The Weekender: Vienna
Our publisher seeks out all that is fun and glamorous in the Austrian capital.
Wien, Wien, nur du allein! What a magnificent city this is.
Hotel Motto by the city’s intrepid Bernd Schlacher was new for me and full of playful grandeur. Beautifully renovated with a bar, restaurant and roof terrace that was humming and not with tourists, with cool locals. This man knows how to draw a crowd. His talents with people become clear when you meet members of staff too. Very impressive. The property is full of funky fabrics and floor tiles, tasselled lampshades and original artwork. Clearly an emporium for artisans and artists.
There’s a gym but I was far more taken by their very own bakery. Motto is Parisian-Viennese, a step back to the 1920s and a liberal lifestyle. It is fun and glam and that’s quite hard to find among the hotels in the Austrian capital.
Border control very nearly didn’t let me in. Suffice to say I’d spent too many days this year in Europe as a British passport holder (thanks for nothing, Brexit voters!). A favour was called in and my entry was allowed but, boy, it wasn’t fun or necessary. Straight to the hotel and then on to dinner at COP, Collection of Produce, with the ever elegant and witty Ms Helm.
This establishment offers low-intervention food and a fantastic wine and cocktail menu. Chef and partner to the Molchos (of the restaurants Neni), Elihay Berliner has taken this property in a totally different direction. It’s very much about the produce and the people behind the food they serve. The space is purist, elegant and sexy because it is so effortlessly authentic. I loved it.
The Rosewood Vienna, a new edition to this city, is located metres from The Graben, a perfect location: 99 rooms and suites in what was formerly Erste Bank, a landmark building. Although I found access through the glazed courtyard entrance unusual, a little too corporate somehow, reception on the first floor is loungey and quite cosy, although not cosy enough that you’d want to sit there.
The roof-top restaurant and bar are wonderful but apart from at breakfast time, on the quiet side. My sense is this is still a work in progress and the standards are already very high. The suite I stayed in was divine. The attention to detail and the finish beyond any criticism. Paris-based Atelier27 has done a remarkable job on the art curation throughout the property. The in-suite cocktail trolley was a gem. The sound of horses and carriages on the cobbled street below is a magical way to wake.
I took the opportunity to visit Am Hof 8, boutique private members’ club. It’s a sweet building in a central location. The basement bar is a unique space for a party.
Julius Meinl on Graben isn’t what it used to be, having moved next door and now a neighbour to Louis Vuitton. Zum Schwarzen Kameel seems vibier than ever. And my absolute favourite, Scheer, the seventh-generation shoemaker of emperors and kings, conductors and entrepreneurs of note, continues to move forward while remaining steeped in the most wonderful heritage. It is a leather-covered jewellery box.
Vienna always offers me a chance to catch up with university friends from Salzburg such as Hurtak and Hoedl, to grab lunch with Birgit Lauda or a schnitzel or simply to walk through such historic streets. On this occasion, I was one of the very first through the doors to admire the Robert Motherwell exhibition and so I got my fix of art too.
What more can one ask for? Vienna is right up my strasse!
This article originally appeared in Billionaire's Impact Issue. To subscribe click here.
