We stayed here at the end of September, following stays in more modern hotels in Bratislava and Budapest. It was a pleasant change to stay somewhere more individual, the reception rooms in particular having some real character. We had a large, bright room with windows on 2 sides (room 138). It was comfortable and clean, though the furniture is basic, and the tv a bit of an antique (the only channel in English we found was Eurosport, but at least this meant we were spared CNN). The bathroom was a decent size with a good shower, though a window blind would be a good idea rather than just frosted glass - the lighting was very bright, which doesn't do much for your modesty!
Breakfast was pretty standard but none the worse for that, and we found all the staff friendly and helpful, and fairly relaxed about when they wanted us to pay - overall, they were very welcoming.
Location, well as said previously, its not central, but its withig walking distance of the Belvedere and the Military Museum (Franz Ferdinand's car - fascinating...) and public transport will get you into the centre in about ten minutes or so. The tram route at the stop outside goes directly to Landstrasse (for the airport train) and on to the Prater fairground.
I don't see how the immeadiate area could be described as 'dodgy' - its mostly a pedestrianised shopping precinct. Granted, the proximity of the building site that will become the new main railway station is a mess at present, but we certainly didn't have any sense of threat when we were walking around. One bonus was the presence of a number of Turkish restaurants, which meant my vegetarian partner had a decent range of menu options. A shame that the pub next to the hotel, though an excellent place for a drink (the Hausbrau particularly), has only one non-meat option.
- Kolbeck Hotel Vienna
