SO Vienna Hotel

SO Vienna Hotel

On the 18th floor of SO Vienna Hotel, the entirely glass-walled Das LOFT restaurant and bar looks straight across at St. Stephen's Cathedral, close enough that the spire fills the window rather than sitting in the distance. The hotel itself, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, is a ten-minute walk from that same cathedral, with the Schwedenplatz Underground station just across the Schwedenbrücke on the other side of the Danube Canal, so the historic core of Vienna starts at the front door rather than a taxi ride away. Inside, traditional Viennese architecture is paired with a glass façade, a vertical garden, and video ceilings in the lobby, an approach that suits travellers bored of brocade and chandeliers and will do little for anyone hunting a Habsburg-era fantasy. Built in 2010 and spread across 18 floors, the 182 rooms come with air conditioning, a bathtub and separate rain shower, and a minibar stocked with mineral water and fruit juices included in the rate. A 2461-square-foot spa area is free to use, alongside a sauna, steam room, and gym, useful after a day spent on foot or in the conference hall down the hall from reception. Green Key certification points to environmental practice rather than a marketing sticker, and pets under 5kg are welcome for a modest surcharge, a detail that matters more than it should when deciding where to stay. Where SO Vienna separates itself from the gilded grand hotels that dominate this city is that Nouvel skyline: an 18th-floor room and a glass of wine at Das LOFT put the cathedral spire eye to eye with the guest, not the other way around. SO Vienna's 18th-floor glass restaurant puts St. Stephen's Cathedral eye to eye with diners, a view no gilded grand hotel nearby offers. Jean Nouvel's design suits travellers who want contemporary Vienna over period reproduction, less so anyone chasing chandeliers.