Hotel Bristol renovation presses ahead as bar opens

The luxury hotel Bristol at Kärntner Ring in Vienna (next to the State Opera) has been undergoing renovation for a year. The bar was now reopened. The lobby, reception and the restaurant will open until November.

Anthony Quinn and Shakira, George Gershwin and Herbert von Karajan as well as Juan Carlos from Spain and Kofi Annan are only a few guests who have stayed at the five-star hotel Bristol.

The hotel was opened in the centre of Vienna in 1892. The Bristol is currently being renovated whilst still operating. The banquet area is redesigned and there are ten new rooms and suites on the mezzanine floor.

Hotel director Gerald Krischek said that the Bristol Bar is indisputably one of the most favourite meeting places in Vienna. Not only guests of the hotel, but also residents of Vienna visit the bar frequently.

Despite renovations, the most prominent features of the Bristol remained, such as the dark wall cladding. The furniture was restored and a carpet floor with a leopard pattern and the fresh orange of the ceiling give the hotel a modern touch.

The renovation of the hotel, which has been part of the Sacher-Group for a while, will be completed until November. The lobby, the reception and the restaurant will be renewed this year.

The Bristol will then be in the signature style of the French designer Pierre Yves Rochon. His aim is the new interpretation of the typical Art-Deco style.

The hotel did not want to specify the costs of the renovation. Mr Krischek indicated that there might be further “projects” after the renovation as the process of renewal is long term.