Graben Hotel — Hotel in Vienna

Our arrival to this hotel left us late at night, initially, with a positive view. We were told breakfast was included and shown where to go. Our room was extremely small, we knew this, but there was no room for the luggage. We managed and were not too disappointed with this. The room had a street view, which we appreciated.||About 30 minutes after check-in we double-checked the lock and opened the door to a strong smoke smell that was not there when we arrived. Next morning when we left for breakfast and smelled smoke, again. We reported it and were told it would be taken care of. I am extremely allergic and have allergies and asthma issues.|The smell was intermittent, indicating someone was smoking, then it would dissipate. We told an employee at the front desk (Atilua?). She said she would take care of it. Returned to find a Febreze type smell in our room and assumed the hallway was sprayed and it seeped into our room.||The smoke smell continued off and on. We saw Atilua in the afternoon and told her it smelled right then and she said she would send her colleague, Jason, to the hallway to see if he smelled. Jason said that the smoke smell was coming from the carpet.||We returned to our room after a night out and once again there was a Febreze smell, but really strong. We realized that someone had entered our room and sprayed, both times, and we had a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door! I confronted Atilua and she said yes, she had employees enter our room to spray. I did NOT give permission to enter our room! She knew I had severe allergy to smoke so why would perfumed spray be better? I reminded her the sign was on the door and she said, “I know but…” continually. She gave me two names of managers to speak with the next day.|In the am went for breakfast (the third time), and the server brought us a bill. I said it was included (and neither day before was a bill brought). I went to the front desk and spoke to Suleiman, who was aggressively rude and disrespectful. He said we did not have breakfast included and that I booked the room so it’s my fault for not knowing in advance. I explained that we were told it was included, but he reiterated, in a condescending voice, that it was our fault. A manager (Leo I believe) heard the heated exchange and came to assist. I explained what happened and he said if it is what we were told, then he would fix the bill and we would not be charged. I also explained that our room was entered without permission when we had a do not disturb sign on the door. I tried to explain to Suleiman that sometimes hotels offer breakfast to all guests, whether it was included may not be clearly stated. He cut me off and said the problem was resolved. I asked him what his name is and he called Leo to talk to me, who gave me his name. ||The day we checked out Suleiman was once again at the desk. We settled our bill and I asked for a receipt for our deposit. He said it wasn’t possible because the room hadn’t been checked. He had the room checked and said everything was fine, but again, we asked for a receipt as other guests complained about charges after the fact. He said it was a different department and they would email it (they never did). I asked if he could write down that the room was in good condition and I would on the deposit. He got very angry, raised his voice, and was more condescending and rude than the prior day. He continued to cut me off and would not let me explain about the other guests’ incidents. My husband intervened and he finally gave me five seconds. I showed him the negative reviews, but all he did was roll his eyes and tap his fingers on the counter. He was training a gentleman who was very kind, and I hope this man now understands what customer service is not supposed to be. Suleiman told me to file a complaint about him, so here is one of them.||When we left I saw two boys in the lobby (approximately eight and six years old), who sadly witnessed Suleiman’s mistreatment of me. The eight-year-old waved goodbye to me and smiled at me. I smiled back and waved goodbye. He then pointed at Suleiman, shook his head with a frown, and gave a thumbs down. Children are amazing judges...

There are plenty of positive things to say about the charming and historic Graben Hotel, starting with the very warm welcome we received from Suliman at Reception. We arrived with our car on a busy Saturday evening, and he went out of his way to make the check-in easy for us. The car parking is a little tricky (it’s in the heart of old Vienna, after all) but Suliman explained carefully where we needed to go, the procedure for the parking tickets and tended to our bags for us. We returned to find our bags waiting in the room. Of note, there is a glass-sided elevator at the hotel which fits nicely with the Art Nouveau décor.||Suliman gave us several recommendations for restaurants, and we settled on the Italian restaurant at the hotel. He kindly made a reservation for us, and we had a lovely meal, with very convenient proximity to our room! That said, we enjoyed an after dinner walk through the historic district. The hotel is discreetly tucked off a side street at Stephansplatz and the vibrant area all around the magnificent church. It is a few minutes’ stroll from the Hofberg Palace and the Spanish Riding School, a few more minutes to the Opera house and has easy access to the tram lines.||Our room was not large, but it was amazingly quiet, a real oasis from the frenetic activity of the weekend streets in old Vienna. (Suliman had offered us a different room -- with a street view -- but cautioned that it would not be as peaceful given that it faced the busy street below). ||The bathroom was very clean, and we had good shower pressure with very warm water. Towels and amenities were very satisfactory. The mattress was firmer than I like but my husband thought it was ideal. The pillows and comforter were very comfortable; we both slept soundly.||The breakfast buffet offered a good spread with eggs to order. ||We stored our luggage for the day after we checked out, so we were able to wander freely. In all, it was a delightful, short break to Vienna. Most definitely, we will stay again at the Graben Hotel on our return, for a longer...

The room on the second floor at the rear above the kitchen, had an unpleasant odour. We asked if we could change rooms. They provided a room on the 5th floor. The rooms are dated but functional. The shower screen felt like it was going to fall off every time you moved it. The food in the restaurant is ok but nothing special. The best part of the trip though, was being woken on Monday morning at around 7:00am to the sound of all the bottles being loaded (very noisily) into waste bins. We called reception who advised that this was the regular time and there was nothing more they could do. Couple of things here, there was no apology, and they know this happens every Monday at 7:00 but they don’t tell you. We picked the hotel because of its location and 4* rating. It is an excellent location, but our experience was not even 1*. Would not stay there again. I have included a photo of the view...