The Royal Hotel was listed in a well known travel guide as the very best choice for a moderate priced (under$200 per night) hotel in Vienna. I booked the hotel for 3 nights in May. Then with horror I found the Fodor's rants and raves site which rated it 2.2 Awful....Anyone ever stayed there? The location is great, right next to St. Stephens. The guide I used has always been reliable in the past....o.k., it's Frommer's!

We stayed there just before christmas, and as you say the location is great! It is walking distance to nearly everything and there is a subway station at the doorstep of the hotel. The room we stayed at is just OK, but the service is good. There is a very good italian restaurant at the top floor which we visited one evening. The food was very good. The breakfastroom is also nice and there is lots of food.
I read the rants and raves, and I must say I don't understand why the posts are so negative. I guess I would stay there again. As a said the location is great!

Whew! Thank you....Has anyone else found rants and raves to be so off base? I have relied on them in the past prettily strongly so when I read these I was truly puzzled. Think I'll keep my res. at this hotel. My first choice was the KVU, but it was already booked

HAving checked about 25 hotels in the centre of Vienna, I would rate the Royal in the bottom 5 - quality wise and value for money. Other hotels in the same chain are also rather dated and past sell by date although outsides are impressive. THe average tourist sees one or two hotels in a city - so opinions seen will not necessarily be relative to other hotels that would be more comfortable or better value for money. Location of Royal is very central - it is also pretty noisy. Trucks come early in the morning to unload for the shops. If you wake at 7am fine, if you want to sleep in, avoid. Square stays awake fairly late as well. Royal may have back rooms which are OK but would not choose there anyway. Three hotels that I have seen in the price range and in very central areas which I would rate better for room quality are: Pension Pertschy (back rooms to avoid horse shit smell and clip clopping); Starlight Suites (if you can get a discount) at Renngasse as first preference - far better than Royal, Astoria (but also on major shopping street so truck noise is an issue. Astoria has recently done up rooms but corridors are a bit ancient.

I always recommend the HOtel Admiral where we have stayed on our last 2 visits to Vienna. It is right behind the Museum Quartier on a quiet side stree off of Mariahilferstrasse. It is a short walk to the Ubahn and Ringstrasse. The hotel is very clean, the rooms are a good size and the bathrooms are very modern. Doubles are around $125 to $150.

Check out their website at http://www.admiral.co.at/index1.htm.