Suite with a Vault in Vienna

Coburg Loft Suite

You have suites with a view, but at the Palais Coburg Hotel Residenz in Vienna you can have a suite with a view and a safe in the vault.

Palais Coburg was built in the period 1840-45 by Duke Ferdinand Georg August of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha (1785-1851) on the Braunbastei [‘Brown Bastion’] – a part of the city defenses dating back to the 16th century. It is thanks to this “super-construction” that a large part of the Renaissance fortification, in particular the casemates, have been preserved.

The Late Neo-Classical/Early Historicist building is notable for its portico with its freestanding columns in the central section of the facade; this feature soon led to the Palais being given an affectionate nickname by the locals, the “Spargelburg” [literally, “The Asparagus Palace”].

The house of Saxe-Coburg has many strong ties to European Royalty, as for instance Queen Victoria of the UK was a niece of Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg.

During the period of occupation after World War II, Russian soldiers were quartered in the Palais. In September 1947 the exhibition “800 Years of Moscow” was shown in the Palais. After the occupying troops moved out, the first and second floors of the Palais were leased to the Austrian federal railways, which used the premises until 1997. The Palais was sold in 1978 to a property dealer by the last Coburg to own the building, Princess Sarah Aurelia, who lived in the Palais until her death in 1994. The property dealer used the Palais as a means to speculate. Through the onward sale and subsequent bankruptcy of the purchaser, the Palais ultimately came into the ownership of the Länderbank, subsequently the Zentralsparkasse (central savings bank), from whom the building was acquired by a private foundation, the POK Pühringer Privatstiftung, in 1997.

Coburg Front

The Palais Coburg has been restored by the POK Pühringer Privatstiftung, in close collaboration with the Federal office for the preservation of buildings and monuments (Bundesdenkmalamt), over the period from 2000 to 2003.

The hotel has 35 suites.

Staying at The Coburg is for the haves:

Look for instance at this promotion:

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS …
New Years eve at the Palais Coburg

Experience and tour the incomparable and authentic splendour from 16th to 19th Century Imperial Vienna and celebrate New Years’ Eve in the casemates and the Grand Ball Rooms on the ‘Bel Etage’ of the Palais Coburg.

This exquisite Gala Evening commences at 19.00 hours with a Champagne reception in the Coburg Vaults Foyer ‘Stadtbild’, followed by a classical concert in the ‘higher casemate’. Then it is time for a six course Gala Dinner prepared by Palais Coburg’s lauded Chef Christian Petz and his brigade. Each course is accompanied by specially selected wines from the Palais Coburg’s favourite Cellars, unrivalled for the extraordinary collection of rarest vintages and specialised in vintages from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Entertainment is provided by a live band and an Austrian New Years’ tradition of ‘lead casting’. Fine cigars and digestifs are enjoyed in the adjacent Blue Salon. And finally bid farewell to the year 2006 from the terrace of the Palais Coburg with views over the legendary city park, fine champagne and a ‘little surprise’.

New Year’s Extravaganza € 10,760 for two people sharing Stay for four in a deluxe Suite, join the Gala Dinner on New Years Eve and enjoy the ‘Wiener Philharmoniker’ live in the best seats at the Musikverein on New Years’ Day. Two spa treatments of your choice are also included.

New Years’ Eve Concert Special € 5,160 for two people sharing
Stay for two nights in an elegant City Suite, join the Gala Dinner on New Years Eve and enjoy the ‘Wiener Philharmoniker’ live in the best seats at the Musikverein on New Years’ Eve. Two spa treatments of your choice and a late checkout are also included in this special arrangement.

Gala Dinner € 3,360 for two people sharing a Stay for two nights in an elegant Suite and join the Gala Dinner on New Years Eve.

All arrangements include all taxes, service and the airport transfers as well.
Dress Code: Formal (Black/White Tie)

The tickets for the New Years concert are easily two thousand Euros. Taking that into account I would say the promotion is even reasonable and very tempting, as waltzing into the New Year in Vienna is still on my wish list…

Palais Coburg is the seat of the Palais Coburg Tresor where one can hire a safe in the Vault with 24/24 access. This seams to me an ideal drop off for a character in one of Robert Ludlum future stories….

Also the Institut für strategische Kapitalmarktforschung (ISK) (Institute for Capital Market Research) has its seat at the palace. Next to research it performs asset- and portfolio management.

I have been in the entrance Hall of the Palais and bought their book about the renovation which is excellent. However the atmosphere was a bit cold, as if entering a bank rather than a hotel. For further entrance you have to pass a security guard and/or have a key card. No way to enter the restaurant or the bar: It is very private off course, but a bit uncharacteristic for a typical Relais et Chateaux member.

Happy 2007!

I hope 2007 makes all of you (and me) as happy as 2006 made me happy!

It was a happy year for me, 2006. I started this Blog adventure and are having fun with it, although it takes a lot of time which I do not always have. It takes more time than you would anticipate before you start. Because of the amount of time involved I believe that the number or derelict Blogs will soar in 2007 and that the number of new Blogs started will decrease.

The last days of a year often makes you wonder how many unfinished objects, or UFOs you have left unfinished.

Here are some of my UFOs postponed to 2007:

  • Suite with a Vault, about Palais Coburg in Vienna that was completely renovated into a luxury all suite hotel;
  • Report about our visit to Berlin and stay in Propeller Island City Lodge;
  • report about our visits to Vienna and stay in Style Vienna;
  • Web two Bubble (web2.0) and what it means for the Hotelier;
  • Finalizing the translating of the Dutch posts and fine tune the instant translation possibility of this site;
  • Further developing the style of this site. I would love to have a multi style switch installed, so that the reader can choose which style he likes best;
  • Bring you more news about Dutch Hotel Design;
  • The Ferragamo Portrait Suites in Rome;
  • The Nitenite Hotel in Birmingham;
  • pay attention to What Woman Want
  • And many more…

Enjoy!

Expatica: Dutch 2006 English Language News Re(ar)viewed

Expatica

The site of Expatica is devoted to the expats living in The Netherlands (or, if you wish Holland), Belgium, France, Germany and Spain and serves them in the English language with plenty advice about the respective countries, advice that is also useful for the foreign traveler.

Some highlights I find interesting:

  • 18 January 2006
    The Dutch put Australia on the map Australia celebrates Dutch ties
    Australia, the land first put on the map by Dutch explorers, has opened a year of celebrations to mark the 400-year history between the two countries. Australian Ambassador Stephen Brady outlined the jubilee events for the year during a press launch in the ‘Des Indes’ hotel in The Hague. The countries have been linked since the Dutch East Indies vessel ‘Duyfken’ sailed from the port of Batavia (now the Indonesian capital Jakarta) four centuries ago to map out the unknown territory south of the Dutch Indies.
  • 3 March 2006
    Suitcase loss costs KLM EUR 200,000
    Airline KLM is fined EUR 200,000 for losing a passenger’s suitcase and damaging his credibility more than seven years ago. Dr José Tiongco was traveling with KLM as an envoy of the Philippine authorities in November 1998. He was scheduled to give a lecture at a conference held by the World Health Organisation in Kazakhstan. He flew from Amsterdam to Frankfurt with KLM but his suitcase did not follow him. This meant he had give his lecture in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers — something that damaged his credibility, the judge agrees.
  • 25 August 2006
    Dutch release 12 ‘terror jet’ passengers
    Dutch justice officials have released the 12 passengers arrested when the cabin crew of an American plane bound for India thought they were acting suspiciously. The Northwest Airlines flight to Mumbai, with 149 passengers, was escorted back to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport by two Dutch F-16 fighter jets. The 12 Indian men were taken into custody and questioned by prosecution officials. The men were released from the detention center at the airport later in the evening.
  • 10 November 2006
    Mass emigration slows Dutch population growth
    In the first nine months of this year, almost 100,000 people left the Netherlands to settle elsewhere, 12,000 more than the same period last year. About half of the emigrants were Dutch natives, the national statistics office CBS says. If the trend continues, more than 130,000 people will have left the country by the end of this year. For the third successive year, the number of emigrants substantially outnumbers immigrants. The net effect means the Dutch population was reduced in the 2004-06 period by 75,000. In the preceding three years, there was a positive net migration of 75,000.
    (Note by GJE:) And this on a total population of approximately 16.5 mio in this densest populated country of the world.
  • 30 November 2006
    Amsterdam orders prostitution windows shut
    Red light windows to close
    A large amount of the window prostitution in Amsterdam’s red light district will be shut down as the city council gets tougher on criminal activities. Amsterdam City Council said investigations had revealed about one-third of the prostitution sector is allegedly involved in money laundering. About 100 of the 350 prostitution windows in the Dutch capital’s red-light district will be forced to close by the end of the year. The operators of the sex windows can still appeal, however, against the city council’s decision to withdraw their permits. A total of 33 permits were revoked.

Finally a link to an expat blog of a lady from the Philippines: Dutched Pinay which means Philippine becoming Dutch who is reviewed here on Expatica.

Suite Dreams in a church

Droomkerk

Just on the threshold of 2007 I found Droomkerk (Dutch for “Dream Church”) in Barsingerhorn, a little village just east of Schagen which is located approximately 40 km north of Amsterdam.
In a recently renovated church there are two luxury suites with capacity for 4 persons to stay (with a minimum of two nights stay). It looks promising, although their site is as yet only in Dutch. It is also fit for a small wedding ceremony and as a honeymoon suite.

Update December 2007:

I have deleted the link as it doesn’t work anymore. It is even obscure whether the project is still alive!

A funny Ritz Carlton Promotion

The Battery Park Ritz-Carlton in New York City makes a perfect pitch how to spend this year’s average Wall Street bonus.

According to BusinessWeek, the average Wall Street bonus in 2006 will be $137,580. Sure you could use the money to buy a luxury car, but how about sharing a once-in-a-lifetime evening with your closest friends and family at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park with the FRIENDS WITH MONEY package that includes the following amenities for 30 guests of your choosing:

  • Overnight accommodations in The Ritz-Carlton Presidential Suite (2000 square feet) with spectacular panoramic views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
  • 15 Executive Suites for your closest family and friends with views of the city skyline or New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
  • Limousine round-trip transportation from home or airport for every guest.
  • A 10-minute fireworks display specially designed by the famous Bay Fireworks Company. Experience the fireworks from the privacy of your Presidential Suite set to the music of your choice.
  • Helicopter tours over New York City for all of your guests.
  • Five-course dinner including gourmet delicacies such as foie gras, Kobe steak, lobster, and white truffle risotto. Finest wines from around the world paired with each course in the private level of the hotel’s 2 West restaurant. Plan the menu directly with the hotel’s French Master Chef.
  • Dom Perignon and strawberries in every guest’s room upon arrival.
  • 60-minute massage treatments for all guests.
  • Each guest receives a Ritz-Carlton robe embroidered with his/her initials.

The FRIENDS WITH MONEY package is priced at $137,580 including taxes and gratuities. This price is based on 32 guests including 15 Executive Suites and The Ritz-Carlton Presidential Suite. This package is based on availability and subject to change. A 14-day non-refundable advance payment is required.

Thnks E-Hotelier.