Our Favorite Hilton in Vienna: Hilton Vienna Park (Review)
Another of our international favorites is the Hilton Vienna Park, where we've had the pleasure of staying several times and which really impressed us as a European metropolitan hotel.
LOCATION
The hotel is very centrally located east of Vienna's city center. It is only about a 15-minute walk to St. Stephen's Cathedral, but various restaurants and Vienna's shopping street Am Graben are even closer to the hotel. In addition to this ideal location to experience Vienna's Old Town on foot, the CAT (City Airport Train) station is directly across the street from the hotel, putting the airport within 16 minutes of the hotel. There is no faster connection. Due to the central location, it is also not far to various supermarkets and restaurants.
In recent years, the entire hotel has been renovated, and only in the last few years has the work been fully completed. Thus, in addition to a modern lobby and restaurants, all 663 rooms of the hotel have a modern and comfortable look. By the way, with this number of rooms it is one of the largest Hilton hotels in Europe, which you don't realize when you enter the hotel. The hotel itself calls itself Europe's largest meeting and event hotel in a city center location: with 3500sqm of flexible event space, events can be hosted for up to 800 participants, all of whom could also stay at the hotel.
ARRIVAL, LOBBY & CHECK-IN
The size of the hotel is also to blame for the somewhat hectic arrival. After entering the hotel via the entrance on the driveway, the gigantic lobby with bar awaits you on the left, and various check-in desks are located on the right. At the very end is the priority counter for Honors guests, but at regular check-in and check-out times the line is just as long as at the others. How well the check-in process goes is somewhat dependent on the quality of the staff in front of you. Due to the constant lack of staff in the hotel industry, it is quite common to meet one or the other very young employee who is not yet familiar with the hotel. Basically, the team is extremely friendly and very eager and on request, all open questions are cleared immediately. After check-in was completed, we were offered help with our luggage and the way led to the six elevators, which took us to one of the 18 floors of the building.
ROOM
With nearly 30 different room types, there's plenty to choose from at the Hilton Vienna Park. Twelve of them are suites, which make up 70 units of the hotel's 663 rooms.
Since we have already stayed at the hotel a few times, we can give insight into different rooms. We booked a standard room in each case, and depending on the booking situation, the upgrades varied, up to gigantic suites. As loyal Hilton guests with Diamond status, we have so far actually received mainly insight into the higher categories, even if the booking situation was high, we have so far been surprised every time with an upgrade.
FIVE FEET TO FITNESS ROOM
The smallest room we've had the pleasure of occupying so far was one of the coolest we've ever stayed in. Only recently created, the Five Feet to Fitness room offers exactly what the name implies: access to a private fitness area in just a few steps. Those who want to exercise in absolute privacy will find a sensational offer here: In addition to a high-quality indoor bike, there is a large fitness element with various integrated exercises, all of which are explained in detail via a touchscreen monitor.
In addition to the privacy, the view over Vienna's city center can be enjoyed while exercising. The rest of the equipment is about the same as a regular standard room. A comfortable king bed, large TV, mini-fridge, seating and a small desk, various wardrobes and a modern bathroom.
KING JUNIOR SUITE WITH PARK VIEW
At 40sqm, the King Junior Suite already offers a lot of space for a downtown location. Unusually for a junior suite, it actually consists of two rooms plus the bathroom. Immediately after entering the suite, you enter the living area, which is equipped with a TV, couch, two small tables and a chair.
The next room is the bedroom with access to the spacious bathroom. However, this room is again divided by a room divider, so you get a small separate working area with a desk and a large closet. On the desk is a speaker from Bang & Olufsen. In the sleeping area you will find the comfortable king bed, an armchair and a TV with a dresser.
ONE BEDROOM SUITE PANORAMIC VIEW
The One Bedroom Suite is similarly equipped as the Junior Suite, but with 50 sqm it is much more spacious. We missed the separate work area a bit, but of course there is more space in the living room and besides a coffee table there is also a larger table where you can work comfortably.
GRAND PANORAMA LOFT
With 70sqm, the size of the Grand Panorama Loft already very much gives the flair of your own city apartment. The bedroom is wider, the living area with large corner couch and TV, dining table for four people and more chairs really offers a lot of space. The bathroom is also very large. "Wide open" best describes this room, including the spectacular view of downtown Vienna.
GRAND PARK SUITE
Apart from the Presidential Suite, the Grand Park Suite is the largest suite in the house in terms of space measuring 110sqm. It is somewhat similar to the Grand Panorama Loft, but has an additional room with a large table for seven people and - an absolute highlight - its own fully equipped kitchen, including a large refrigerator and dishwasher. A noteworthy part of the suite includes a giant freestanding Bluetooth speaker from the Bang & Olufsen brand.
WIFI SPEED
WLAN speed is stable and sufficient throughout the house; we were able to measure about 30 Mbps in upload and download at various locations. This is just enough to meet current demands like video calls and streaming, but larger transfers take a while.
TEMPERATURE
The room temperature in the building is somewhat dependent on the location of the room and the weather conditions outside. Basically, the air conditioning system is not the strongest and is certainly not up to US standards on very hot days. However, there are individual floors which are better and worse from which the whole system works. Those who value strong cooling should mention this at check-in. However, we were also exchanged our room without any problems when we were once accommodated on a floor that was too warm.
The best insider tip we can give here, however, is that you can actually sign a disclaimer at the reception that you accept liability and all windows will be opened completely. Besides the fact that you can take excellent photos from some rooms without having to adventurously move your camera outside through the usually very narrow slit, you can enjoy a pleasant breeze, especially in the higher rooms, which also cools the room pleasantly at night in the summer.
HOUSEKEEPING
The housekeeping team is very good, the rooms were fresh every day and sometimes we were surprised by small gifts on the bed, such as a few Manner wafers. Also special requests like extra pillows were done quickly and friendly.
BREAKFAST
From our point of view, breakfast in the main restaurant is definitely the biggest challenge in terms of a five-star hotel experience. And we don't mean the selection and quality of the food on offer.
The buffet is very extensive, there are many stations with a selection of products typical for the region. In addition to a cereal bar, for example, there is also a salad selection and a large vegan station. In addition to a large selection of fresh breads and rolls, there is a very extensive area with sweet baked goods. The cold buffet is accompanied by a diverse selection of hot dishes as well as a bar where fresh egg dishes can be ordered.
The challenge we refer to lies in the fact that all guests of the 663 rooms can have their breakfast here. This is an extreme number of guests for a restaurant. Unfortunately, the reduced selection in the lounge only helps a little. With a relatively long breakfast time (daily 6:30 to 10:30, on weekends even until 11 a.m.), the hotel tries to better distribute the rush, but of course this doesn't help, especially for business travelers with appointments in the morning. During the main time between 7 and 9 a.m., you can expect an atmosphere like in a well-filled train station hall. Unfortunately, the buffet also stretches across two rooms, with tables alongside. These are not set up comfortably with a lot of space between them, but close together, like in a canteen. Due to the traffic at the buffet, this alone causes a lot of unrest. It is somewhat quieter in the front area, where the tables are a bit more individual. The more difficult it is to get a table there, of course. When there is a big rush, which is almost always the case, the hotel also opens the tables around the bar in the morning hours and sometimes even sets up its own second buffet there. This is actually the most pleasant area to enjoy a breakfast in peace, but if you want to enjoy fresh egg dishes, you have to walk several minutes to the kitchen due to the lack of service at the table. The show kitchen, where usually only one employee works, also almost always has a queue and since the food has to be taken away yourself, you usually lose at least five minutes between ordering and receiving freshly prepared food, usually more.
We can understand that the rush of people is a gigantic challenge, yet we see the greatest potential for improvement in this area. Among other things, we would recommend the following:
Reduce the buffet to one room, but no tables there. This would at least make it a bit quieter, since people wouldn't be constantly running through the tables.
Serve hot egg dishes from the main kitchen with table service. The distances and waiting times at the show kitchen are too time-consuming for the guest and thus significantly influence the duration of the breakfast. Those in a hurry currently have to do without hot food.
Basically, everyone gets their fill and the quality of the food is also excellent, so we really can't and don't want to give any deductions for breakfast. In most places, however, the Hilton Vienna Park is able to hide its size well and thus convey the experience of an approachable five-star hotel with individual service. Unfortunately, it is still far away from this at breakfast.
LOUNGE
An absolute special feature of the hotel is the gigantic lounge with private terrace overlooking the park. The size of the lounge is quite appropriate for the high number of rooms, yet it is naturally pleasantly empty during the day and invites you to linger and work. The private terrace is a special highlight, here you can enjoy the sun undisturbed with a view of the city park.
The lounge already opens in the morning and offers an alternative to the large breakfast buffet on the first floor. The selection is of course not the same, unfortunately there are no a la carte dishes at all and thus almost no egg dishes, but the atmosphere is extremely much more pleasant than on the first floor. In particular, breakfast on the terrace is also possible. Those who like it a bit quieter and can manage with a smaller selection will prefer breakfast here.
Throughout the day, the lounge offers hot and cold soft drinks, as well as various snacks and fruit, which are also freshly replenished on a regular basis.
Between 5 and 7 p.m. is "happy hour." Once again, a larger buffet is set up. Every day there was a warm soup as well as a warm dish, various salads and desserts as well as a large cheese selection and fresh bread. Due to the large size, there is something for everyone and everybody can get full if they want to. Moreover, in addition to the all-day offer, there are various alcoholic beverages: wine and beer, an extensive selection of spirits.
Even if the lounge was well attended, especially in the evening hours, there was always a clean and free place to find. The team is extremely eager and very friendly. On our second visit, we were immediately recognized by some of the staff and greeted in a friendly manner - a pleasant and almost family-like atmosphere.
This lounge is definitely an outstanding feature of the hotel and for us another reason to gladly return.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
The breakfast restaurant changes from the afternoon (4 p.m.) to the main restaurant with the name Lenz and offers a pleasant selection of dishes with a predominantly regional focus, including Austrian tapas and various steaks. But of course, the classic Wiener Schnitzel is also not missing from the menu. With a small outdoor terrace, you can pleasantly experience the lively Viennese people in the evening hours, while you enjoy your dinner.
A highlight is a brunch buffet with wine accompaniment on Sundays, which we will report on here in a separate article soon.
In addition to the restaurant, there is also the in-house cocktail bar SELLENY'S in the lobby area of the Hilton Vienna Park. Here you can enjoy a great cocktail at the end of the day, partly accompanied by a live DJ. Particularly delicious are the free snacks that come with your drink, a mixture of hearty pretzel snacks and sweet sesame-peanut balls.
ROOM SERVICE
Room service has been excellent on each of our visits. The staff is very friendly and courteous. Small requests such as a bucket of ice or cutlery were taken care of very quickly and free of charge. However, due to the size of the hotel, it can be a bit slow especially during peak hours, so keep that in mind if you want to enjoy dinner in your room, for example, and order ahead of time.
GYM
Those not staying in the Five Feet to Fitness Room will find everything they need in the hotel gym. The gym is located on the M2 floor and is open around the clock. It is equipped with modern equipment, towels and water are provided.
POOL
Unfortunately, there is currently no pool at the Hilton Vienna Park.
SPA
Unfortunately, the Hilton Vienna Park does not have a real spa area, but there is a small sauna area in the fitness studio.
OVERALL SERVICE
During our first visit, we were not aware of the dimension of the Hilton Vienna Park Hotel, and we could hardly notice it in the team and the service offered. Despite the gigantic number of rooms, they try to ensure really high-quality and individual service, as the guest deserves in a five-star hotel. On the scale of a city hotel (and not a resort), the team succeeds outstandingly well. Only at the breakfast buffet does one realize how many guests are staying at the hotel at the same time, but even there the staff are always friendly and eager. Of course, the general lack of staff in the hotel industry can also be felt in the Hilton Vienna Park, and so one often encounters very new or not yet experienced employees, but one can always feel the importance of the customer in the hotel. Service and team are our highest criteria for the well-being experience in the house and we can say with conviction that this has convinced us here.
Another important criteria is how mistakes are handled. Mistakes always happen, the question is how they are dealt with and what the consequences are for the guest. Here we can also report that the management of the house bears full responsibility here and is extremely eager to find an accommodating and individually suitable offer for the guest. For example, we once received the Grand Park Suite shown above, one of the largest units in the house, as a second upgrade out of goodwill, after a few small things and clumsy communication led to the fact that our arrival was not ideal. For us, it was a sensational surprise that we thoroughly enjoyed. Other guests told us about other surprises - The management of the hotel was very understanding in all cases known to us and fought with all means to make the stay a unique one.
STAY DETAILS
We have stayed at the Hilton Vienna Park several times. Our experiences here refer to a period between summer 2022 and summer 2023. The prices vary depending on the season and events in Vienna, who books in time gets a standard room in the house from about 150€.
STATUS RECOGNITION
The recognition of our Diamond status at Hilton Vienna Park has been outstanding every time. In addition to the obvious benefits like complimentary breakfast, lounge access, and complimentary second guest, there was also a welcome gift in the room in most cases, a late check-out was granted to us every time we asked, and we received sensational upgrades. Even on a fully booked day (New Year's Eve) there was at least a small upgrade, an absolute specialty compared to other hotels.
SUMMARY
The Hilton Vienna Park impresses not only with its location and the recently completely renovated modern rooms. Despite its dimensions, the hotel offers the customer an individual experience, as one would expect in a five-star hotel. As a city hotel, the Hilton Vienna Park is outstanding, and the proximity to the customer is more familiar from smaller boutique hotels or resort hotels. The price is fair and the quality is high. A lounge that is unparalleled in Europe rounds up the experience and so the Hilton Vienna Park has become our standard address when visiting the Austrian capital.
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