The Companion

There were three friends — Michael, Florian and Christian — all with backgrounds in hospitality. Together with Hamburg entrepreneur Kai Hollmann, they took a gamble during Covid by opening a Vienna outpost of the much-loved German Superbude concept. It proved a resounding success. And so the four embarked on a new adventure: renovating a classic building, with the project entrusted to Piotr Wiśniewski of weStudio. The result is a winning blend of classicism and modernity, inspired by the Wiener Werkstätte. The tree-shaded courtyard, lobby and bar, arranged around a library and fireplace, reflect the ambition to make this new address feel like a “neighbourhood living room”, where visitors and locals mingle. In the staircases and corridors, the designer preserved original features, now set alongside polished marble and hand-worked wood, Bakelite switches and Secession-style light fittings — a quest for authenticity that gives the hotel its distinctive character. The compact rooms, decorated in a muted palette, derive their richness from the details: reclaimed parquet flooring salvaged from old Viennese apartments, a different minibar in every room, adjustable lighting, Dyson hairdryers… A cosy sense of comfort extends to the warm and attentive welcome. A precious base in the city — if only for a drink or dinner at the table of the chef at Boca.