Hotel Apartment Rothensteiner — Hotel in Vienna

I recently stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. I booked it after reading the positive reviews on tripadvisor and realize now that there is no way those are 100% genuine. Let me start with the positive. The hotel decor is lovely, it is very clean, the breakfast ladies are very friendly and as stated in the other reviews, location is very convenient. ||||I booked a single room as I was travelling solo. I first got room 40. The room itself is quite spacious and there was a bathtub which for me was very positive. I arrived around 1 p.m so the sun was hitting the room and the temperature was fine. When I came back in the evening after walking in the cold all afternoon (it was around -4 outside) I noticed that the heater was barely working and that the room was freezing. I decided to take a hot bath in order to warm up and noticed that there is also no hot water and no pressure in the shower head. I had to take a 1 minute freezing shower and then come back to this freezing room again. Also the blanket provided was very thin and I ended up freezing the whole night. However I didn't want to complain and thought that maybe it will be better tomorrow. ||||The next day, hysterical screams woke me up at 6 a.m. At the beginning i didn't understand what was happening. It was so loud that i felt like those people were in the same room. I wait one hour to see if it will calm down but it gets worst and worst. Those people don't stop screaming, banging and laughing hysterically. I then decide to go out to the hallway to see where it comes from and guess what. Those people where not even in the same floor. They were in the floor below in room 31. I came back to my room and noticed an air opening above the kitchenette and basically you can hear everything from there. There is no soundproof in this hotel at all. I started to get so mad I called the reception to tell them there is no heater, no hot water, and horrible noise coming from one floor below. I also asked for a portable heater but they didn't have one.||||They decided to move me to another room, this time room 40. This time there was a couple with a baby below, yes I could hear everything and believe me, ceilings are high. But at least those people were respectful and I could sleep normally. However, heater was not working and there was no hot water during daytime. So forget it if you want to take a shower before you leave the hotel. I could get hot water only around 8 p.m. And during the breakfast I could hear a family saying that they didn't have hot water this morning and people were staying with their coats and scarves in the breakfast room because by the way the whole hotel was freezing cold. So it wasn't a problem only in 5th floor. That's why I think that there is not way I'm the only person reporting those problems on tripadvisor. ||||I came back home with bronchitis and my friend who was staying in a hostel (20 euros per night) was telling me his room was warm and he had hot water. ||||I paid 80 euros per night for this hotel and I'm sure I could have found cheaper options somewhere else or at least the same price but with heater and hot water as any guest deserves. I feel like I threw 240 euros...

Stayed on the fourth floor. All the rooms face the main road. Consisted of a large high ceiling bed room with an equally large Austrian style twin bed which was firm but gave a good night's sleep. Furnished mostly with repro antique furniture and a LED TV (which we never used). One dining table plus a coffee table and plenty of clothing accommodation. Only problem was the lack of a good light for my aging eyes plus too much traffic at night to be able to open the windows and sleep.||Small kitchenette but fully equipped with crockery & saucepans, a basin, fridge, two electric rings, micro wave, kettle and coffee machine which used a very obscure Cremesso pod (in case you intend a long coffee drinking stay). Also not washing liquid provided.||The bathroom had a German style toilet, large basin and bath with shower attachment. Although fitted with a splash panel don't try to use it unless you want to flood the bathroom! The shower maintains a constant temperature in use with a high water flow which hits the unsealed bottom of the panel and out into the bathroom.||The rooms were kept spotless throughout our stay.||Breakfast is recommended with a large table full of meats, cheeses etc. You can even fry an egg (& bacon!) plus the usual cereals, rolls, croissants, cake etc.||It is in a quiet part of a lively area with plenty of bars, restaurants and shops near by.||The Hofberg and Museums Quarter are walkable but for other destinations get a day ticket. There is a friendly Tobac down the road towards the centre who will advise which ticket is best for your stay.||Travel from the airport is easy, quick and cheap on the regional/ suburban train. Buy a single Vienna travel ticket (E 2.30) which gives you an hour's travel on all transport and a train ticket to the edge of Vienna. Take the train to Wien Mitte, U3 to Volks Theater. Take the rear exit straight up to the tram terminal and a 46 to Strozzigasse. Walk down at the lights to the road that runs parallel, turn right. Or walk to the other side of the block facing the tram terminal where the 49A bus departs which stops in Neustiftgasse. Don't forget to validate your tickets...

Overall, we had a great stay at this hotel. Very convenient location since we were arriving and leaving from the west train station and we were able to walk from the hotel to all of the museums and main attractions. It was a lot of walking though so some may want to look more into public transportation options depending on fitness level/where all you are interested in going. Vienna does seem well equipped with public transportation options. The staff there were very friendly and we loved the traditional feel of the hotel. The only real complaint I had was how thin the walls were. I was experiencing some jet lag on the second night there and could hear pretty much everything going on in the rooms around us which made it even harder to sleep. I am normally a heavy sleeper and did not notice anything on the other nights so it just depends on whether or not you are a light sleep and/or have noisy hotel neighbors. Just something to keep in mind! Also be prepared that since it is an older building, it is not as nice/clean as a newer or recently renovated place would be. For us that was a plus though because it added to...