Designed and named after the architect Theophil Edvard Hansen, the Palais Hansen welcomed visitors to the World Exhibition in 1873 and then reopened in 2013 as an exceptional luxury hotel with many a positive review.
Vienna has no shortage of historic luxury hotels but the blend of history and modernity at the Palais Hansen appealed.
In this post:
Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna Review
My first interaction with the hotel was to arrange an airport transfer via email, to which the excellent Concierge team responded within 10 minutes and made all the arrangements. An extremely positive first impression.
Upon arrival at Vienna Airport, the hotel driver was waiting with the usual personalised printed sign and efficiently escorted me to the waiting Mercedes.
The E Class looked brand new and bottled water was provided. The driver was exemplary, taking the time to advise the drive to the hotel would take around 30 minutes and whether I preferred the radio on or off.
After a smooth drive into Vienna and as the car pulled up to the impressive hotel which takes up an entire city block, the driver radioed the front desk team to advise we were nearby. At a top hotel, there should be seamless handoff between the driver, porters and front desk teams. And the Palais Hansen delivered.
Check in was warm and immediate, with the room having been prepared despite it being a few hours before official check in time.
Deluxe Room Review
The Deluxe Rooms at the Palais Hansen are a generous size and luxuriously appointed. First impressions were of understated style that blended well with the latest technology.
As you can see the ceilings are triple height and have opening windows for fresh air.
The room has a long entry corridor with generous wardrobe space on one side and the bathroom on the other.
The wardrobe space was beyond generous with my things fitting into just one of three closets.
Now the bathroom was perhaps the highlight of the room with a deep soaking tub plus digital temperature control. Rather than trial and error with taps, you set your desired water temperature digitally and the technology does the rest.
The incredibly powerful rain shower also offered this wonderful feature.
Closing out the digital theme, the Do Not Disturb and Service My Room controls link directly to a central system to ensure that the room is serviced by the time you get back from breakfast.
Champagne Breakfast
Breakfast at a luxury hotel is a wonderful thing and the Palais Hansen creates an excellent experience.
In addition to the usual selection of hot and cold breakfast dishes, they offered a range of seasonal berries which paired beautifully with the complimentary Perrier-Jouët champagne.
But what really sets Palais Hansen apart was a pastry chef making the rounds to all the tables to offer freshly baked croissants and pain au chocolat. They were still warm, incredibly flaky and served directly from the baking tray.
How fitting, given we are in the home of the viennoiserie.
Service
In a word, exemplary. Between the seamless airport to room experience and the level of service at breakfast, the Palais Hansen is on top of its game. I’d say that the service is the best I’ve experienced at a city hotel as everything was perfectly coordinated.
Contrast this to the service at Belmond Reid’s Palace in Madeira, which was excellent individually but occasionally lacked coordination.
The Concierge team were exceptional and able to get tickets for a Vienna Philharmonic concert at short notice, which is a must do if you’re in town and they are playing.
Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna Review Summary
For a blend of history, contemporary style and service the Palais Hansen delivers. Vienna has many luxury hotels but the exemplary service and innovative features including a digital bathroom makes the Palais Hansen a winner.
