Hotel Tip: Motel One At The Vienna Opera

In my last blog post I've taken you along on a weekend getaway to beautiful Vienna. I showed you a few reasons why you should put the Austrian capital on your travel bucket list and enjoy beautiful architecture, arts, coffee and food in Vienna. Today I want to give you the ultimate hotel tip to make your Vienna trip perfect. Think of a design hotel that will not blow your budget, think of fantastic opulence and a location in the heart of Vienna: welcome to the Motel One at the Vienna Opera.

This brand new hotel belongs to the design hotel chain Motel One which stands for design at a very affordable price tag and their design signature are turquoise Egg Chairs by Arne Jacobsen. But this hotel in Vienna is special: its location next to the Vienna Opera has significantly influenced the hotel's interior design which is opulent and unique to say at least. This Motel One only opened its doors in November 2014 and its official opening party will take place this week. I had the great opportunity to get a better insight into the hotel's interior design thanks to the hotel's management.

When you enter the hotel you will immediately realize that the world renown Vienna Opera served as a design inspiration for the interiors. Luckily, the hotel resides in two connected historical buildings that have lots of character and style - just look at the amazing columns and stucco in the lobby! Everything exposed in the hotel has an artsy feel to it - the lobby is decorated with light installations describing famous ballet formations which are depicted behind the reception, the light pendants refer to the airy ballet tutu skirts, the chairs have ballet feet and behind the hotel bar you can watch real rehearsals from the adjacent Vienna Opera.

Unlike many other Motel One hotels, this one has around 200 rooms in various sizes due to the historical character of the building which prevented any substantial architectural changes. You can find cosy single bedrooms overlooking the Vienna rooftops, spacious rooms with glass front all around, comfortable double-bedrooms with balconies. Interesting fact: A few rooms have a sort of wall in front of the windows due to architectural restraints - the design team created private outdoor spaces and included an illuminated Vienna skyline to the wall creating a very special feeling even to those rooms. The stairways of this hotel are so beautiful, you will deliberately skip the elevator and enjoy the historical ironworks and beautiful old tiles.

My room was very comfortable with a big bed, free Internet and a great breakfast buffet with organic food. After breakfast I headed out to the main sights of Vienna - all of them in close proximity and reachable by foot. The central St. Stephen's Cathedral is a mere 10 minutes walk away, the buzzing market 'Naschmarkt' is five minutes away, so is the museums' quarter. Perfect for a weekend getaway!

I was invited by Motel One to stay and test their new hotel but my opinion remains untouched and honest. I really recommend this place if you want a nice hotel, if you want to be central and if you don't want to spend a fortune. I'll be back for sure.

Photography by Igor Josifovic This blogpost has been brought to you in collaboration with Motel One