Spark by Hilton Vienna Messe Prater

Alina got us a perfect room with a great view. The parking lot is big enough, and breakfast was super, with plenty of space in the breakfast area. The location is ideal if you don't want to use a car around the city. You can get to the center by metro in about 30 minutes.

We stayed for four nights and would come back. The hotel had a clean, modern feel, and our spacious king room had a big, comfortable bed. The soft lighting made it cozy, especially the LED lights around the curtains. It was quiet, too, and the window opened wide for fresh air. The shower was easy to use with perfect water pressure. There was also a steamer, a nice coffee machine and a mini fridge for the drinks and snacks we bought. It's not right in central Vienna, but the underground gets you there in about 15 minutes. The lobby was cosy, with comfortable seating and a bookshelf for relaxing. The shop was a nice extra, although quite expensive.

At €200 a night, I expected a lot more. There's no airport transfer, and the rooms are small and overheated. When it's cold outside the air conditioning doesn't work, but the windows only tilt open a little, so it took until early morning to cool the room down. Breakfast is very good. At other times, though, the only options are refrigerated sandwiches, candy and chips.

The hotel was clean, had good amenities, and was well connected to the places I needed to go. But most of my time there was spent struggling with whether the Wi-Fi would work. When you reach the captive portal to log in for the first time, it offers a premium option that apparently neither works nor exists. Reception staff couldn't explain this properly or offer any fix.