We will be in Vienna for 3 nights in October, and would like to use a Marriott free night award for our hotel. Has to be category 5 or less. Our choices are the Renaissance Wien, Courtyard Schoenbrunn, or Courtyard Vienna Messe. Which would you choose for best access to sightseeing, nice neighborhood and quality of hotel? Thank you.

The Renaissance worked very well for me. Great staff, even packed me a breakfast takeaway as I left very early to catch a train before it opened. One of my all time favorite Marriott experiences.

We stayed in the one on the Ring and were pleased esp by the windows which opened ! Probably opened because it was in a renovated old building. Believe the American Consulate was also in the building.

If you've found availability at any of those hotels for your free night consider yourself very lucky. My experience is that it's been very difficult to find availability at the permitted level for almost any destination where we've wanted to use the award.

For example, we have a very early flight out of SFO in October. There are four Marriott brands within about ten miles of SFO and not one of them is offering an award night on the night before our flight.

We will be in Barcelona later this year. Absolutely no availability for a free night there either, despite several properties in the vicinity. We booked an award night through IHG with no problem.

Bon voyage

Megdean, I just checked the four hotels you mentioned in your post above. I put in the dates of Oct 15-17. The Marriott site shows no availability at the Renaissance Wien or Courtyard Vienna Messe. The site does show award availability at the Courtyard Schoenbrunn, but it's confusing because it's offered for USD128/night. Hoping something works out for you.

We have stayed in the Vienna Marriott on the Ring (which does not appear in your list) and in the Renaissance. Courtyards are motel-type budget hotels and certainly in a lower class. Besides, Schönbrunn and Messe are far from tourist attractions.

The Renaissance's location is okay. It is not in the heart of the city, but a fair walk from downtown. On certain days, there is an antique market on the Wienzeile in front of the hotel.It has a small pool and is a typical business hotel, a little sterile.

The Marriott is a luxury hotel with excellent location. In close walking distance, you find everything - restaurants, cafés, beisls, attractions, the city park...

Because it is right next to the OPEC, you find their a lot of Arabian families staying there which makes things sometimes lively.

To sum up: The Marriott is in another class. The Renaissance is one level below, both in terms of hotel quality and location, and the Courtyards are three levels below, also both in terms of quality and location.

Thank you all for the feedback. We may end up just using points at the Marriott. I remember we tried to use our free night last year in Seattle, and had difficulty finding an open spot since it was "high season."

zx

Have also stayed at the Ring location. Had the best wiener schnitzel I've ever had there.

The Courtyard Vienna Messe might seem a little quiet and off-the-beaten path at night; the Renaissance Wien is also a little less-centrally located. The Courtyard Schönbrunn is at the western edge of the usual Vienna tourist sightseeing--the location is ideal for the palace, but requires a good 20 minutes on the U-Bahn to reach the Inner Stadt. The "Vienna Marriott" on Parkring is the most central, steps from several trams and an U-Bahn station; behind the hotel is the U.S. Consulate.