Press Release

Vienna House steps into the international hotel market

With Vienna House, a new hotel brand steps into the international market on 1 February 2016.

The umbrella brand “Vienna House” brings together four separate hotel lines, each with its own

personality but all with the same shared values.

Vienna, 27 January 2016 ─ Finally, Austria’s largest hotel group completes its repositioning on

1 February 2016. Vienna International Hotels & Resorts becomes Vienna House. The new

umbrella brand Vienna House brings together individual city and resort hotels, the design hotels

“andel’s by Vienna House”, the vibrant business hotels “angelo by Vienna House” as well as the

down-to-earth easy line “Vienna House Easy”. With the rebranding, a major milestone has been

reached on the path set at the end of 2014 by Vienna House CEO Rupert Simoner.

‘Crucial was our answer to the question why we do what we do. We strongly believe that nothing

is more refined than the simple things in life and we want to do one thing above all: inspire our

guests. This is the inspiration for how we see ourselves and how we act. It is about being a great

host – about being your unconcealed self – without wearing a mask. We don’t get stuck in

hundreds of standards.’ says Simoner, describing the essentials of the repositioning. ‘The new

brand design; the fresh colours and images and the mobile, fully responsive website follow

accordingly.’

Each and every change at Vienna House is consistent with the guest perspective. All hotels

subscribe to the principle of hospitality as well as clear, thought-out standards that give the staff a

maximum of freedom and flexibility. Vienna House puts the focus on a personalised reception

culture with an open, inviting lobby. Digital progress is put into practice wherever it makes sense

for the guest. This includes for example free high-speed internet, web-based concierge services as

well as mobile check-in/check-out. New restaurant, bar and breakfast concepts are being

introduced in each of the four hotel lines in accordance with their respective positioning. The

focus will be on a clear culinary philosophy. International cuisine – in the sense of something

exchangeable that can be found anywhere – is out. The focus with regard to meetings and

conferences will be on creativity. Multifunctional spaces, fresh break offerings and original, more

VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTELMANAGEMENT AGDresdner Str. 87, 1200 Vienna, Austria | Tel.: +43 1 333 73 73 0, Fax: +43 1 333 73 73 13 | press@viennahouse.com | viennahouse.com

relaxed furnishings will provide the necessary room for new ideas. The issue of mobility is being

addressed through bike stations, e-vehicle charging stations and car sharing stations. A separate

kids’ world is being set up at the resort hotels and family destinations. Most of the Vienna House

hotels already feature top quality in the guest rooms. Additional renovation works and upgrades

will be completed by the end of 2016.

Renovations are ongoing at the Vienna House Easy hotels. Vienna House Easy in Landsberg, the

first to be completed, is representative of the new room design and showcases the bakery-style

breakfast concept with simple yet first-rate products and a fresh bar concept with a focus on the

latest trends as well as special selections. These could include a local gin or fruit juices from the

farmer next door. The hotels offer a self-service menu of pillow options. In place of the usual

minibar, the mini-shop in the lobby offers fresh food and beverages as well as daily necessities or

stylish details. The lobby is a place for both work and entertainment. Sitting at one of the large

tables is conducive to communication. Standing tables, sofas and easy chairs, as well as natural

materials and modern technology, offer groups the greatest possible flexibility for their meetings.

The concept for those hotels with their own restaurant is based on Vienna’s famous Naschmarkt.

Guests will have the option to order for example the best pizza or coolest sushi in town from a

select list of partners.

One umbrella brand - Four hotel lines

The 13 hotels of the easy line stand for local hospitality characterised by contemporary

straightforwardness, simple local products of the best quality, and personal attention. Vienna

House stands for elegant yet relaxed city and resort hotels. The hotel line combines individuality,

regionality and class. andel’s by Vienna House brings together the design hotels. Design, style and

modernity set the tone here. angelo by Vienna House are the vibrant business hotels. This line is

characterised by a lively lobby and bar culture as well as an Asian-style room design and colour

concept.

‘The name “Vienna” stands for the company’s origins and for the quality of life, joie de vivre and

hospitality for which the city is famous. “House” is a place that unites, where you can be yourself,

where the family comes together, and where you invite friends and guests as a host,’ says Rupert

VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTELMANAGEMENT AGDresdner Str. 87, 1200 Vienna, Austria | Tel.: +43 1 333 73 73 0, Fax: +43 1 333 73 73 13 | press@viennahouse.com | viennahouse.com

Simoner, explaining the decision behind the new brand name. ‘This feeling of contemporary,

modern Vienna, combined with our shared European roots and traditions, will be reflected in all

hotels, and when the opportunity arises, we will also grow in Vienna.’

Outlook on 2016

Together with Martin Ykema, COO Vienna House, and Johanna Weichselbaumer, CFO Vienna

House, Simoner can look back on an intense year and has enough plans for the future: ‘In 2015 we

repositioned ourselves from the inside out, invested in modern technologies, brought the

employees on board and drafted the brand strategy. This process has now been brought to a

close and we are heading into implementation. The foundation and the new positioning are so

strong that we are on an expansion path in Europe, but I can also imagine hotels in North America

or the Middle East.’

Another area of strong focus in 2016 will be employer branding. Vienna House occupies a niche

between small private hotels and large – perhaps even anonymous – chain hotels. The hotels can

be found in ten countries and offer employees internationality, good career opportunities and,

thanks to their diversity, a broad range of experience. Vienna House presents itself as personal,

direct and down-to-earth. Employees can be authentic, they have the right amount of freedom

and they receive access to further training and education according to their needs. Besides the

talent management programme “Victor”, the Vienna House Academy offers more than 60 training

seminars in 12 different fields as well as expert training with qualified institutes in a variety of

countries. A so-called micro-learning tool will also be introduced which will allow employees to

receive content in small training units on their smartphones.

‘Living brand values, always acting from the guest's perspective and making it easy – that puts the

strategy of Vienna House in a nutshell.’ concludes Simoner.

VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTELMANAGEMENT AGDresdner Str. 87, 1200 Vienna, Austria | Tel.: +43 1 333 73 73 0, Fax: +43 1 333 73 73 13 | press@viennahouse.com | viennahouse.com

High-res image material (©Vienna House) for download can be found on www.viennahouse.com.

The new Vienna House logo

Vienna House – Chic but relaxed city and resort hotels. The hotel line represents individuality, regionality, and class.

Vienna House Easy – uncomplicated hotels that are typical of local hospitality and characterized by contemporary straightforwardness, Simple but top quality products and cordial attention.

andel’s by Vienna House – the design addict in the Vienna House family. Design, style and modernity always at the forefront.

angelo by Vienna House – the vibrant base of the Vienna House brand. Characterized by a lively lobby and bar culture and a room design reminiscent of Asia.

Company profile Vienna HouseVienna House is all about travelling, about making new experiences and about exploring. Vienna House represents four hotel lines – each with its own individual character but with shared values. We strongly believe that there is nothing more refined than the simple things in life and we want to do one thing above all: inspire you!

Austria’s largest hotel group - repositioned in 2016 under the umbrella brand “Vienna House” - owns and manages individual city and resort hotels, the design hotels “andel’s by Vienna House”, the vibrant business hotels “angelo by Vienna House” as well as the down-to-earth easy line “Vienna House Easy”. The company currently employs 2,200 staff members in ten countries: from France to Russia, from Poland to Austria. Including cities like Berlin, Bratislava, Bucharest, Coburg, Carlsbad, Cracow, Lodz, Munich, Neckarsulm, Trier and Prague.

Press contactBetina Welter, Head of PR & Brand CommunicationDresdner Straße 87 I 1200 WienTel.: +43 1 333 73 7355betina.welter@viennahouse.com

VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTELMANAGEMENT AGDresdner Str. 87, 1200 Vienna, Austria | Tel.: +43 1 333 73 73 0, Fax: +43 1 333 73 73 13 | press@viennahouse.com | viennahouse.com

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VIENNA INTERNATIONAL HOTELMANAGEMENT AGDresdner Str. 87, 1200 Vienna, Austria | Tel.: +43 1 333 73 73 0, Fax: +43 1 333 73 73 13 | press@viennahouse.com | viennahouse.com