An iconic property that I admittedly knew little about before I spent 4 remarkable nights there.
I arrived by van and pulled up to multiple bellmen ready to assist. I was whisked inside and since they had anticipated my arrival, everything was prepared ahead of time, and I was given the key to my room. My luggage almost beat me to my suite.
The Suite
My suite was a nice size. As you enter the room, there is a small hallway with a spacious walk-in closet to the right and an area to put your keys and wallet to the left. There was a desk and a nice reading chair at the opposite end of the room from the bed and chaise along the wall by the bathroom.
I often judge a hotel by its bathroom and a Sacher bathroom earns the five stars. Beautiful marble, 2 sinks, a gorgeous, deep bathtub, and a fantastic shower. The heated towel rack was a very nice touch. I quite enjoyed the Time to Chocolate amenities though one of my colleagues said they were not a fan of a chocolate scent while washing their hair. To each their own – I personally think chocolate goes with any occasion!
The Hotel
The lounge in Hotel Sacher is just past reception, and it is classically Viennese – ornate but warm colours and atmosphere – very welcoming. It was a great place to meet after a long day to relax with a cocktail (or in my case a nice lager). The furniture was situated so that you could assemble as a larger group or find a quiet corner for two. Attached to the lounge was a small bar with seating for about 10 people.
Beyond that was the dining room where we had breakfast each day. It was spacious and there was always a table available for our group of 5. Of course, the selection was varied and delicious.
By 8am every day, The Café Sacher Wien had a line of 20 or more people waiting to get a table. The Sacher-Torte is renowned, and it was served in the café attached to the hotel for guests and for the public. While I discovered that when you visit a café in Vienna it is normal to stay for hours and enjoy the coffee, the company, and the conversation, I am pretty sure the Café was particularly popular because of the Torte. Thankfully, as a guest of the hotel you bypass the line – and get to enjoy the Torte right away. It was absolutely delicious.
What’s Around
The hotel is situated in Vienna’s Old City, close to Kärntner Strasse – the luxury (mostly) pedestrian shopping area. I enjoyed an afternoon of walking around, checking out the stores and doing a bit of shopping for my kids.
It is also a short walk to Naschmarkt, Vienna’s biggest market for food and outdoor dining. I thoroughly enjoyed strolling along, checking out the menus and the food stalls. It was once a produce market and is constructed as such with food displayed for you to browse as you walk along. A great place to grab a meal or just a snack.
The Staff
The highlight of course is the Hotel Sacher staff. Always attentive, very pleasant to talk with and seemingly one step ahead of you when you need something. Their willingness to go the extra mile was evident on my last day.
As a Canadian, I required a PCR test to return to Canada. I visited a testing clinic that guaranteed results within 24 hours. It was Friday afternoon and that meant I would receive my results in plenty of time before my 7am flight Sunday morning. Or so I thought.
By the time 4pm rolled around on Saturday, I still had not received my test results and I was pretty sure testing clinics would be closing soon. I inquired about my test results, indicating that it has been over 24 hours. They told me they could not see the “status” of my test but assured me I would receive my results momentarily.
By 10pm I was very concerned for obvious reasons. No test results and I miss my flight home. I thought about getting a rapid PCR test at the airport but since it would be Sunday morning this was not going to be possible. Therefore, I decided to solicit the help of the concierge at Hotel Sacher. I explained my situation and they said “Not a problem Mr. Smith. Please provide us the name of the testing centre and we will investigate. We will call within an hour.” Sure enough, by about 11:30pm they called my room and said that I could go to sleep (my car to the hotel was at 4:45am) and my test results would be in my Inbox by the time I woke up. I took their word for it and somehow managed to fall asleep.
When I awoke at 4am to a wakeup call from the concierge, I was informed that my PCR test results were in my Inbox. Sure enough, at 2:30am I had an email with my test results.
To this day, I have no idea who the concierge called at 11pm on a Saturday night to make this happen, but it is a testament to the impressive staff at Hotel Sacher. I was so appreciative of how they helped me and cannot thank them enough. Five Stars indeed!
For more information about The Hotel Sacher, speak to your Vision Travel Advisor today.