Hotel Sacher Vienna stands as a monument to luxury and tradition, with its crowning jewel, the Original Sacher-Torte, reigning supreme in the world of confections. This iconic cake is the best-selling of its kind globally, with the hotel producing around 320,000 Sacher-Tortes annually. On peak days, orders can soar to 3,500, showcasing its enduring popularity. In 1990, The Most Famous Hotels in the World turned its attention to Vienna to delve into the rich history of the Sacher and uncover the secrets of this legendary establishment, which first opened its doors in 1876 during the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. This year was also notable for the inaugurations of the Frankfurter Hof and the Oriental in Bangkok.
The Hotel Sacher remains one of the last family-owned and operated luxury hotels, reflecting the values and vision of its proprietors. Traditional touches are preserved, with doors still opened by staff and wake-up calls made personally.
In 1990, we had the privilege of meeting Elisabeth Gürtler, who had just assumed the directorship of the hotel. A woman of modern management prowess and impeccable style, Gürtler was poised to propel the historic Sacher into a new era, continuing the legacy begun by her late husband, Peter Gürtler. The Gürtler family had owned the hotel since 1936.
Today, the Hotel Sacher epitomizes elegance, from its rooftop spa overlooking the opera house to its inviting lobby and sophisticated downstairs bar and restaurants. The spa offers an exotic sanctuary with aromatic scents, water features, and a historically rich sauna. Downstairs, the Sacher Corner, a chic glass-front bar conceived by Alexandra Winkler and her brother Georg Gürtler, represents the modern touch of the family business.
We spent considerable time collecting stories from the hotel's storied past. Among those we spoke with were the late Peter Wanninger, former chef concierge, his successor Wolfgang Buchmann, and the legendary former restaurant manager, Robert Palfrader. We also visited retired staff members, preserving their tales for future generations. In total, we conducted over one hundred hours of interviews.
One particularly memorable story came from Rudolf Paller, a former manager, who recounted the visit of Edward VIII, King of England, in 1936. Although protocol dictated he stay at the Hotel Bristol, he chose to dine at the Sacher. On his subsequent visit, no longer bound by royal duties after abdicating the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, he preferred the intimate charm of the Sacher, even becoming the first to sign the hotel's new guest book. Today, Edward VIII might have enjoyed a relaxing session in the hotel's spa steam room.
Our research and the wealth of stories we gathered will be published in a new edition of "Hotel Sacher Vienna" as part of The Most Famous Hotels in the World series. One chilly winter evening, as we left the Sacher, we encountered Kurt Wachtveitl, general manager of The Oriental in Bangkok. This serendipitous meeting sparked a conversation about a book on The Oriental, marking the beginning of our next literary endeavor, initiated 8,420 kilometers away from Bangkok at the Sacher in Vienna.
