Vienna is all about grandeur. You can see it in the wide boulevards, the coffee shops twinkling with chandeliers and the annual balls where the great and good go a-waltzing. So a hotel describing itself as ‘casual luxury’ sounds something of an oxymoron. It’s so formal here you wouldn’t blink if the famous white Lipizzaner stallions tap-danced into your room with the turn-down chocs (and at The Ring they’re 75 per cent cocoa, and infused with Earl Grey). Ultimately, it’s all about perception. The Ring is a stone’s throw from the Opera House and in a famous square that’s home to many grande dame hotels, including The Grand.
The Ring, like The Grand, belongs to Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, chairman of JJW Hotels. Guests of his more traditional hotel were starting to emigrate to some of the city’s more design- led offerings, so the group bought an old insurance building, ripped out the offices and installed 68 bedrooms and suites. The Ring isn’t exactly casual, unless you’re usually surrounded by butlers, but it is more laid-back than the city’s typically five-star establishments kitted out with wooden panelling, wheezing wrought-iron lifts and tea rooms jealously guarding their recipe for chocolate torte.
Design-wise, The Ring is smart and pretty. The reception desk glints with mirror tiles. Candles flicker on low-slung tables. You can check your emails for free while sitting on a blue velvet chair (this is the advertised ‘business centre’). The top-floor day spa is similarly low-key: there’s a lovely view, but little beyond a treadmill and some weights. Treatments include a chocolate massage (you can’t get away from the stuff here).
All rooms are a decent size, and the window glazing is remarkable considering the busy roads outside. All have Nespresso machines, a decent-sized desk, free internet access and comfortable beds.
The restaurant, where you can dine or breakfast, is a bit bright and light for the former. The concept is ‘aroma cuisine’ harnessing the powers of ‘ethereal oils’. Dunno about that: freshly squeezed orange juice was all I wanted, and couldn’t get for breakfast. Guess I should have stuck to chocolate.
Kaerntner Ring 8, Vienna, Austria
+43 1 22 1 22; theringhotel.com
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