Pension Pertschy - Vienna, Austria 

A gem in the heart of Vienna!
Posted: Tue, Jul 08 2008
I just stayed here for 8 nights in July 2008, right during the UEFA Football (soccer) playoffs. I was not there for the sports, but they were a nice sidelight to the trip. Two greatest things about the Pertschy: the staff and the location. I showed up 4 hours early for my booking, throughly exhausted from a miserable flight from the US. They had a room ready and allowed me to check in early and even grab a bite to eat in the breakfast room. (This proves they are really Austrians. Had they been Germans, they likely would have stood on principle and forced me to wait until the appointed hour.) Monika and the others were very helpful in providing me information on day trips and locations in and around Vienna. The ladies in the breakfast room were very sweet to me and my daughter and always remembered that she preferred cocoa to coffee. The location simply cannot be beat. You are just a few yards away from the Hofburg and the Spanish Riding School, and not more than half a mile from anything else within the "Innere Stadt" area of Vienna. Simply phenomenal. There have been some comments in other postings about the decor and appearance of a general lack of upkeep. I think those comments are not quite fair. The property itself was built in the 1730s as the Vienna town palace for a wealthy family that liked to be at Court. Everything remotely 20th Century has had to be retrofitted. The lobby is very modern, while the breakfast room looks like an 1880s coffeehouse, and my room was decorated in baroque fashion. Yes, the carpet and the floors are old and worn. It's a well visited pension, and the worn stairways are from a few centuries of use. How many properties in the US are that old and still in continuous use? That being said there are some inconveniences that I was perfectly happy to take in stride, but which I think others should know about. There is no air conditioning. While Vienna generally does not get as stifling hot as many places in the US, it can get a bit "close." But if the worst it's ever going to get outside is in the 90's, they just deal with it, and learn to put up with internal temperatures in the 80s for a few weeks. At night it cools down considerably, but you have to leave your window open to take advantage of the breezes. If you are staying on the street side of the house, that can be a little noisy. Hapsburgergasse allows horse drawn carriages, street sweeping machines to clean up the result of the horses, and taxis. (There were also football fans screeching as they headed back from the fanzone to the downtown area.) The room was large for a downtown property and comfortable, but the bath was tiny. Again, it had to be built into a property that is nearly 400 hundred years old - so allowances have to be made. I have also stayed in some "modern" places in Manhattan that had even tinier facilities. One thing that is not specific to the property, but that Americans should know about: there were towels, but no wash cloths or anything to wash yourself or your face with. I suspect that Europeans view wash clothes or wash sponges to be highly personal items, like we view toothbrushes, and they expect everyone to have their own. I had this issue with other hotels, so it's not specific to the Pertschy. I am just back from a two week trip in Austria, and cannot find enough nice things to say about the Pertschy and its staff. There are minor inconveniences, and if you're in Vienna for business I would probably recommend a corporate location such as a Marriott or Hilton hotel, but for tourism in Vienna, this place is fantastic!

Needs Updating
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 2008
When Rick Steves describes the rooms here as being worn and musty, he was being too charitable in my opinion. While the property is a neat old mansion with an inner courtyard and original architectural details, the rooms are old and do not appear to have been updated for at least 25 years. I just want readers to be aware of what you are signing up for - as some reviewers give this place glowing reviews. I enjoy and prefer atmospheric places, but I think the owner has taken advantage of this once-beautiful historic property without having put a dime into it. The location is good and staff friendly, but you can get better accommodations in similar location for the same or little more money. I originally reserved for 3 nights, but had to switch after 1 night, as the musty rooms caused an allergy flareup, and the reception staff was very gracious about it. I'm not trying to steer anyone away from this hotel, but you should know what you will be getting.