Destination report |
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interweaves between the historic centre , and onto new districts such as the Seestadt , Nordbahnviertel and Sonnwendviertel . The latter district is highlighted by the Renzo Piano designed Andaz am Belvedere ; opened in 2019 , already a prominent conferencing hotel just minutes from Vienna Central Station , a gleaming transport terminus dubbed the most important overnight train hub of the EU , connecting eastern and western Europe .
The Andaz is symbiotically linked to the nearby Belvedere Palace via the hotel ’ s theme around art , design and Prince Eugene of Savoy ; history stops there in this ultra-modern hotel , whose dedicated meeting floor above the lobby is counter-balanced by the Aurora Rooftop Bar from where the view tends to confirm Vienna ’ s boast to be the world ’ s greenest city .
Hilton Park Vienna , with 663-rooms and 3.500sqm of event space , is Europe ’ s largest downtown full service meeting and event hotel . Petrochemical Association delegates buzzed around the lobby as we headed to the executive lounge to learn about the hotel ’ s urban garden , honey producing bees , 60
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sustainable initiatives , including 100 % of electricity use being waterpower generated and an ‘ Impact Meeting Calculator ’ report which can help off-set carbon emissions .
While the Grand Hotel Wien has been spinning guests through its revolving doors into a world of elegance and service since 1870 , with stately bedrooms sitting above a grand ballroom in which Johann Strauss celebrated his 50-year jubilee on stage .
Experiential incentives It is within the UNESCO-listed Ringstrasse that a relationship with Vienna is made ; one simply falls for its charms . Vienna has been a cultural heavyweight for centuries ; a city of music where the likes of Mozart , Beethoven , Strauss , Schubert and Haydn composed their music . A city of art , where Gustav Klimt ’ s The Kiss hangs within the Belvedere Palace and other masterpieces in the Museums Quartier . And a city of architecture , from the State Opera House to the gothic City Hall and many other famous buildings . What this cultural medley has in common is the MICE industry ; event
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Above : Spectacular green views from the top of Vienna ’ s Big Ferris Wheel |
planners can use these historic buildings and narratives to curate memorable events .
Two incentive activities to live long in the memory include witnessing the majestic Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School deliver classical horsemanship within a colonnaded arena largely unchanged since 1735 , and hireable for events . The other spine-tingling incentive is being harnessed to a glass-shelf on the world ’ s oldest Ferris Wheel , rising to an apex of 65m to view Vienna from above in Prater Park .
It was from this viewpoint that the hilly suburbs are visible , neatly braided with vineyards , defining Vienna as the world ’ s largest wine-producing city . Delegates can travel by tram and bus to sample Viennese wine in ‘ Heurigers ’ ( wine taverns ), an ideal escape from a busy congress centre . Or for the best cityscape panoramas head further up to Cobenzl Mountain to find 50 ’ s retro chic at Rondell café-restaurant , Weitsicht Cobenzl event venue and a cellar wine-tasting experience at the 110-year old Cobenzl Winery .
The future Encapsulating Vienna ’ s relationship between history , architecture , modernism and bringing the final curtain call upon any trip to the city , is dinner in a private glass room atop the majestic DO & CO restaurant . A private lift , waiter and view of the 12th Century St Stephen ’ s Cathedral cannot be topped .
The significance of the late 19th Century , under the reign of Emperor Franz Josef , especially for Vienna ’ s modern MICE industry is incalculable and just maybe today ’ s sustainability initiatives will be viewed in the same way 150-years from now . Investments in Green projects are helping to preserve the past , secure the future and keep Vienna as a leading congress city , one we all want to live within , and just maybe that is the key . n
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