Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom

"Austria’s conservative capital got a jolt of minimalist chic with this off-kilter 18-story tower by French starchitect Jean Nouvel. Located along the Danube Canal (with the Schiffsstation catamaran landing across the way), the 182-rooom Sofitel lies just outside the city’s historic first district, commanding wide-angle views over the skyline and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Style more than function is the driving force here: Nouvel reportedly banned flowers from the lobby and minimalized the presence of signs and other visual distractions. The all-gray, cathedral-side guest rooms have sleek, sliding panels covering the windows, and bare (though heated) gray floors; north-facing rooms with views over Prater park are white-on-white (and have curtains); and for the style-obsessed there are three all-black rooms, booked by request. Spared from total aloofness, the hotel integrates with city life through its design-focused shopping center, while two restaurants attract a local crowd: Le Loft, an airy rooftop restaurant/bar by three Michelin–star chef Antoine Westermann, and Neni im Zweiten, a branch of a beloved Israeli-themed restaurant from the city’s Naschmarkt. Though courteous and competent, staff are not quite laser-focused: An overzealous bellman might carry off the bags with the documents you’ll need for check-in. The overall effect makes a stay here feel less Viennese and more like a journey into the flourish-free vision of a master architect."