Hotel Bellevue Vienna

I went to the breakfast area after arriving early, before the 3 PM check-in, and paid €24 for breakfast. Coffee took about 15 minutes, then I waited another 15 for scrambled eggs. Much of the food had run out and wasn't being replaced. There seemed to be just one employee serving a lot of guests. The person in charge apologized, said they were short-staffed that day, and offered a refund. He took my receipt and told me to follow up with reception when the manager was in. I was there for three days and checked with reception several times, but never found the manager. After checkout, I emailed him and the hotel, twice in total, and got no reply. I called twice too: first I was told he wasn't available, then I was promised a callback that never came. It's been two weeks, with no refund or follow-up. Staffing problems can happen, but leaving the issue unresolved and not communicating is unacceptable, especially at these prices. My customer service experience was very disappointing, and I can't recommend Hotel Bellevue in Vienna.

Everything felt old, from the furniture to the uncomfortable beds and bulky, lumpy pillows. The bathtubs and ceilings were moldy, and this place needs an inspection. One very tall blonde waitress with heavily painted makeup said she'd seen a rat in the kitchen that morning before breakfast was set up. I was disgusted and skipped breakfast. I also had a hard time communicating with the housekeepers. Nobody seemed to understand even simple English. I have to agree with the other reviews: Hotel Bellevue is not a four-star hotel, maybe two or three, but definitely not four or above. Renovate before charging high prices. People want quality, not just a cheap day-time hotel, if you know what I mean.

The shower was a mess: water came from the shower head and tap at the same time, and the hair dryer didn't work. There wasn't a third towel for our third guest, and the water wasn't refilled. The housekeeper also left the room door open after cleaning, which was a nasty shock when I came back that evening. On top of that, the air conditioner was so loud I couldn't sleep all night. The interior is dated.

The tram just outside made it easy to reach the main attractions, and there's a supermarket across the road. We stayed five nights over Christmas in a standard room. It was clean and spacious, with both a bath and shower. There's no kettle, so we brought our own. The staff were friendly but mostly left us to ourselves, which suited us. Breakfast seemed a little expensive, though I suppose that's to be expected at Christmas. We really enjoyed the stay and would come back.