Stock photo: Gugerell, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 ★★★ · Business & meetings
Garner Hotel Vienna
IHG chain hotel on Wiedner Gürtel right by the main station - good connections for arrivals and business trips.
Our verdict
The Garner Hotel Vienna - formerly the Novum Hotel Congress, now part of the IHG group - is the least exciting recommendation in this selection, and that is precisely its value: a few minutes on foot from the main station, functional rooms, no surprises. If you arrive by train, need an early airport departure or are in town for a conference, you get maximum logistics for comparatively little money. Viennese romance is not on the menu, and the house does not pretend otherwise.
About the hotel
Standard chain hotel under IHG's Garner brand - formerly known as Novum Hotel Congress - on Wiedner Gürtel right by the main station. Set up for business travelers and city visitors with early arrivals or late departures. Rooms are functional, clean, no surprises. If you don't want to read a novel choosing a hotel, this works.
Location: 4th district (Wieden). Close to Naschmarkt, cafés, vintage shops. Small, lively, well connected.
Who is it for?
A hotel for pragmatists: business travelers and conference guests who need reliability and a short walk to the main station, plus city-trippers who would rather spend their budget on concert tickets than on the room. You get a dependable three-star with IHG standards below the price of comparable hotels in the center. Rooms and facilities are functional - no more, no less. If you're after Viennese romance, period charm or a hotel with personality, book elsewhere; the boutique houses of Mariahilf or Josefstadt cover that.
What works
- + The main station a few minutes on foot - reachable from the airport without changing trains
- + Functional, clean rooms with no nasty surprises
- + U1 Südtiroler Platz right at the main station - Karlsplatz and Stephansplatz without changing
- + Good tram connections towards the Ring and the old town
What to weigh up
- − Interchangeable chain design - from the room you could be in any city
- − The station surroundings are functional, not a neighborhood for strolling
- − The old town is not comfortably walkable - every evening means tram or metro
- − Breakfast is not included in every rate
Location & getting there
The Garner Hotel Vienna - formerly the Novum Hotel Congress, now part of the IHG group - sits on Wiedner Gürtel in Wieden, Vienna's 4th district, right by the main station - one of the most practical locations in the city if you travel by rail. Wieden itself is compact, student-flavoured and well connected: trams take you to the Ringstraße and the old town in short order, and the Naschmarkt and Karlskirche are in the same district. From the airport you can reach the Hauptbahnhof by direct train and walk to the hotel in a few minutes - arrivals in Vienna rarely get shorter than that.
Getting around from here
| Hauptbahnhof | approx. 5 min on foot |
| U1 Südtiroler Platz-Hauptbahnhof | approx. 5 min on foot |
| Belvedere | approx. 15 min on foot |
| Karlsplatz (U1) | approx. 10 min by transit |
| Stephansplatz (U1) | approx. 15 min by transit |
| Vienna Airport (from Hauptbahnhof) | approx. 25 min by transit |
Rounded estimates from our location analysis - actual times vary by route and time of day.
How the price compares
The rate here mainly buys logistics: the main station on foot, the U1 next door, the airport without changing trains. Rooms and ambience are interchangeable chain standard, and the house charges no premium for them. If you want Vienna atmosphere in the hotel itself, spend your money elsewhere.
Currently from €96 per night, which places it in the cheapest third of our Vienna selection (rank 2 of 25 by lowest rate). In the 4th district, the median entry rate across our picks is €128.
Calculated across the current rates of all 25 properties with live data, as of Aug 24, 2026.
Know before you book
- For early departures, check breakfast hours or simply book without breakfast
- Arriving by car: clarify parking directly with the hotel in advance, the paid short-term zone applies all around
- Request the quiet side of the building - Wiedner Gürtel is a heavily trafficked artery
- The property has been rebranded several times - watch for the current name on older booking confirmations
Highlights
- Close to Hauptbahnhof, Vienna's main train station
- Pragmatic 4-star setup
- Meeting rooms available
- Good streetcar connections
- Standard chain-hotel quality
Editorially checked: location, transport links, price level and amenity details last verified in August 2026 - against hotel information, current guest reviews, location analysis and price comparison. We have not slept in every listed property; where you read a verdict, it is analysis, not claimed experience. How we select and review hotels
Frequently asked
Breakfast included?
Depends on rate.
Wi-Fi?
Free.
Parking?
Hotel parking for a fee.
How far to the main station?
A few minutes on foot.
Alternatives from our selection
Hotel Schani Wien
Smart hotel at the main station - self check-in, co-working lobby, beloved by train travelers.
from €128 per night
If you want a more modern concept with more character in the same area, Hotel Schani is the fresher pick for a small premium.
Sommerhotel Wieden
Seasonal student housing - open to travelers July to September.
If all you need in the same district is a cheap bed and you travel in summer, the Sommerhotel Wieden costs far less.
Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere
Right at the main station - skybar with Belvedere views, modern lifestyle hotel.
If business travel may also mean style, the Andaz at the Belvedere near the station plays the design card - at a clear premium.
