While hotels rebrand all the time, this is one of the more unusual ones we’ve seen in quite some time, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s indicative of bigger issues with the brand.
In this post:
Andaz Vienna rebranding following financial issues & sale
The Andaz Vienna will be rebranding as the Hyatt Regency Vienna as of April 13, 2026, per a notice on Hyatt’s website. The hotel will remain fully open and operational throughout the transition, and all existing and future bookings will be honored as booked, with no impact to stays or benefits, as the hotel is remaining part of World of Hyatt.
For context, the Andaz Vienna was recently sold for around 92 million EUR, as part of the insolvency proceedings of the owners, Signa Development Selection. The hotel is now owned by WestInvest Gesellschaft für Investmentfonds mbH, a company of DekaBank.
The 303-room Andaz Vienna opened back in 2019, and it’s a hotel I reviewed a few years back. It’s a pretty nice property, with fun, quirky design, and nice amenities.
What’s the logic of rebranding from Andaz to Hyatt Regency?
Here’s what makes this interesting. It’s not unusual to see hotels rebrand when they get a new owner. After all, if a hotel isn’t doing well financially, it’s logical that they assume the brand might be part of the issue. However, a vast majority of the time when this happens, hotel owners will switch hotel groups altogether. Essentially they want to “take their business elsewhere,” so to speak.
In this case, the hotel is staying within the Hyatt family. Andaz is generally considered to be more premium (and lifestyle focused) than Hyatt Regency, so it’s interesting to see the hotel staying with Hyatt, and essentially voluntarily “downgrading” itself.
So, what’s the logic? The new owners feel that it makes sense to reposition the hotel, particularly because of the amount of event space at the property. It’s common for Hyatt Regency properties to be geared more toward business travelers, conferences, and other events, so they want the hotel’s branding to reflect those offerings.
Still, bigger picture, I can’t help but wonder if this is indicative of bigger issues with the Andaz brand. This is the third Andaz property to rebrand to another property within the Hyatt portfolio, with the other two being the Andaz Wall Street (rebranded as a Hyatt Centric as of 2022) and the Andaz Mayakoba (rebranding as an Alila as of this year).
Are these just one-off (or in this case, three-off) changes, or has the Andaz brand just sort of lost its luster? I really liked the Andaz brand when it first launched, but I’m not sure what it actually stands for at the moment, and the new property pipeline is small.
Outside of Asia, the only Andaz in the pipeline is the Turks & Caicos property (there were also plans for a Toronto property, but that seems to be stalled). Then you have a bunch of properties in China, and a few properties between India, Japan, etc.
It feels to me like Andaz is having similar issues to what we’ve seen at W Hotels in recent years, where there’s just not much appetite for the brand among developers, though the brand is finally making some changes. Within Hyatt’s portfolio, it seems like Thompson is now proving to be the lifestyle brand that more developers are interested in. I’m curious if Hyatt can reverse this trend and reinvent Andaz a bit.
Bottom line
As of April 2026, the Andaz Vienna will be rebranding as a Hyatt Regency. This follows the property being recently sold, and the owners feeling that the hotel would be better positioned with more of a business focus, especially given its conference and event spaces.
Perhaps this is just an issue specific to this hotel, but it sure feels to me like Andaz is a kind of confused brand at this point, given its lack of a pipeline outside of a China, with Thompson getting a lot more attention.
What do you make of the Andaz Vienna rebranding?
Waldorf Astoria has experienced a similar cull over the years, with several properties either downgrading to Curio Collection or moving laterally-ish to LXR. In Hilton's case, the motivation seems to be a strengthening of standards at the Waldorf brand. While it started in the mid-2000s as a loosely defined "collection" branded after the New York flagship, today there are common features like destination dining, signature Peacock Alley bar, spa, personal concierge, etc.
Waldorf Astoria has experienced a similar cull over the years, with several properties either downgrading to Curio Collection or moving laterally-ish to LXR. In Hilton's case, the motivation seems to be a strengthening of standards at the Waldorf brand. While it started in the mid-2000s as a loosely defined "collection" branded after the New York flagship, today there are common features like destination dining, signature Peacock Alley bar, spa, personal concierge, etc.
Andaz Lisbon opens in March . Just saying .
Another factor in this would possibly be the opening of Thompson which is in a much better position in the city.
I think rebranding it to a Hyatt Regency makes sense due to its location in a business district at the main station. I always found the location of that hotel away from the city center a bit off for a hotel which is supposed to be luxury. I also found the rates surprisingly low for an Andaz.
Wrong.
When you think of the Andaz brand, would you guess there is one in Vienna? No, it makes no sense.
Will they have a club lounge as Hyatt Regency? Is it mandatory for this brand?
I had the same question. Doesn't seem mandatory - Hyatt Regency Kyoto doesn't have a lounge. But who knows, perhaps Kyoto got an exception.
Hyatt Regency by brand standards is supposed to have a club lounge but this seems to be no longer enforced. It's only a guess but my guess is the requirement was suspended during the pandemic and hasn't been brought back. Even Hyatt-operated Regencies don't have open lounges or they play games like opening a lounge in the staff canteen with food but giving you no choice of the food served to you. See Hyatt Regency...
Hyatt Regency by brand standards is supposed to have a club lounge but this seems to be no longer enforced. It's only a guess but my guess is the requirement was suspended during the pandemic and hasn't been brought back. Even Hyatt-operated Regencies don't have open lounges or they play games like opening a lounge in the staff canteen with food but giving you no choice of the food served to you. See Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars, which started doing this after falsely advertising a club lounge for its first year or so of operation. Or there's the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City which has a lounge for breakfast (to avoid globalists going to the restaurant) but then closes it after breakfast.
Just came from the Blackfriar property and a few months ago they converted the entire Chinese Cricket Club restaurant to a lounge with more typical evening fare and light snacks throughout the day. Full breakfast available in the NYnLON restaurant across the hall.
Spoke with the new GM and he said they are experimenting with what offerings in the new lounge will meet guests' interest and envision iterative tweaks based on feedback.
I know I...
Just came from the Blackfriar property and a few months ago they converted the entire Chinese Cricket Club restaurant to a lounge with more typical evening fare and light snacks throughout the day. Full breakfast available in the NYnLON restaurant across the hall.
Spoke with the new GM and he said they are experimenting with what offerings in the new lounge will meet guests' interest and envision iterative tweaks based on feedback.
I know I am in the minority, but I enjoyed the stacked tray evening canape service in the lobby lounge that was previously offered for club guests. The new designated space is nice for those who prefer it though.
I bet that the majority of people looking for a 4.5-5 star hotel in Vienna are familiar with the Hyatt name but not with the Andaz one. Faena is pitched as a more upmarket brand than Fairmont, which one would you think Accor would choose for a hotel in Nashville?
I had a good stay at Andaz Vienna so I am sorry to see it rebranded.
It had a nice vibe and more intimate feel and nicer finishes than what I'd expect from a typical Hyatt Regency.
Stayed here in January and while it was a pleasant stay, there was nothing stylish about it and not surprised with it rebranding.
I was disappointed with the signature free minibar which consisted of 2 bottles of water and a single packaged wafer. However it did have a usual Andaz oddity of peekaboo windows from the bedroom into the bathroom.
I had a fine stay here a couple years back but it certainly wasn't a luxury property- funny enough they had just killed their special amenity, I think it was a Happy Hour. It was a good deal on points (it's Hyatt so duh), a bit out of the way but not bad if you're good with public transport. It certainly didn't leave me thinking "oh I'd love to stay an Andaz again". The only...
I had a fine stay here a couple years back but it certainly wasn't a luxury property- funny enough they had just killed their special amenity, I think it was a Happy Hour. It was a good deal on points (it's Hyatt so duh), a bit out of the way but not bad if you're good with public transport. It certainly didn't leave me thinking "oh I'd love to stay an Andaz again". The only impression it gave me of Andaz is that brand is way over hyped. But, following the churning world I know the real issue is Andaz is just schizophrenic.
Pfft. Weak brand. They should go with Tim Dunn's Inn & Suites.
I stayed for four nights in 2023 and quite enjoyed it. Even though it wasn't in the heart of old Vienna, I found it easy to get back and forth on the tram. It was also VERY convenient to the train station for travel to/from the airport and onward.
I agree that the Regency brand isn't nearly as fun and attractive to me than the Andaz brand. Andaz, to me, feels like the older...
I stayed for four nights in 2023 and quite enjoyed it. Even though it wasn't in the heart of old Vienna, I found it easy to get back and forth on the tram. It was also VERY convenient to the train station for travel to/from the airport and onward.
I agree that the Regency brand isn't nearly as fun and attractive to me than the Andaz brand. Andaz, to me, feels like the older sibling of Hyatt Centric, and has a bit more whimsy in it's design choices than Thompson (currently my favorite Hyatt brand). I think it's definitely worthy of growth and investment, so I hope these changes are more one-offs.
Andaz is supposed to be a luxury brand, one step up from Kimpton. But it's not in reality. Andaz isn't franchised, unlike Thompson, Hyatt Centric and Hyatt Regency.
I can't speak to why the Vienna Andaz is making this decision, but I suspect the Andaz Wall Street (now Centric) was forced to downgrade.
It definitely does not meet the Andaz standard, especially next to the Andaz on Fifth Ave.
Franchising. The new owner almost certainly didn't want to pay Hyatt to manage. Hyatt doesn't franchise Andaz. It requires an owner to hire Hyatt on a management contract. Hyatt Regency allows the owner to cut costs by hiring cheaper third-party management or managing themselves.
As long as it remains a category 4 so we can use free night awards there...
Maybe it was the free mini bar or the expectation of a free mini bar that put them in the red.
Who said the hotel itself is in the red? I’m almost certain it does well as it’s always very well occupied. I know because we have a corporate agreement there. It was the owner of the property that had financial issues…hence why it sold.
Two things:
1) Hyatt classifies Andaz as "luxury" and Hyatt Regency as "upper-upscale."
2) Maybe it's because Hyatt franchises Hyatt Regency as a brand but not Andaz.
Hyatt does franchise Andaz, just not frequently. There is currently only 1 franchised Andaz, the one in Macau. You can take a look at Hyatt's financial where they break down managed vs franchised room counts, and the column for Andaz's franchise room # has the exact same number of rooms as the Macau property.
When i stayed here last year, i also thought it definitely wasn't andaz quality and felt more like hyatt centric. Since centric also lacks true brand standards--or, more specifically, there are fantastic Hyatt Regency hotels in Europe like Churchill in London & Hyatt Regency Amsterdam--this makes sense to me.
Most importantly, it says that Hyatt will actually hold hotels to types & standards...which has to be a positive. Right...?
Hyatt franchises Hyatt Centric. Centric is essentially the Hyatt conversion brand like Doubletree for Hilton. Just about any Holiday Inn or higher full-service hotel can convert into a Hyatt Centric.
I personally don't stay at lifestyle hotels - like W or Andaz. I think a business traveling prefers a Hyatt Regency, Grand, or Centric.
My understanding for Mayakoba was that Andaz was always a mismatch considering you've got Rosewood and Banyan Tree in the same development. So not necessarily an issue with the internal doings of Andaz, moreso upgrading to Alila to command the rates the owners think are feasible.
HR Vienna gonna be the most stylish Hyatt Regency
They should probably put some dark wood, source some furnitures from a hotel built in the 80s, and remove the bright colours to make it more regency.
I think you make an interesting parallel with W. My impressions from recent experiences at the Andaz properties in New York (5th Ave.), London, and Los Angeles was..."this is tired." Those hotels have all been open a long time and really haven't changed. London changed the most (re-did the rooms a bit and the lobby), but some of the changes were negative (e.g., breakfast, which is still relatively nice, is now served in a different...
I think you make an interesting parallel with W. My impressions from recent experiences at the Andaz properties in New York (5th Ave.), London, and Los Angeles was..."this is tired." Those hotels have all been open a long time and really haven't changed. London changed the most (re-did the rooms a bit and the lobby), but some of the changes were negative (e.g., breakfast, which is still relatively nice, is now served in a different and more crowded space that's far less elegant/no white tableclothes/etc.). And food/beverage in general has really declined. "The bar downstairs" at the NY property used to be a very cool place for cocktails, etc., with a good vibe and great service. Now it's a tired hotel bar in a basement with scuffed-up furniture and lousy service.