Hotel Imperial and Restaurant Vestibül

Universal Studios Orlando to Utopia of the Seas to Vienna is a pretty intense day of travel, but I’ve made it to Vienna, Austria for my next travel conference. I’m here for the ASTA River Cruise EXPO, but I’ve arrived early to maximize my time in Europe. There are five of us arriving today and one of my friends is arriving close to me. I collect my bag from baggage claim and then ask the information desk if there is more than one baggage claim. This is the only one so finding my friend will be easy. She arrives and then we leave the airport and request an Uber. We arrive to the Uber area first and a man comes up to us and tells us he is our driver. We say no because we haven’t requested a ride yet. We proceed to use the app to request the Uber and the same man comes back. This time he is actually our ride, so we hop in and head into the city center.

Hotel Imperial

We arrive at Hotel Imperial in Vienna. It looks like a palace with tall ceilings, chandeliers, and large paintings. I’ll learn later that this hotel has hosted royalty and celebrities as well. Check-in was quick and soon I headed to our room. I’m sharing the room with a friend, and she has already arrived and settled into the room. Every part of me wanted to crawl into the bed and go to sleep, but I know that is a bad idea for jet lag. Staying up the first night is the most crucial part, in my experience, to adjust to the new time. Our room looks like it belongs in Schönbrunn Palace with large windows, floor to ceiling drapes, slippers, heated towels, and fancy water. Despite wanting to crawl into bed, I take a quick shower, grab my warm towel off the heated towel rack, and change into my one nice dress for a nice evening out.

The Lounge at Hotel Imperial

It’s already dinner time and most of our group landed this morning. We meet at the lounge which is a roomy space for conversation and drinks. The lounge has comfortable chairs and sofas, and a pianist fills the room with lovely music at a perfect volume. It’s a fabulous place to re-connect with friends. We chat with each other every day, but many of us live pretty far from each other. Two of us are from Ohio, two of us are from Missouri, and one from Arizona. The lounge has an extensive drink menu and I am excited to see a real mocktail menu. Alcohol will put me right to sleep at my current state. I order a delicious pink drink. Today is International Women's Day and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than spending time with other businesswomen who are also my friends.

Restaurant Vestibül

We take an Uber to Restaurant Vestibül. The location of the restaurant used to be a private entrance into the theater for Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. The restaurant serves Viennese food. (Not to be confused with Vietnamese food.) I enjoy the Duck a L’orange as my main dish and finish with the “Bee Sting.” This dessert is almond cake with amaretto creme and honey ice cream. The food was elegant and delicious and served in a very relaxed paced for a nice evening of conversation. It’s a great start to our Austrian adventures.