Radisson Sas Palais Hotel

My husband and I have stayed in 5 star hotels and inns all over the world. The Vienna Radisson Blu is no 4 or 5 star hotel.
This was our Experience: no doorman and no bellman to help with luggage; frazzled understaffed front desk people with angry guests milling about; bar closed for some unexplained reason; tacky big screen TV right as you walk in the door - advertising something or other; lobby smelling like an over-deodorized gas station lavatory; the elevator was dirty and finger-smudged; hallways had low ceilings and dirty, smelly carpet; and tacky, falling-apart upholstered chairs and cheap furniture greet you as you exit the elevator on your floor. My husband had had surgery so I had to schlep three bags up by myself. AND THE ROOMS - We upgraded to a suite?! - (What were we thinking?) The first suite to which we were sent smelled of mold and mildew; the second, "non-smoking" suite they gave me key cards to smelled like an ashtray. A sympathetic maintenance person told me he knew the first room smelled bad - he thought one of the windows had leaked. Maybe the staff hoped we wouldn't notice. Hotels that deodorize carpets instead of cleaning do not even deserve 2 stars.
I went back to the desk and said the 2nd suite would not work. I was told they were fully booked, so I said I would go to another hotel and they found me a third suite to try. It was not too offensive ... after I opened the window. My husband was tired so we decided to stay.
NOTE: The lights only turn on if you stick your card key in a little box by the door - since no one explained that - it took us a while to figure it out - pretty tacky, but worse is that when you go to bed you have a choice of unplugging all the lights you don't want on or pulling the card and stumbling in the dark.
The "amenities" were woeful: the king bed is really two hard as a rock twin beds stuck together - they didn't even attempt to put a king sheet on them; the linens are nice but the feather pillows are old and have no protective covers under the pillowcases - (left me wondering what critters were lurking in the folds); the duvet covers have blankets in them - not duvets; the bath towels - one per person - are small and cheap - I have used paper towels that were more plush; the toilet paper feels like newspaper; there were two tiny bottles of body lotion and three tiny bottles of cheap conditioner in the bathroom and NO soap and NO shampoo - or Cotton balls or swabs - no sewing kit, no robe, no slippers, no iron, or any sign of any other kind of amenity. I asked for Shampoo and was told they had no more. My sympathetic maintenance guy found me two bottles of shampoo - I asked where he got them and he shrugged. The internet is complimentary - but very slow. The mini bar (mini being the operative word - not bar) is complimentary - YAY - one bottle of regular coca cola, one of coke light; one orange juice, one apple juice, two waters, one energy drink, one beer, one teeny bottle of cheap Brut, and no alcohol. The room service at night is pre-made snacks I was told - uh - no thanks. But my husband and I did get a laugh when we saw by the bedside table a card that read "We guarantee
If this hotel had the 2 or 3 star rating it should have - I would not be so upset. I would have known what to expect and we would not have booked at the Radisson. This would never be a 4 to 5 star hotel anywhere else in the world - I shudder to think what a 1, 2 or 3 star hotel is like in this country.
Nothing can ruin a trip or holiday like a bad hotel and this hotel ruined VIenna for us - we considered moving to another, but if this is 4-5 stars in Vienna - why try anywhere else. We cut our trip short in Austria because we could not wait to leave, and I doubt we will ever come back.

Unique Quality: The location is very good.

We can stay at Radisson SAS hotels due to employee discount, and after careful consideration between the pros and cons of Palais Hotel vs Style Hotel (Herrengasse), we chose this one.

Radisson SAS Palais didn't disappoint us. We had a room that was big enough for us (about 25 sqm) with a view of Stadtpark and the street in front, BUT we weren't affected by traffic noise at all.

The room was smaller than at other hotels we've stayed but it was very clean and nicely decorated with a lot of small paintings. In the bathroom we had a bathtub and a shower, together with the amenities you can find in any 4- or 5-star hotel. I was particularly happy with the complimentary minibar because they had some yummy juices that "killed" my thirst better than the good tap water.

Breakfast was included in our rate, and we had it at their Restaurant Le Siecle (see my separate tip).

Unique Quality: Good communications with the rest of the city center: we could choose either U2, U3 or trams 1 and 2 to take us to where we wanted to go, when we didn't want to walk to Stephansdom or Karlsplatz. Very peaceful hotel even when located in front of a street with a lot of traffic. Close to Ribs of Vienna! :D

Directions: U2: Stadtpark, exit Johannesgasse, then turn right and walk on Johannesgasse until you reach Parkring (about a block away). U3: Stubentor, exit Parkring, then turn right and walk until you see the hotel. Trams 1 and 2: Weihburggasse.

I've stayed in this hotel a few times and am always very satisfied. It is a great location, right across from the stadt park, and walking distance to Belvedere, Stephansdom and Staatsopern. The rooms are very nice and the hotel bar is good. The rates vary based on conferences, so some weekends it is ridiculous and some are great deals.

We stayed four nights at the Radisson SAS Palais Hotel. It is nicely situated on a main street across the Stadtpark and close by a metro station. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful. However, the hotel room was quite small especially the bathroom. We could not open the draperies as it had a bad view of another building. Breakfast was very expensive at the hotel but there are lots of eating places nearby for any kind of meal.

I would check into other 4 star hotel perhaps that will be more roomy. We don't like to feel cramped after a long day of walking and touring the different attractions.

Two elegant palaces of the 19th Century have been combined to create this hotel. The entrance, the halls, the charming breakfast room in a glass-roofed courtyard, all contribute to form an impression of aristocratic life-style.
Here you will find the service and all the comforts of a 5-star hotel, but the bill is more reasonable than in other 5-star hotels in Vienna, especially if you can take advantage of one of the various discount formulas available with the Radisson Sas chain.

Unique Quality: The location is great, in one of the elegant avenues of the Ring that encircles the oldest part of Vienna. From the windows of the front side you can see the monument to Johann Strauss, and a short walk along the Weihburggasse will take you to the Cathedral and the Graben.

Directions: On the Ring, opposite to the Stadtpark