Vienna Hilton – Moments Larger Than Life, Austria (English)

On Monday, 17 May 2004, five minutes past nine, a taxi pulled up in front of the Hilton. Seconds later, a man entered the lobby. Cautiously, he approached the reception and asked: 'Do you have, by any chance, a room for me?' 'We do,' the receptionist answered with a smile, 'to be precise, we have 579 brand-new rooms for you.' Within seconds, Claus Steiner, the hotel manager, was in place to explain. 'Dear Sir, you are our first guest since we reopened after 14 months of renovation. And we literally opened just seconds before you arrived. Welcome!'

The guest was thrilled. Having just flown into Vienna directly on a 14-hour flight from San Francisco, all he had done was to instruct a taxi driver at the airport: 'Take me to the Hilton.'

One week later, the reopened hotel was in full swing. It was the opening night of Joe Zawinul’s Jazz club, Birdland. Excitement was in the air. Both the retiring and the designated presidents of Austria were present in the basement when Joe played the first tunes in his fine new club. It was also the night of a Bobby McFerrin open-air concert in the gardens of Schönbrunn Castle, at the foot of the hills of the 'Gloriette'. Bobby was conducting the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra and 90,000 had flocked to listen. Once, after countless encores, McFerrin had safely tucked away the conductor’s baton in his dread-locked hair, he was on stage with Joe Zawinul at the Birdland just after midnight. That much about priorities. At Schönbrunn, he had told the driver of his limousine that one and only single famous sentence: 'Take me to the Hilton!'

Now, general manage Rico de Schepper invited us to conduct a thourough research of the. hotel's history. We checked in to complete our research on the hotel. In its relatively short lifespan the Hilton has become a thriving hub of Viennese society and international celebrities. Our work was coming to an end. We had been through approximately 2,000 photographs of events and celebrities, from 1975 (including the laying of the foundation stone – actually, in 1972!) up to date.

We had met, with the exception of the late Roman O. Rickenbacher, the former general managers, who shared with us their personal memories of the Hilton Vienna. We had spoken to retired and still working staff members, all of them Hilton Vienna people of the very first hour. They were all very much a part of the special atmosphere and the international flair that have come to epitomise this city. More and more, it became evident that Vienna and its Hilton have inspired one another so successfully that, in the course of events, the Hilton has become a very Viennese hotel, while over the past decades Vienna has retrieved its original position as a very international city. As you may imagine, we were very much taken by the Hilton.

A timeless piece of contemporary hotel history. Creating the index of The Vienna Hilton book proofed that the list of VIP guest who had stayed at the young hotel during its first 30 years was almost comparable to many lists of historic grand hotels we have researched so far.

We have a copy of our index right here (under "Making of"): A A Touch of Britain 55 Abbado, Claudio 60 Adam, Theo Adams, Oleta 67 Ainberger, Wolfgang Al Bano 41 Albee, Edward Alfven, Hannes 17 Almassy, Susanne 38 Am Heumarkt 35 Am Stadtpark 35 Andress, Ursula 2, 22 Anschluss 13 Antel, Franz 57 Araiza, Francisco 34, 35 ArtConsulting 76 Attenborough, R. 70 Auction 75 Auersperg-Rotterdam, Verena 60 Augarten Park 12 AUSTROMIR 56 Aznavour, Charles B Babenberger 12 Ballroom 32 Barilly, Gabriel Beethoven, Ludwig 13 Behind the Iron Mask 22 Belafonte, Harry 27, 39 Bennent, Anne Bennent, David Berger, Helmut 63 Best Conf. Hotel 30 Bilgeri, Beatrix 63 Birdland 7, 79, 83 Blecha, Nobert Bohan, Marc Böhm, Alfred Boney M 33 Bourbon-Parma, Marie Christine, Princess Bourbon-Parma, Marie-Louise 61 Brand, Willi Brandauer, Klaus M. 42, 72 Braun, Pinkas Briely, Jean-Claude Bruckner, Anton 45 Brühl, Heidi 17 Brundtland, Gro 55 Buchholz, Horst Buchrieser, Franz 53 Bujones, Fernando Bukowski, Boris C Café am Park 17 Calasso, Robert Caledonian 9 Cameron, David Canon, Hans 45 Carl Gustav of Sweden Caron, Leslie 49 Cassel, Seymour 62 CAT, City Airport Train 75, 83 Cavalieri Hilton 9 Chaplin, Geraldine 2, 20 Charles, Ray 2, 65 Christie, Tony Clarin, Hans 53 Clayderman, Richard Cleese, John 46 Clément, Cathérine 61 Como, Perry 20 Congress of Vienna 13 Connors, Jimmy 20 Conrad Hilton Foundation 9 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize 9 Constantine, King 33 Conte, Paolo 59 Croissant 13 Cuéllar, Pérez de 31 D Dalida Damiani, Damiano 49 Das Fest 57 Davis, Sammy 2 Dawson, Lyn Degischer, Vilma 38 Deleon, Jak Dichand family 73 Dirtl, Willy and Erika 57 Domingo, Placido 2, 35, 36, 48 Dornig, Kurt 76 Down Beat Magazine 79 Dr Hook 60 Duchess of Kent 2, 55 Dunja Rajter Durst, Traudl E Eastwood, Clint 29 Eckhart, Fritz Eckstein, Andreas 29 Eggerth, Marta Ein Fast Perfekter Seiten-sprung 53 Elizabeth II, Queen look-alike 55 Ernst Happel Stadion 45 Erny, Bela 17 Eschke, Elfi 53 Eugen, Prince 18 EFTA 13 F Faithful, Marianne Falco Meets Amadeus 81 Farian, Frank 33 Faudon, Curt M. 67 Fay Wray 73 Fend, Dietmar 76 Fiaker 10, 24 Fischer, O.W. 69 Fitzgerald, Ella 30 Flea market 10 Forest Gump 67 Frankel, Cyril Franz Joseph I 13 Freud, Siegmund 13 Friedl, Werner 68 Friedrich, Karl Friends Univ. Jerusalem 57 Fuchs, Ernst 36 Fuchsberger, J. 38, 39 Fux, Herbert G Gärtner, Helga 80 Gates, William 64 Genscher, Hans Dietrich Gershe, Lonard Glockner, Walter 29 Gmeiner, Klaus 24 Goethe monument 11 Gottschalk, Thomas 38 Greco, Juliette 70 Greenaway, Peter 56 Grisel, Alfred W. 69 H Habsburg 12 Hagara, Roman 81 Haider, Alfons Haller, Christian 75 Hallervorden, Didi 38 Hargrave, Roy 59 Harriett, Joe Häupl, Michael 75 Hayde, Dieter 73 Heesters, Johannes 66 Heesters, Nicole 66 Hegy, Lorand 57 Heintl, Kurt Heldenplatz 18 Helnwein, Gottfried 43 Herrig, Axel 81 Hilton on Park Lane 9 Hilton, Conrad 9, 15 Hofburg 10 Hoffmann, Peter 30 Holender, Joan Holm, Renate 60 Hörbiger, Christiane 63 Huber, Lotti 60 Huber, Rupert 15, 17, 18, 27, 49, 75 Hudson, David Hülsmann, Ingo Hunt, Swanee I Ironimus, alias Prof Gustav Peichl 8, 9 IROS-Hilton Mind Studio 64 J James, Jimmy 65 Janes, Eirian Janko, Dr Eva 17, 20 Jarreau, Al 61 Jazz Gitti 66 Jobim, Antonio Carlos Juhnke, Harald 38 Jukic, Mirna 81 Jürgens, Jenny 63 Jürgens, Udo K Kaiserschmarren 43 Kalman, Vera Kalman, Yvonne Kara Mustapha 12 Karajan, Eliette von 57 Karl I 13 Karl V 12 Kaufmann, Götz Kaufmann, Johannes 76 Kessler, Alice, Ellen 48 Key card 30 King Kong 73 Kipura, Marjan Kirchschläger, Dr R. 20, 57 Kishon, Ephraim 17 Klammer, Franz 41 Kleiner, Towje 63 Klestil, Thomas 79 Klimt Bar 66 Klimt Torte 53, 61, 67 Klimt, Gustav 13 Koch, Klaus 80 Kollek, Teddy 66 Koller, Dagmar 34, 71 Konarek, Ernst 53 König, Franz; Cardinal 25 Königsegg-Aulendorf, Philippa 2, 55 Korsin, Valeri Kraus, Doris 59 Kreisky, Bruno 25 Krenek, Ernst 53 Kristel, Sylvia 22 Kristofferson, Kris 33 Krüger, Hardy Krüger, Mike 38 Kupfer, Peter 17 Kutschera, Rolf 38 L La Scala 51 Ladies Orchestra 28 Lahr, Maria 2, 57 Landers, Audrey 29 Landesmann, Ellen 57 Last, James 17 Lauda, Niki 33 Lauterbach, Heiner 68 Lehar, Franz 45 Leherb 17 Lenck, Maximilian Lewin, Andre Lewis, Jerry 48 Lipovsek, Marjana Little Richard Lobby 50 Lohner, Helmuth Lollobrigida, Gina 8 Loos, Adolf 13 Lord Snowdon 71 Luger, Gery 76 Lütgendorf, Karl 20 Luther, Robert 59 M MacEwal, Terry 34 Makart, Hans 45 Malakhov, Vladimir Manilow, Barry Maria Theresa 12 Marie Antoinette 13 Marsalis, Wynton 59 Martin, Janice Martini, Louise Matt, Werner 2, 36, 51, 75 Maurer-Löffler, Max 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 36, 75 Mauritius 49 Mayrhofer, Ruth 42 McFerrin, Bobby 7, 65 Meinl 10 Mendt, Marianne 71 Menmings, David Merckx, Eddy 24 Merkatz, Karl Metternich 13 Mey, Reinhard 51 Meysel, Inge Michael de Grèce 9 Milva 17 Minetti, Bernhard, Miss Europe 51 Mitchum, Robert 42 Mokesch, Günter 62 Monicelli, Mario Monroe, Marilyn 65 Moorefield, Oliver Moosbrugger, Eva 76 Mörbisch Festival 57 Morton, Frederic 67 Morton, Richard, 81 Mozart 10, 12 Murgu, Corneliu & Yana 56 Myhre, Wencke 46 N Nannini, Gianna 49 Napoleon 13 Naschmarkt 10, 11 Nastase, Ilie 20 National Library 11 Neumeister, Brigitte Neumeyer, Wolfgang 57 Neustädtl, Martina 68 Nhiavarani, Michael (with Dolores Schmidinger) Niklas, Jan Nile Hilton 9 Nitsch, Hermann 68 No Angels 70 O Opening, Vienna Hilton 15 Opernball 68, 72 Otto Oudendijk, Jan 51 P Pappas, Dimitri 33 Paprikahenderl 79 Park Congress Centre 81 Parsons, Julie Pasterk, Ursula 60 Patzak, Peter Pavarotti, Luciano 2, 35, 37 Pechlaner, Helmut Peer, Michael Perschy, Maria 60 Peryment,Mandy Peterson, Oscar 30 Pfeffer, Fritz 15 Pleskow, Eric 70 Potter, Sally Power, Romina 41 Prater 12, 45 Prawy, Marcel 34 Prince, Harold 23, 62 Prinz Eugen Rest. 71, 75 Pruscha, Dr Carl 56 Pugatschowa, Alla Quinn, Francesco Quinn, Lorenzo R Raiter, Dunja Ramos, Fidel 69 Rapp, Peter Rathaus 11 Rei, Toni Reinhardt, Max 69 Reinisch, Ricarda Rethel, Simone 66 Reuters 30 Rickenbacher, Eva 56 Rickenbacher, Roman O. 7, 55, 61 Ringstrasse 13 Roberts, Chris Rome, Sidney 29 Rosenthal, Hans Russell, Jane 65 Russi, Bernhard 41 S Sailer, Toni 68 Sammy Davis Jr. 18 Sam’s 68 Sanda, Dominique 49 Sarata, Birgit 57 Savalas, Telly 27 Schell, Maximilian 43 Schepper, Rico, Mieke de 73 Schepper, Rico de 71, 75 Schiele, Egon 13 Schill, Herbert von Schiller, Larry Schindler, Johann E. 45 Schmidinger, Christoph 30 Schmidinger, Dolores Schneider, Helen 51 Schönbrunn 7, 12 Schönemann, Alfred 70, 75 Schranz, Karl 68 Schroth, Carl Heinz Schützendorf, Michael 62, 64, 67, 75 Schwabenitzky, Reinh. 53 Schwardtmann, Freddie Schwarzenegger, Arnold 43 Schweeger, Elisabeth 56 Secession 11 Sedlaczek, Robert 67 Serafin, Harald 57 Shakin Stevens 31 Sharif, Omar 42 Shultz, George 48 Siegel, Ralph Sinise, Gary 67 Slavik, Felix 15 Smalls, Sandhi Soeharto, General 64 Sommer, Brigitte 65 Sommer, Elke 27 Soravia Group 73 Soravia, Erwin 73 Soravia, Hanno 73, 75 SOS Kinderdorf 24 Spears, Britney 81 Spencer, Lord, Lady 55 Spencer, Bud Stadler, Krista 71 Stadtpark 11, 45 Staribacher, Josef 15 Stefano, Giuseppe di 34 Steinbacher, H. Peter 81 Steiner, Claus 7 Stemberger, Julia Stevens,Shakin Stiegler, Hans Joachim Stock, Leonard Stöckl, Barbara 31 Stolz, Enzi 2, 57 Stolz, Robert 45 Strand, Curt R. 15, 28 Strauss, Johann 13 Strauss, Johann, Jr. 45 Sutter, Sonja T Taylor, Liz 2, 23 The Kiss of the Spiderwoman 62 Theos Odyssey 61 Theurer, Elisabeth 81 Thurn-Valsassina, Christiane Countess Tiller, Nadja Tobisch, Lotte TOHUWABOHU 66 Toriani, Vico 24 Tötschinger, Gerhard 63 Tschechowa, Vera, Olga Tschernischova, Elena 59 Turner, Tina 2, 47 U Ulrich, Louise UNESCO 73 V van Damm, Helene 30 Vanic, Marcel 68 Viehböck, Franz 56 Viennale 65, 70 Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra 7 Viennoiserie 13 Vitásek, Andreas 53 Vranitzky, Franz 68 Vu-An, Eric W Wagner, Otto 13 Waldorf Astoria 9 Walsch, Alfons 68 Waterloo & Robinson, Wendl, Ingrid Wertmüller, Lina 41 Wessely, Paula 56 Weyer, Hans Hermann Whittaker, Roger 46 Wick Chelton, Wiesel, Elie 62 Wilkens, Donna Williamson, Mykelti 67 Winbergh, Gesta Wippenich, Beatrix Wittmann, Claudia 70 Wolf, Gusti 56 World War II 13 Yiparrka, Janawirri Young, Terence Z Zawinul, Joe 2, 7, 61, 79, 83 Zednik, Franz Zilk, Helmut 66, 69, 71 Zimmermann, Elisabeth 69 Zotter, Josef 83

Material came from the Hilton archives, pictures born, Gerhard Mayrhofer, K. Reiberger, Anna Blau.
We are in particular grateful to Claudia Wittmann, the director of PR of the hotel; and to Rico de Schepper, its General Manager.

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