A Masterpiece
SO/ Vienna was built by French architect Jean Nouvel who conceived a work of art by blending its creation and history of Vienna into the sculpture and colour scheme of the hotels, white-grey-black notation takes reference from St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the colours of the roofing shingles of the Cathedral. The ceiling in the lobby shows the face of a woman from bottom up (eyes, nose and mouth) and the colourful ceilings form a strong contrast to the monochromatic facade and canvas of the hotel.
Rosette Media Panel Rating : 9.5/10 (one of the highest in our rating score)
Avant Garde meets Tradition
With its stylish location near the Danube Canal, between the city center with the St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the bohemian 2nd district, the SO/ Vienna brings a touch of avant-garde to the Leopoldstadt with luxurious, fashionable guest rooms, unique dining experiences and the most breathtaking views of Vienna existing ambience. The spirit of inspiration and joy in creativity is clearly evident at SO/ Vienna.
SO/ VIENNA is synonymous of Fashion and Design and is an immense and unique atelier for artists, designers and young talents of the Austrian and international scene with iconic art featured through the hotel. From the architectural masterpiece of Jean Nouvel, to the traditional tiles of Brüder Schwadron, the fabrics of the Wiener Werkstätten and the colourful ceiling installation of Pipilotti Rist.
SO/ Vienna belongs to the Ennismore group hotel collection and is renowned for its immersive hotel experience with unmatched views over the city and the Danube Canal. Each floor and room by Jean Nouvel as well as each colourful statement ceiling by Pipilotti Rist tells a story about fashion and design. SO/ Vienna comprise 182 rooms and suites, Das LOFT (a rooftop restaurant and bar on the 18th floor - a separate posting will be covered on our media site on this), the SO/ Spa, a fitness area and indeed, the best views of Vienna.
Formation
The Kaleidoscope stretches from the ground floor to the 5th floor with fascinating light effects and reflections designed by Jean Nouvel – a concoction with lights and reflections, and this was evident when presented to me during my hotel tour. What I can see was the creation of the roof, that becomes oblique in form, weaving a tight, random pattern of parallelograms and lozenges, through a bevy of granited glass for transparence; displayed in variations of black to showcase their shadows, and the appearance-disappearance of changing faces based on the angle of light, forms and structure.
A Fashion Statement
From the very start, the SO/ hotel collection has embodied an innovative style, design and approach to luxury since 2011. SO/ is renowned for its fashion collaborations, partnering with celebrated local and international designers, who infuse their creative vision into the hotel’s identity. With bespoke spaces, sartorial signatures and experiences, each SO/ hotel reflects its destination’s innate culture and sense of style.
They work hard to cement their relationships with the local fashion and creative lifestyle industries by hosting events that keep a stylish crowd coming back for more – from fashion week dinners, collection launches, media talks and exhibitions. This was apparent with the collaboration between SO/ Vienna and AlphaTauri (I saw them at the lobby) and this brand is the game-changing fashion enterprise founded by Red Bull, that fearlessly redefines the very essence of apparel. Driven by an unwavering commitment to push boundaries and redefine possibilities, AlphaTauri combines contemporary design with cutting-edge textile innovations and technologies, setting new standards in the industry.
Rooms
The concept of the rooms and suites incorporates the power of reduction to concentrate on substance with a minimalistic design and a non-color style. Each room has unmatched views over the city from other perspectives.
Designed for open minds to explore the beauty of minimalism and avant- garde and created for a new art of travel, each room offers the stylish traveller Nespresso machines, Bose Sound Wave speakers. For a new kind of wellness in your room, indulge in their new and unique Urban Soul fragrance curated by the Saint Charles Apothecary.
The views of the SO/ Cosy sweep over the Giant Ferris Wheel and the north of Vienna, over the impressive Vienna International Center or UNO City, and over the Viertel Zwei, the city’s future business district. The SO Lofty is for those who appreciate the finer things in life. A soft gray color scheme spreads over 80 square meters, creating a perfect harmony of color and form. This is a space that inspires open minds. An adjustable window means that everyone is free to create his or her own frame for the beautiful view of classical Vienna.
A hotel room, like a home, is made up of more than four walls, and thus, the SO/ Comfy room where I stayed in, is made of pure luxury. A new dimension of velvety silk comfort is well juxtaposted with my writing desk with a spectacular view of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral - I could just gaze at this for hours, on end. I just love my room, with the entire view of Vienna City staring right at me, in the morning and evening, the pillows were plush, the bed so comfy, showers were nice and warm (I went to Vienna in winter), toiletries and the Urban Soul fragrance was so fragrant, service was impeccable, mini bar was free-flow with 3 types of juices and it came long with a nice welcome gift!
A true Jean Nouvel statement is the SO/ Black Suite. The name already reveals the concept of the room. The experience offers a new sense of power and depth, an entirely different definition of space. A vision in black, white and gray, the SO/ VIP suite offers 180 square meters of grandeur and a 270-degree panoramic view of Vienna. The suite brings together minimalist design, home comforts and an elite lifestyle, creating a new dimension of luxury in the heart of Vienna. From the most comfortable ultra-large Hollywood bed, you can see the lights of the city and have the St. Stephen’s Cathedral within your reach.
SO/ Spa
An oasis of tranquility and relaxation right in the heart of Vienna and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Conceived by Jean Nouvel, the 750 m2 luxury spa at the SO/ Vienna is a place that offers a variety of wellness, facial and body treatments, as well as massages from the “Designer Custom Made Facial” to the “Himalayan Salt Massage” or “The Urban Glow” treatment. The SO/ Spa awakens, rebalances and transforms body, mind and soul. The SO/ Spa offers two hammams, 2 whirlpools, 5 treatment rooms, a relaxation area and a panorama sauna with a view to the old town and the Saint Stephen’s Cathedral.
Fitness
The gym at the SO/ Vienna reflects Jean Nouvel’s idea of simple luxury. Gray, black, white – the eye can relax and we finally can focus on ourselves and our physical well-being. The love of design is also evident in the high-tech training equipment. Fitness enthusiasts will be guided by their modernity. After a strenuous workout, you can then dive into the jacuzzi, enjoy the pleasantly quiet atmosphere and really relax.
Business and Meetings
On the 4th floor of the SO/ Vienna is a more than 1100m2 space dedicated to working divided into 8 meeting areas, a foyer and our floating terraces. The flexible and adaptable spaces are open to collaborate with natural light and unique architecture.
Sunrise Delight - The Breakfast
so we enjoyed a lovely tasty breakfast that consisted of the best combination of buffet and à la carte to start my day perfectly; there was freshly brewed Illy coffee or Dammann tea of my choice along with fresh juices and homemade smoothies; an entire array of rread assortments from the Joseph bakery with butter and a selection of regional ham and cheese from Jumi from the 8th district. Also there was smoked fish variation from BlünEgg and sweet dishes of my choice together with seasonal fruits with yoghurt, Birchermuesli or homemade mueslis and of course a glass of SO/ with many Bubbles.
I also had a choice of scrambled eggs, fried eggs or omelette, that came with options with ham, bacon, grilled tomatoes, grilled sausages, mushrooms, chive, cheese, bell pepper. Scrambled eggs are also available vegan and made with tofu. For one morning, I chose the poached egg in a glass, with bacon crumble, potato espuma and chives. Another morning, I tried the Eggs Vienna Royal which essentially was poached egg, toasted english muffin, marinated viennese cat fish and sauce hollandaise - so tasty!
The grilled mushroom sausages came from Hut and Stiel and there was also Toasted Crust Bread that was essentially nice truffled mushrooms with vegan scrambled egg.
Healthy breakfast consisted of WIENERWALD MUESLI comprising oatmeal, apricot, apple, plum, pear, seeds, or CHOCOLATE MUESLI with oatmeal, coconut flakes, almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate, BIO-GRANOLA with organic yoghurt, rolled oats, crunch, coconut flakes and hazelnuts. I did try the American pancakes with with maple syrup and nuts and you can see how beautiful it was - just delicious! For Smoothies, I tried the choice of either a Berry / Detox / Maracuja-Mango / Virgin Colad, so I chose the Berry.
Review & Rating
SO/ Vienna is by far, one of the best hotel stays that I have stayed in the past 10 years across Europe and Asia Pacific; the top 3 I can say… impeccable team members, wonderful GM Christian along with fantastic Tanya and Magdalena from Marketing along with helpful Florian from Rooms, amazing Ramona at Events, great Vincent and Marcela along with Danaris, wonderful Amelie, superb Natalie and Mihaela from the superb team at Das Loft.. and Anusha and Stefanie.. they make my stay memorable, the view was fantastic, the food and champagne.. quality distinctly amazing, Das Loft is indeed a top venue in the City of Vienna in Austria, Everyone is talking about this hotel; the SO Comfy room was superb sleek grey, so modern minimalist yet brilliantly functional, convenient and walking distance to Schwedenplatz, the central Graben area.. and also to the Bermuda Triangle.. impeccable with modern cool vibes! Experiential beyond belief!
Highly recommended..
Distance
Schwedenplatz // 260 m Tram 1, 2Metro U1, U4
Saint Stephen‘s Cathedral // 850 m Metro U1, U3
Central Station // 3,9 km 15 Minutes by metro (U1)
Vienna International Airport// 18,7 km 29 Minutes by metro (U4) + CAT
SO/ VIENNA
Praterstraße 1 1020 Vienna
+431906160
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