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"Vienna’s Hotel Sacher is a testament to enduring elegance and female leadership. Founded in 1876 by Eduard Sacher, the hotel came into its own under the stewardship of his formidable widow, Anna Sacher. At the turn of the 20th century, Anna—a cigar-smoking doyenne often trailed by her beloved French bulldogs—turned the Sacher into the most glamorous gathering place in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nobility, artists, and politicians waltzed through its gilded salons, and her rigorous attention to detail made the hotel synonymous with Viennese excellence. Her legacy set a precedent: that a hotel could be both a stage and a sanctuary." - Lilah Ramzi