Hotel Sacher Wien

Now approaching its 150th birthday, the Hotel Sacher Wien is among the grandest of the old grand hotels. And while its imperial style remains as opulent as ever, this beauty has aged with grace. Still intact is its reputation for faultless, peerless service, as well as the famous chocolate Sachertorte. But aside from the modernization of the in-room comforts and technology — and the conversion of the attic into a guest floor, adding another 52 rooms — it’s still the same old Sacher, in the best way.

Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon has been responsible for shepherding the interiors into the 21st century, and his work here is characteristically elegant. Many of the rooms, and most of the suites, have views of the Albertina museum, the Opera, or Kärntner Straße, and at every level they’re equipped with luxuries large and small, from the extravagant marble bathrooms to the little cubes of Sachertorte cake.

Another 21st-century addition is the Sacher Boutique Spa, which took its time opening but is up to the highest standard. And while the Café Sacher Wien, with its eponymous torte, is a local attraction unto itself, the hotel offers much more: from the Rote Bar and Grüne Bar, a pair of fine-dining restaurants decorated in historic style, to the Café Bel Étage, a quieter café with the same famous coffees and cakes.