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Name: grätzlhotel
Category: Hotel under 50 Rooms
Location: Vienna, Austria
Date completed: September 2016
Interior Designer: BWM Architekten and Kohlmayr Lutter Knapp
Hotel Group: Urbanauts Hospitality Group

The grätzlhotel consists of several ground floor apartments at various premises located in different Viennese districts. This innovative hotel concept is based on the conversion of former business premises, some of them abandoned a long time ago. The theme can be summed up as ground floor utilisation, and the formats are garden-level and street-front studio apartments. The idea is to create accommodation with individual charm for guests seeking a unique, direct experience of Vienna.

Urbanauts Hospitality Group came up with an unconventional concept for the grätzlhotel and converted vacant street-front shops into charming suites and a reception. The term “Grätzl” served as the inspiration: this typical Viennese word describes a neighbourhood within a city district that has its own individual character and charm and encompasses the immediate residential and commercial surroundings. This is where the locals and the business people meet, where they do their shopping and where they enjoy a cup of coffee. The architects BWM Architekten and Kohlmayr Lutter & Knapp drew on the idea of the Grätzl for their hotel concept: the aim is to allow guests to become part of these vibrant surroundings and experience the unique atmosphere first hand.

The design of each room provides a unique experience: no two suites are the same; each room has its own distinct personality. The high-quality surface materials and vintage objects originating in the vicinity give guests an authentic, personal urban experience. There is no reception in the traditional sense. Instead, that role is assumed by typical urban spots: a market stall (grätzlhotel meidlinger markt) and a former lamp shop that now houses a café/restaurant aptly named zur rezeption. The grätzlhotel currently operates 21 suites in the three Grätzls Belvedere, Meidlinger Markt and Karmelitermarkt. 2017 will see the addition of new Grätzls.