CMW’s Simon George enrols on a 3-day ‘eventing’ course at the Imperial Riding School in Vienna, the first Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in Austria.
The Hapsburg empire may have fallen and the horses are no longer resident, but the grandeur and opulence of the Imperial Riding School in Vienna have not changed. Established as a military equestrian school by Emperor Franz Josef I in the mid-19th century, the 342-bed hotel, which now operates under the Marriott Autograph Collection brand, opened in April 2024, having undergone extensive renovation and rebranding under the new owners, US private equity company Northwood Investors. Situated in Landstraße, a short tram ride from the city centre, it is well connected in terms of road, rail and air.
General manager Juergen Fleischhacker is quick to emphasise that while not exactly the new kid on the block, the Imperial Riding School is still ramping up. “I’m really happy to say that after one year we have seen steadily increasing demand in the MICE segment – both internationally and locally. We already have returning business which I think is a really big compliment to the team. We can be really proud of what we have achieved and our event pipeline, and we see continued growth in the coming years,” he said.
In terms of revenue mix, MICE accounts for up to 60% of the hotel’s business, followed by corporate and leisure although much depends on the month of the year given Vienna’s numerous cultural attractions – especially during the summer and at Christmas markets, according to Fleischhacker. Weekends are very much leisure-driven and March, May, June, September, October and mid-November to early December are the busy MICE months.
Key markets for the hotel comprise the UK, US and the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) while key sectors for meetings and events are medical, pharma, biotech, banking and finance (see opposite for World Bank event case study).
Recruitment is key
As for key concerns and challenges (aside from geopolitics and global economic issues), Fleischhacker flagged recruitment, stating that attracting and retaining talent was becoming more and more difficult, especially initially for a new hotel. After one year things were improving, he added, and the hotel, which has its own training scheme, is focusing on apprenticeships and now has almost 30 apprentices. “Getting good people on board, training them well and rewarding them well is key,” he stressed.
Private garden USP
The Imperial Riding School offers 13 event rooms totalling 1,271sqm, all of which are situated on the first floor with natural daylight, so ideal for buyouts, the largest of which is the Kaisergarten 1+2 with a capacity of 432sqm, six breakout rooms and a key alfresco advantage over most of its competitors: a large private garden/outside space with apple trees and good for hosting barbecues, cocktail parties or lunches/dinners. “You can even set up a cinema there,” Fleischhacker added.
Europe, Austria, Vienna, Hotel IMPERIAL RIDING SCHOOL, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION
The hotel is close to achieving sustainability certification (awaiting the auditor’s final inspection) – a long, demanding process, according to the GM.
The pipeline of upcoming events is looking healthy, although for some events lead times are getting shorter, Fleischhacker said. “A few years ago we had a lot more discussion about price. Now, payment conditions and flexibility are becoming more important in the negotiating process, especially regarding cancellation terms where we try to work on a flexible basis.”
The Imperial Riding School’s MICE offering will not change significantly in the next five years, the GM said. “For the hotel, the requirements of technology (AI, robots) will continue to rise, of course, but the human touch and personal connection will always be important, which is something we have recognised in the past five years.”
Bleisure a growing trend
Fleischhacker touched on the growing combination of business and leisure (bleisure) at the hotel, which is also a city-wide trend for visitors to Austria’s capital, as Anita Paic, director of the Vienna Convention Bureau, has also said.
The Imperial Riding School is certainly a special venue thanks to its connection between historical elegance and modernity. As the GM put it: “In terms of MICE, we are one of the largest hotels in Vienna. We have our own road in front of the hotel, which is good for privacy and security, and in terms of event branding this gives us a lot of options. Plus the outside space, of course.”
And it’s not just self-recognition: after just a year in operation, the Imperial Riding School was named the number one destination meetings hotel in Europe by Cvent.
The hotel is definitely off and running in the race for MICE business and looks to be a real thoroughbred.
Case study
Client: World Bank Centre for Financial and Sustainability Reporting Reform
Event: 2025 CFRR Ministerial Conference
Date: 4-day event held in March 2025
Number of attendees: 280 pax conference with multiple breakout sessions. Delegations from three continents.
Key features
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Setting up interpreter cabins in the main room
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Cocktail reception
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Dinner with a live performance from an opera singer in the restaurant (Elstar)
