More than unpretentious from the outside Magdas opens up its soul right from the entrance: Retro furniture, plants and a welcoming bar in Magdas Salon with a good Bohemian touch. The lounge mixes modern comfy sofas with graffiti-covered chipboard tables: weird, but they blend in perfectly.
Designer Upcycling
Budget Hotel Vienna. The 78 hotel rooms - each different and with its own style - follow the same concept of design-led upcycling: A vintage sofa dressed in fresh graphic prints, three old suitcases piling up as a night table, a gorgeous 1950s side cabinet a savvy art dealer would give his right arm for, and lots of inspiring art. In some rooms an old luggage racks from the Austrian Railways now provide space for clothes.
If you wonder, the hotel beds are all newly bought for hygiene reasons. If you are a family or need more space, the suites offer up to four beds and a terrace.
Looking out of one of the windows you can see where part of this comes from: right next, the old red brick workshop of the Austrian University of Applied Arts extends across the neighboring plot. When the project started in 2015, art students inspired and executed the transformation of furniture that once belonged to the local residence for the Elderly.
The last floor hosts a penthouse apartment with its own open plan kitchen and this original wooden skittles games table ready for use. What's missing in most rooms is a TV. Actually, upcycling hasn't failed here but given way to explore something about Magdas that beats every blockbuster and news show: going out, connecting with people, exchanging your own stories.
Because some rooms are really small make sure you get the space you need at the time of booking.
Listen To The Stories
Budget Hotel Vienna. The hotel's right entrance wall is filled with two dozen portraits of various people. Although they look like guests from all over the world, they are in fact the hotel's staff, coming from 14 different nations, speaking 23 different languages.
Magdas is Europe's first hotel run by refugees who otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to work in Austria. They come from various countries like Algeria, Afghanistan, Marocco and Nigeria to Somalia and Syria.
Unlike the slick to bored attitude hotel staff in other places may display the enthusiasm of these people (re)starting their careers and being part of a great venture creates a lively buzz. Since the multiethnic Habsburg Empire migrants have formed part of Vienna's history. Like them, each of Magdas' receptionists, room maids, bar tenders and waiters has their own story of dramatic escapes, hardship, hope and a new life to share.
In the past few years, lots of Viennese businesses and individuals have volunteered, together with the refugees, to get this social business of charity Caritas up and running: architects, design firms, universities, and local upmarket hotels, who helped train the refugees. Business is social but serious: "If we don't create a viable business by 2020 we have to close down", said hotel manager Sebastian de Voos. Any of Magdas' profits will fuel other social projects by Caritas.
Update: Since this review was done, Magdas has relocated to the third district.
Not Your Usual Hotel Breakfast
In line with the hotel's international and waste-conscious philosophy expect a lovely à-la-carte breakfast in six different compositions, from various international food to Austrian breakfast.
Budget Hotel Vienna: Practical Info
Located in a well known local street of Vienna's third district Landstraße, Magdas sits well for travellers eager to experience an authentic safe local neighbourhood. Situated in a triangle between Stadtpark and Belvedere Palace, you can take public transport to the city centre in another 5 to 10 minutes, and to the airport in around 25 minutes. Because of Vienna's vast network of bike paths the bicycles you can borrow at the hotel are useful for sightseeing.
Address: Ungargasse 38, 1030 Vienna
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