Sustainable by tradition: Das Capri tells Viennese tales

In our series „Sustainable by tradition“ we regularly take a look behind the scenes of our Green Pearls® hotels already engaging in sustainability for a long time. Today we’ll take you on a trip to Vienna: raising the curtain for the hotel Das Capri.

A stone’s throw away from the city’s famous sights

When Annelie and Jack Pastuszyn bought the building in the 1990s, the Capri was still a modest pension in the middle of the city. Little by little they converted it, the former apartments disappeared and in the end they had 73 instead of 35 rooms. Their son Georg didn’t want to become a hotelier and rather focused on his own career in IBW. But when his father’s health got worse he decided to take over the management of the strong performing hotel. He continued to invest and modernize, all while taking the existing building into a account, using regional material and employing workers from local construction companies.

Telling Viennese tales

In autumn 2012 Georg Pastuszyn had a brilliant idea for their repositioning, where changing the name from “Hotel Capri” into “Das Capri. Your hotel in Vienna” was only one change among many. More important was the focus on individualism: Every floor is dedicated to one topic: The first floor takes you to the imperial Vienna, the sixth to the city architecture of Vienna and the seventh invites you to enjoy beautiful views over Vienna. Furthermore every room tells one of many Viennese tales and on top of that you’ll find lovely details all over the hotel, like the employee’s favorite places in Vienna – from chambermaid to cook to receptionist, they all share their insider tip for a visit in the historic city.

Sustainability through mindfulness

Here, mindfulness is the key for sustainability and “mindfulness means that we think before we act”, the Das Capri describes its vision. Since 2005 the hotel is certified with the Austrian Environment label, since 2015 also with the European Ecolabel, which awards only those hotels fulfilling the high criteria of the life cycle approach. As they are the first Austrian hotel to use a special pump for cooling and heating that needs only air and electricity (no water as in conventional systems) they can also be seen as pioneers. The air-air heat pump uses the heat taken from one room to heat up another one.

Having breakfast like an emperor

A real highlight when staying at Das Capri is the breakfast. The topic is (what else would you expect?) Vienna, spoiling you with all kinds of typical dishes and fresh, regional products, partly organic. Whether you enjoy bread rolls from the Viennese bakery, jam from the farmers market, fresh juice from fruit growers or floral Viennese wine jelly – no wishes remains unfulfilled. And for those who have a sweet tooth: you can even enjoy apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn (sweet cut-up pancake with raisins) for breakfast!