Rosewood Hotel – Rath checks in

I experience the hotel as very personal – apart from the restaurant, which I will talk about later. Exciting books are everywhere, nothing seems decorated, it’s more as if the various objects, the bowls, flowers, old memories belong exactly where they are. The inlays on the floor, the marble in the bathroom, the leather-covered espresso machine – wherever you look, everything seems surprisingly harmonious.

Mozart’s Singspiel in the Seraglio Room

I live in the Seraglio room, where Mozart’s Singspiel “The Abduction from the Seraglio” is omnipresent. In fact, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his famous opera in this very place in 1782. The motto of the hotel group, “a sense of place”, i.e. including the local culture and history of the place in the house, is fulfilled here.

I also like the other local connections. For example, there is a cooperation with Markus Scheer, Viennese shoemaker in the seventh generation. His book “The foot knows everything” is available in every room, and his traditional shoe factory is a two-minute walk from the hotel. Scheer’s ancestors already made shoes for Emperor Franz Joseph and the writer Franz Kafka. Unfortunately, I can’t afford it.

The prints and fabrics as well as other materials in the house come from companies in the vicinity. A piece of Austrian history is always built in, without ever being too loud or too obvious.

You can feel the attention to detail not only in the design and implementation, but also in what is offered to the guests. In the room I find about a bathrobe and also a dressing gown. The amenities are filled in large glass bottles – which also meets the sustainability requirements. And in the closet there are shoe trees made of solid wood.

And: There is a level of structural finesse that I have rarely experienced in Europe. The historic 19th-century building in which the Rosewood is located has been restored to a high standard.

Hotel manager Alexander Lahmer is on site at breakfast on Saturday morning, going from table to table, wishing everyone a good morning and a nice day. The German sees himself – very Austrian – as a true host. He has worked for Rosewood for ten years and has opened six houses in that time. With his Asia and Middle East experience, he now wants to bring the Viennese house to the forefront.

The rooftop bar is worth a visit. This is where Viennese society meets house guests. The staff addresses the guests by name, and the bartenders know their favorite cocktails. The only and decisive problem here: the space. The bar was designed far too small, so twice as much space should have been planned for here.

I find the restaurant “Neue Hoheit” a bit difficult. In terms of design, it looks like a foreign body in the house. I assume that they wanted to recreate a cosiness from the 1970s. I definitely don’t understand the concept. Maybe two different designers were at work in the hotel and in the restaurant – that’s how it seems to me.

At breakfast I would like to see an improvement in the service, which is partly provided by temporary staff. The coffee came after the fourth order. But I can still forgive such a young hotel for these weaknesses. I am sure that the leadership is already working on it.

I find the rate striking. It is 20 to 30 percent higher than that of the Viennese competitors. That’s brave. But it is also correct. Quality has its price, must have its price. In these times more than ever. In any case, the numerous international guests seem to be satisfied. I hardly see any Germans or Austrians, more Americans, Asians, Arabs. This internationality also characterizes the atmosphere.

I feel comfortable in the Rosewood Vienna, there are few things that I don’t like here. In addition to the restaurant, these are the staff uniforms, the fit of which could really be better so that all employees can really feel comfortable. As a former hotelier, I have great respect for the fact that the hotel only opened a few months ago and is already on such a good track. If we continue to follow this path consistently, the rating will certainly be even better next year.

Plus: homely charm, attentive service, perfect location.
Minus: the much too small bar, weaknesses in the breakfast service, design in the restaurant “Neue Hoheit”.

Rath’s travel rating (current rating in bold)

1. Explicit Travel Warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Great cinema

insider tips

Culture: Journalist Clemens Coudenhove-Kalergi is a wonderful city guide and a very lively storyteller. Anyone in town should book a tour with him. It is individually tailored to the needs and wishes of the guests.

Story: Just five minutes from the hotel you can go on a magical historical journey through Vienna with Time Travel. Here, 2000 years of Austrian history are presented in an exciting way – sometimes as a 5D cinema, as a play or with the help of marionettes. This has a high entertainment factor not only for children but also for adults.

Art: Vienna is a city of museums. Exciting – especially if you have children with you – is the Museum of Illusions. Here you can appear to be floating in space, become very small or very large and shoot cool Insta photos of the illusions.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the Travelgrand.ch travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the brain behind the ranking “The 101 best hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt.