fabulous finds before heading off to the next Christmas Market (note: Vienna has the best Christmas Markets imho!). Actually, here are all the reasons I love Vienna.

Hotel Bristol Vienna classic room
The classic room.

how to book Hotel Bristol, Vienna

My favourite way to book hotels is through Booking.com. Booking.com offers a price guarantee (even when not paying upfront and paying at the hotel), they match prices, and they also offer a wide range of rooms with benefits (like afternoon tea and breakfast). Click to see the availability for Hotel Bristol.

VERDICT

My Grade:

5/5

High point of my stay:

I’m obsessed with Le Chemin by Byredo, twinkling Christmas lights, and everything Art Deco, so this hotel was like something I had dreamed into reality.

Low point of my stay:

I had to leave.

Who would love to stay at Hotel Bristol, Vienna?

I think Hotel Bristol Vienna would be suited to couples (especially DINK couples) who want a hotel that is central, cosy and intimate, and full of history. This hotel would suit someone who just wants to dive right into Viennese culture and wants to stay in a hotel that is an experience in itself.

Thanks for reading!

I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re on Instagram, you can find me over here: @apicturesquelife or youtube: @apicturesquelife and I’d be happy to connect!
xoxo,

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