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The grand Hofburg
“Where am I staying?”, I asked again, with a hint of disbelief. I just wanted to make sure I heard it right the first time.
“The 25Hours Hotel“, she replied. “It’s a brand new design hotel in Vienna, with a circus theme”. That’s it! That’s the phrase that made me doubt my ears the first time. I mean, what’s a circus theme… in a hotel? I started to imagine clowns and fire performers prancing around the lobby, a trapeze slung high above in the atrium and midgets as waiters.
Staying at the 25Hours Hotel Vienna
The reality was quite different. We arrived to find a hotel still under construction, albeit, the lower floors. The top four floors were completed. We took the glass elevator to The Loft or Dachboden on the top floor and stepped into a bright, sun-drenched bar/lounge with a small reception in one corner. The vivid colours of the furniture were cleverly accentuated by the earthy tones of the floor and walls.
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The Loft or Dachboden
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Puffy sofas in the Dachboden
The ambiance was noticeably relaxed with theatrical hints in the decor. Guests, predominantly twenty and thirtysomethings, lounged on the large puffy sofas. Some tapped away silently on their laptops on the long wooden table. I stepped out onto the terrace to find more guests slumped in comfy chairs. Large design parasols provided a welcome shade. The next thing I noticed was the view. Church spires and grand domes dotted the Vienna skyline for as far as I could see. Beautiful!
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The terrace
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The view from the terrace
There were no midgets and clowns. Neither was there a trapeze. Instead, the circus theme came to life in the artwork and accessories scattered throughout the hotel. As I walked to my room, I passed stunning illustrations of circus acts on the walls: elephants, tigers, circus masters, bearded ladies and jugglers. Colourful, fun and simply brilliant!
My room at 25Hours Hotel Wien
My room was in exactly the same style. The same earthy tones formed the perfect background for the stunning circus illustrations. Moustached ladies and a clown posed acrobatically on top of a horse above my bed.
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My circus-themed room
The television stood atop a pile of antique suitcases. I looked around and found circus styled toys like juggling balls and a hoop. There was even a yoga mat, neatly rolled up, and a variety of books. The spacious room also came fitted with a kitchenette – there was a coffee-maker, cooking utensils and a mini bar. There was also an iPod dock with speakers and free wifi. Oh, and the view of Vienna from my window was absolutely gorgeous. Sound-proofed windows sufficiently blocked the traffic and construction work below. There wasn’t much more I could’ve asked for. I could’ve stayed in my room all day!
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A room with a view
I didn’t get to stay in my room all day as there are so many things to see and do in Vienna. Located in the trendy 7th District, steps away from a metro station and just a stone’s throw away from the Museum Quarter and Vienna’s historic centre, the hotel is the perfect base from which to explore Vienna.
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Cooling off in the pools in the Museum Quarter
The Loft or Dachboden turned out to be one of Vienna’s latest hotspots. Queues started to form in the early evenings and by ten o’clock, the place was buzzing with Vienna’s yuppies. This was the hotel’s main drawback. As hotel guests and patrons of the bar had to use the same elevator to get to The Loft or their rooms, there was often a line in the evenings. Hotel staff guarded the door and screened anyone entering – hotel guests had to show their room card to enter. I found that mildly annoying. Another drawback was the fact that The Loft closes at midnight. According to the hotel, to minimise disturbance to hotel guests. The reasoning is solid. In practice, it was weird to be told to leave just before midnight. It didn’t quite live up to its name, i.e. 25 Hours! The hotel management assured me, after I kicked up a fuss, that this is a temporary solution. Once the hotel is fully completed, there will be separate entrances for hotel guests and other visitors.
The 25Hours Hotel Vienna is scheduled to be completed in late-2012. There will be a total of 187 rooms, a gym and wellness centre as well as a restaurant. Aside from the small hiccups, the 25Hours Hotel is a fabulous place to stay in Vienna. It’s colourful, quirky, vibrant and fun, and the views of Vienna from the rooms are unbeatable.
Note: a big thank you goes to the Vienna Tourism Board for your wonderful hospitality. All views expressed above are mine.