Pension Riedl

The room was small, cozy, and clean, with soap and shampoo, plus a kettle, coffee, tea, and sugar. Being just a few meters off the central street meant we didn't hear traffic noise. The center is a 5-10 minute walk away, and there are good tram and metro connections. I know Vienna well, so I chose this area deliberately. Before we arrived, the staff answered all our questions fully, and gave us detailed check-in information. That meant there were no problems when we arrived at night, even though staff weren't there.

We were mostly satisfied. The building and location were both very nice, and getting into the hotel was easy. We arrived early and got into our room well before check-in time. The room was small but adequate. We'd read comments about the cistern and bathroom issue. When you flush, water comes out of the bathroom drain, but it didn't bother us.

The room had a strong fan, which was great during the extremely hot nights, and it was very quiet while I was there. The place isn't luxurious, but I wasn't expecting that. Everything was super clean, and they cleaned the room and bathroom every other day. The shared bathroom was fine. The location is great. Staff seemed to be there only from 8-11am, I think, though I never needed their help. They emailed the check-in instructions in advance.

The building was clean and charming, and the 700 year old architecture was very cool. I'd avoid the ancient elevator. The rest of the stay was frightening. The receptionist is only there for a few hours in the morning, and when we arrived the whole building, not just the tiny hotel, seemed empty. There was no receptionist, and we saw no other guests at first. Then three men arrived and scared us so badly that we called the police to escort us out and found another hotel. There were no phones or staff to help us, two women, and we were stuck inside with those men until police arrived. It was an EXTREMELY scary incident. The next morning I had a very hard time reaching the receptionist by phone. She said she'd send a link to dispute the charge, but never did. I did receive a full refund later. A man I suspect was the owner or manager called the new hotel and argued with its receptionist, saying I should have canceled late that night while we were being escorted out by police and finding somewhere else to stay. I called the next morning during the receptionist's three-hour work window, and she didn't answer. Unless you're comfortable being alone in a 700 year old building and taking your chances with other guests, avoid this place at all costs. It's a tragedy waiting to happen.