Hotel MOTTO: Where Vienna Meets the Paris of the 1920s

This historic building on the corner of Mariahilfer Strasse has housed hotels since 1665, and is now home to Hotel MOTTO. And we need to talk about it.

We love a themed hotel, but when we heard the words “Vienna meets Paris”, we had to take a closer look right away. In the heart of Vienna, Hotel MOTTO combines the Parisian flair of the 1920s with a modern Viennese lifestyle and Scandinavian comfort, and somehow makes it all feel like one house where everything is exactly as it should be. The hotel itself puts it best: Vienna and Paris tell their shared love story in these spaces.

Behind the design is Bernd Schlacher, one of Austria's best-known restaurateurs, and architect Arkan Zeytinoglu, who designed almost everything you see. Let's dive into it.

Three centuries of hospitality

As we mentioned earlier, the first hotel here, The Golden Cross, opened in 1665. In 1872 it became Hotel Kummer, a social hub where artists, painters, sculptors, writers, actors and musicians met for coffee, wine and Austrian delicacies. In 1827, before the name change, Josef Strauss, son of the composer Johann Strauss, was born in the house.

In 1904 architect Ludwig Schwarz refurbished the building. He kept the original slanted corners and the oversized columns that still frame the lobby and entrance today. The façade, with its towers and domes, mixes Renaissance and Baroque references with Gothic and Byzantine elements, and was built by top artisans of the time. It is fully preserved and shapes the layout of the hotel inside. There is even a French chapter in its story: after the Second World War, from 1945 to 1955, the hotel was taken over by the French during the Allied occupation of Vienna.

Vienna meets Paris

That French thread runs all through the design. The interior theme is simply “Vienna meets Paris”, and the hotel describes the idea like this:

“When Vienna encounters the Paris of the 1920s, adds Scandinavian comfort with a hint of Japanese ‘wabi sabi’ culture and a touch of flea market chic, a contemporary lifestyle emerges.”

Walking into the lobby feels like travelling back in time. Serving carts and golden lamps, floral fabric on the walls, artful mirrors and playful chandeliers all point to the opulent 1920s. But it never tips into a period piece. The fairytale side is balanced by the clean, linear coolness of contemporary luxury, and there is a deliberate edge to it too: the hotel calls its mix punk rock meets avant-garde.

The architect: Arkan Zeytinoglu

Much of what makes MOTTO so recognisable comes from the hand of architect Arkan Zeytinoglu, who passed away in 2026. He designed the fabric-covered walls, rugs, furniture, tiles and almost all of the lamps exclusively for the hotel. His pieces frame original vintage furniture, some of it from the Hotel Ritz in Paris, so that new and old quite literally sit side by side.

His biggest gesture, however, is upstairs. Restaurant Chez Bernard rises under a striking glass dome that covers two floors, flooded with light and filled with greenery. Its construction and architecture were his design. On top of that, a lot of local craftsmanship was involved: all furniture was made by local artisans and small businesses, a choice that supports the community as much as the look.

Chez Bernard and MOTTO Brot

Under the glass dome on the seventh floor, Chez Bernard serves modern Austrian cuisine with French and Mediterranean influences, with fresh preparation and organic ingredients first. The bar is an all-day meeting place, from a green smoothie in the morning to a gin and tonic at night. The coffee is a roast made especially for the hotel, and the in-house beer, Brewdi, is brewed from bread left over from the bakery.

One floor up, on the eighth floor, the open-air rooftop terrace has a stunning view of the vineyards around the city. Because it is outdoors, it is only open in summer. Its look is pure mid-century, with candy colours, metal shelving and parasols with playful cords that bring a touch of Palm Springs to the rooftops of Vienna. Downstairs, the organic bakery MOTTO Brot opens onto Mariahilfer Strasse with a green patio, wood panelling, gold details and high ceilings. Croissants, sourdough and fine pâtisserie are made from local organic ingredients, in a bakery that would not look out of place in Paris.

Art on every floor

The hotel's art collection is as bold as its interior. Italian illustrator Andrea Ferolla's distinctive silhouettes decorate the walls, while Mexican photographer Victoria Barmak's powerful photography makes room for the LGBTQ+ community. In eight rooms, artist SASA, also known as Sasha Knezevic, painted graffiti quotes onto mirrored walls, from edgy to funny. As the hotel puts it: where Vienna meets Paris, punk also meets gentleman.

Rooms and details

The rooms range from Petit and Chic to suites, and each category has its own character. Besides the big design statement, the hotel pays a lot of attention to the smaller details that make the difference. The minibar sits on an original brass table, stocked with gin, vodka and a ready-made negroni. Guests can make their own complimentary espresso, and there is a vintage-style Roberts radio with a handmade wooden casing.

Roland Eggenhofer, Director of Sales & Marketing at Hotel MOTTO, describes what makes the hotel special for him:

“For me, it’s the little details that make Hotel MOTTO so special. The high-quality materials, our 100% cotton bedding that makes you feel like you’re sleeping on cloud nine or simply being able to choose between two shower gel scents. I especially love how everything comes together: the smell of freshly baked croissants from our own bakery, MOTTO Brot, the vibrant atmosphere at CHEZ BERNARD, where locals and hotel guests meet, and the jazzy Parisian tunes that welcome you from the moment you walk in, turning into lively DJ sets on weekends. For me, it’s all about creating a place you don’t just see, but feel, smell, taste and remember.”

In the bathroom you will find organic skincare from Saint Charles, the Viennese apothecary brand founded by Alexander Ehrmann, a sixth-generation pharmacist. Even the staff are part of the design. Styrian fashion designer Lena Hoschek, who once interned at Vivienne Westwood and has dressed Dita von Teese and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, created the uniforms, using prints taken from the hotel's own interiors.

The man behind MOTTO

Bernd Schlacher, who grew up in Styria, started his career as a waiter and worked his way up to become one of Austria's most successful restaurateurs. His MOTTO group includes the original MOTTO restaurant, Café Restaurant MOTTO am Fluss and a catering business that has worked for the Vienna Opera Ball and Gucci events worldwide. With the hotel, his aim was to create a meeting place for both minds and hearts, and to serve as an inspiration for the whole neighbourhood. Sustainability is also a big part of it: there is a no-plastic policy wherever an alternative exists, and the leftover bread is used to make their own beer.

Why it stays with us

A theme can easily tip into a gimmick. At Hotel MOTTO it never does, because every reference is chosen with care and held together by one clear idea. A Baroque façade, a Ritz chandelier, a graffiti mirror and a bakery full of croissants should not belong in the same building, yet here they do. It is the kind of place where you start noticing details on the first evening and are still finding new ones when you check out.

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