Following our trip to the Winter Olympics in Milan, Nik and I flew to Vienna for a short visit. Vienna is one of our favorite European cities, and we find something new to see or do each time we’re there. For this trip, we stayed at the impressive Hotel Imperial, took a private walking tour, finally visited the Albertina Museum and, of course, ate our way around the city.
Hotel Imperial
Nik and I first learned about Hotel Imperial while watching an episode of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV+. We weren’t familiar with the hotel, but after looking it up, we discovered it’s a five-star Marriott property that’s part of The Luxury Collection.
Once we decided to add a few more cities to our trip after Milan, we looked into Vienna to see if staying at Hotel Imperial would be doable for us. Lucky for us, three nights were available to book using our Marriott points. It probably helped that we were traveling on weeknights in February, a slower time of year. We also requested to use three of our suite upgrade awards, and those were approved as well.
Related: Seeing the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan
The Hotel’s History
Originally built as a private residence for Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife, Duchess Marie Therese, it was their property for only a few years around 1865. The story goes that Duchess Marie Therese didn’t like it so they sold it. In the ensuing years the palace was transformed into the Hotel Imperial for the Vienna World’s Fair and was ceremoniously opened in April 1873.
During the first weeks as a hotel, emperors, kings and queens, state chancellors, and famous personalities stayed in the palace. Even today, royalty and dignitaries still stay at Hotel Imperial.
From the moment you walk in, the sense of history is noticeable right away. A gorgeous lobby, giant portraits on the walls and the gem of it all, the Royal Staircase.
Related: Tracing My Family History in Vienna
The Room
Hotel Imperial has a handful of classic rooms, junior suites and luxury suites. Upon checking in, we were told our upgrade got us into one of the Sisi suites, named for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Franz Joseph I.
Here’s a video tour of the room:
Our Sisi Suite was one of the largest hotel rooms we’ve ever stayed in. While the carpet, wallpaper and some of the furniture might look a little dated, we thought they added to the hotel’s charm and reflected Vienna’s Imperial history. Our room consisted of both a sitting room with a couple of chairs and a separate living room with a couch, desk and a television. The bedroom also had a television.
We told the hotel ahead of time we were celebrating our anniversary and so it was a pleasant surprise to see a bottle of champagne on ice, a mini brownie and a hand written note waiting for us.
Having a separate toilet room was incredibly convenient while the main bathroom featured both a large walk-in shower and a soaking tub. And, of course, there was a bidet – very European.
Every room had a chandelier, each surrounded by miniature crowns that added a royal touch. Hotel Imperial branding appeared throughout the suite, from the towels to many of the other thoughtful details.
Each evening, turndown service included a couple of chocolates, a card with the next day’s weather, and a larger card called “Imperial Bedtime Stories” that shared a piece of Hotel Imperial’s history.
Hotel Tour
Hotel Imperial also offers free daily guided tours to learn about the history of the former palace and ended with a tasting of the Imperial torte.
The tour started in the lobby where there is a guest book on display. The day of our tour, it was opened to the pages where The Rolling Stones signed their names during a visit in 2006.
Following a bit of history surrounding the lobby, the tour moved around the main level of the hotel taking us into a couple of their ballrooms where brunch and special events take place.
From there we moved up to the Royal Staircase to the second level where there are even more gorgeous chandeliers and columns. There are also giant portraits Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi).
Next we were led into The Royal Suite. Truly a space for royalty.
You enter into a large room that can serve as both a living room and an office with tables.
From there you go through a grand doorway into the bedroom, complete with a vanity.
Off to the side is the bathroom in all its grandeur. Really just a stunning space. Marble everywhere and really bright lighting. (Though not pictured, there is a very large walk-in shower.)
The hotel tour concluded in the main restaurant where we sampled the Imperial torte, a square confection made with chocolate, almonds, cocoa cream and marzipan. It was created to mark the opening of the Hotel Imperial and in honor of Emperor Franz Josef I.
Unfortunately my picture doesn’t do it justice. Trust me though, the samples were delicious. We sampled the original, an orange variety and a raspberry flavored version.
The Imperial Bar
Just off the lobby is the Imperial Bar. Along with everything else in the hotel, it’s a really gorgeous room with exquisite detail and grand chandeliers. My understanding is that the space was originally a courtyard. I can only imagine horse drawn carriages coming into this space.
Nik and I enjoyed several cocktails and the complimentary bar nibbles that came with them.
An Imperial Stay in the Books
Overall we loved our stay at Hotel Imperial. From the incredible history of this hotel and its stunning interior, my pictures simply don’t capture how beautiful it is in person.
The location was also really great. A short walk one direction leads you to Stadtpark, Vienna’s main city park. We visited after a snow storm and the snow just added to the charm of the city and statues.
Walking the other direction, you’re at the Vienna State Opera and The Albertina Museum in roughly 10 minutes. From there you can walk into Stephansplatz and explore so much more.
So really, Hotel Imperial combines luxury and location in a way that’s hard to top.
