Hotel Sans Souci Wien

It is now exactly a decade old, the first boutique hotel by Viennese real estate entrepreneur Norbert Winkelmayer, located right next to the Volkstheater (another Sans Souci in Grado is due to follow in 2025). The path from the front door to the windowless circular reception area gives rise to the assumption that Russian tourists once played a certain role in the choice of design: Four seasonal muses, partially gold-trimmed doors and golden heads as shelves initially exude New-Rich charm - but this is deceptive. In the guest rooms, restrained ochre tones and straight lines are surprising. At the same time, the designer collective Yoo, founded by Philippe Starck, reflects the history of the Sans Souci, which opened as the Hotel Höller in the year of the Vienna World Exhibition, exactly 150 years ago. The fact that you are not in Paris or New York is signaled, for example, by the carpets in the corridors, which consist of square patterns taken from floor tiles from Viennese Gründerzeit houses. Classic elegance is ensured in the rooms by the parquet flooring in a herringbone pattern, which is even continued in the bathroom tiles. The glass panes in the double doors, decorated with Art Nouveau plants, are a further homage to the past.

Also beautiful: The televisions in most rooms are elegantly concealed behind huge mirrors (with the exception of some suites, where the screen protrudes from the wall close to the bed due to the large distance between the bed and the mirror). The green tea room fragrance composed in Grasse in Provence also smells pleasant. A work of art or an original art print hangs in every room; the owner is one of the biggest Roy Liechtenstein collectors. An insider tip among Vienna insiders is the intimate champagne bar, which essentially consists of a small, cozy room with mirrors, chandeliers and other furniture in the opulent, gilded style of Louis XIV. The kitchen also offers Austrian classics at the highest level.