magdas HOTEL

Formerly a retirement home, the magdas HOTEL opened in 2015 specifically to aid refugees transitioning to a new life in Vienna. Roughly two-thirds of the staff are recent (or former) refugees trained in hospitality industry, and collectively, more than  20 languages are spoken here. The institutional quality of the building's previous life remains in a structural sense, but the atmosphere has been transformed with a vibrant art collection, vintage furniture, and colorful light fixtures. The lobby is a wide open space decorated with potted plants, an illustrated wall map of the city, and midcentury-style decor, and around the corner there's a long reception desk that's made of cubby holes filled with books. The hotel attracts a mix of business and leisure travelers on a budget who don't mind staying outside the city center, seeking accommodations with a laid-back vibe. 

Located in Leopoldstadt, the hotel sits on a quiet block across from the tree-lined Prater amusement park, with views of its famous Giant Ferris Wheel. It's close to the Economic University campus, next to a big green park that's popular with joggers, and a 15-minute walk from the Messe Wien Exhibition Congress Center. It's not centrally located and there are few restaurants within walking distance, but the Praterstern U-Bahn and the Wien Praterstern Bahnhof station are both a 10-minute walk away from the hotel for easy access across the city. Vienna International Airport is about 20 minutes away by car. 

The 88 guest rooms have a variety of color palettes and are individually decorated with recycled and upcycled furniture, including vintage chairs, wardrobe racks taken from old Austrian Federal Railway trains, and hand-knitted lampshades. Artwork on the walls comes from donations by the Academy of Fine Arts. Standard rooms have twin or double beds, desks, and seating areas with armchairs. Upgraded rooms have furnished balconies with park views and add flat-screen TVs. There are also some quadruple rooms with two bunk beds. Tiled bathrooms have locally made organic toiletries and walk-in showers. Suites have a more eclectic vintage decor, living areas with couches, and larger furnished balconies, and they add electric tea kettles. None of the units have kettles or mini-fridges, but there's free Wi-Fi and tablets are available on request. 

Magdas HOTEL has amenities that are in line with a property in its category, but it offers some nice features that add character and make for a pleasant stay. The garden courtyard has flowerbeds in old bathtubs, a grassy lawn area, and shade trees over terrace seating at colorful, classic French bistro chairs. There's also a sandbox and a boules court, and in summer, there are regular movie nights. The lobby bar has live music and cultural events year-round that are open to the public, and it serves coffee and cake wine, beer, and snacks.  There's no full restaurant on-site, but there's a buffet breakfast with sausage, cheese, organic muesli, fresh fruit, bread, and pastries for an extra fee, and there's a weekly themed dinner evening, with different ethnic food presented in several courses (also for a fee). The hotel also breeds its own bees on the rooftop, and its local honey is available for purchase.Two colorful meeting rooms are on-site, and private events can booked in the courtyard. Free bike rentals and Wi-Fi throughout are additional perks, and there's an underground parking garage with limited spaces for an extra charge.