zur Wiener Staatsoper

Description:

• This simple but well-run government-rated three-star hotel has a facade that's more lavish, more ornate, and more evocative of Vienna's late 19th-century golden age than any equivalently rated hotel in town. It was built in the neo-baroque style in 1896 as a private home, and as such, contains some of the architectural charm (and many of the architectural drawbacks) of its original layout. Don't expect grandeur: Other than some elaborate replications of the gilded stucco in the original 19th-century entryway, the decor is simple but functional, all of it the hard work of its on-site owners, the Ungersböck family. You'll register within a cubbyhole-style office near the entrance, then take an elevator to any of the rooms scattered over six floors. Rooms are high-ceilinged, functional, relatively comfortable, and, other than small bathrooms (with showers only), adequate for most needs. Literary fans appreciate the fact that this hotel, according to the Ungersböcks, provided the inspiration to John Irving for one of the settings (an antique, run-down hotel that had evolved into a whorehouse) in his novel Hotel New Hampshire.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010