To be a five-star hotel in Vienna, the hotel needs to be as grand as the city itself. The Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna, a Minor Hotels property, has just emerged from a tip to toe refresh to mark the occasion of it being the first Anantara hotel in Austria.

The building was originally designed as a hotel by Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen, a starchitect in his day, for the 1873 World’s Fair. It was built—and remains—a Viennese Neo-Renaissance architectural delight, a stand-out among its neighbors on the Ringstrasse.

When you can finally tear yourself away from the eye candy outside, enter to find original marble floors, stucco ceilings, ionic columns and heritage-listed staircases, every space marked by Hansen’s signature style.

Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna’s 152 rooms and suites best show, though, where the hotel has united its grand original design with modern aesthetics. Warm neutrals, marble bathrooms and 11.5-foot soaring ceilings meet triple-glazed oversized windows, textured surfaces and Acqua di Parma toiletries. Some rooms feature a balcony that looks out over the tree-lined Strasse.

The stunning Presidential Suite is the largest in Vienna at 2,905 sq ft, with seven French balconies framing the suite.

Gastronomic delights include Edvard, a Michelin-starred restaurant headed by chef Paul Gamauf—who presents tasting sets meant to please a discerning palate—and Brasserie Sophie, named after Hansen’s wife, which specializes in modern Austrian cuisine.

And any hotel worth its sweet tooth in Vienna needs to have an authentic Viennese coffee house on premises, and at Theo’s Lounge & Bar—nestled in the hotel’s inner courtyard—you’ll find it. By day, guests can partake in plenty of pastries and other baked goods to go with a Melange or Einspänner. At night, Theo’s turns from cakes to cocktails, using local ingredients to create cocktail magic.

Other offerings include a spa, pool and fitness center. The concierge team can also arrange specialty outings such as an historic Hansen discovery tour.

Rates start at US$622 per night for a deluxe room based on two people sharing, including breakfast. 

Photos courtesy of Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna.