We are planning a trip to Austria in early September and would like advice on hotels. In Vienna I am considering the following: Vienna Hilton, Hilton International Plaza, Marriot, Hotel Das Triest or Hotel Intercontinental. I was concerned because none of these are even rated on Fodor's website. Does anyone have any experience with these hotels? What are your preferences and why? This is for just myself and my spouse, we are in our late 30's early 40's and tend to like hotels on the nicer side in the 4 to 5 star range. We will also be visiting Salzburg and Graz but have not had a chance to look for Hotels there yet.
Please any advice would be great.

The hotels you named are all supposed to be very nice. I have passed by a couple of them but have never stayed in any of them. My favorite, and a favorite of many on this forum, is Konig von Ungarn. Its location is perfect in the old town, only steps from St Stephans and the pedestrian area. It's not a large hotel so it has a more intimate charm, and the staff is very competent. The breakfasts are as good as any you could get anywhere, but it isn't a B&B so you have to pay for them. Finally, the price is in a range that makes it competitive. If I remember the website, it's www.kvu.at. Good luck.

another vote for Konig Von Ungarn. The wintergarden bar is a delight to sit in after a hard day of sightseeing. Old world atmosphere with great comfort for reasonable prices. More personality than the other places you are considering with as much comfort and much more style IMO>

Also consider the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth. We really liked it. Smallish hotel, elegant, on a side street near Stephansdom. Beautiful breakfast room and breakfast buffet with hot eggs included in room rate. Four-star hotel, I think. We booked with them directly and received a small discount for doing so.
>-

This is all good advice. Please do not stay in a chain hotel that could be anywhere.

The KVU and the Kaiserin Elisabeth have excellent reputations. A few years ago I stayed at the Mailbergerhof, which I wasn't happy with, so I won't recommend it. Other great places - more expensive - are the Imperial, the Schwarzenberg, and the Bristol. All very Viennese. Also, I believe there is a relatively new hotel in the old Palais Coburg.

So it sounds like most of you would not choose the Radisson SAS Palais hotel because it is a chain?

My wife and I spent 3 nights in Vienna at the Hotel Am Schubertring which is a 5 minute walk to the opera house. All the rooms are on the top floor of a 5 story building and we had a spacious corner room overlooking Vienna with a fantastic bathroom. In Salzburg, we stayed at the Goldener Hirsch Hotel which is clearly a first class hotel! Probably the best one we stayed at while in Austria.

Graz does not have any five star hotels - even 4 is pushing it a bit in some cases. However, I can recommend the Erzherzog Johann - it has some interesting suites or the Schlossberg Hotel which has a pool. Both are central and have good service.

I don't know why the Hotel Intercontinental gets a 5 star rating. It doesn't come close to matching the quality of Vienna's true 5-star lineup--the Imperial, Grand, Bristol, Sacher, and the uberluxe Palais Coburg. The Interconti's rooms just aren't that special--the best thing about the place is the lively bar, which does get an interesting, international crowd.

We're planning a trip to Vienna later this year and are considering either the Grand (if budget allows) or the K&K Maria Theresia. I checked out the K&K MT earlier this year (I was staying nearby) and it seemed like an excellent property, particularly if one can score one of the top floor rooms with their own private roof terraces. But distinctly modern in style, not traditional.

Of your list, the Marriott seems ok (hope you like the color green!), but none of them would be on my short list.

If money is no object, then you should really try for the Palais Coburg.