Berlin, January 2012 — Following Germany, Israel, Belgium, Hungary and Switzerland, Leonardo Hotels is now also to have a presence in Vienna. In the middle of next year, the Israeli hotel chain will be opening its first Leonardo Hotel in Austria — the 3-star Superior Leonardo Hotel Vienna. “By coming to Vienna we’ve been able to add another important European location to our hotel portfolio,” explains Daniel Roger, CEO of Leonardo Hotels Europe. “In a major renovation project led by hotel interior designer Andreas Neudahm, the premises will then be transformed into a modern, fresh lifestyle and business hotel.” The re-opening is planned for July of 2012. The reconstruction will be financed by the IMMOFINANZ Group, the owner of the hotel property: “We are very pleased to have gained a strong partner for this appealing location with Leonardo Hotels. Together we will further highlight the growing district around the recently newly opened Westbahnhof railway station in Vienna,” says Manfred Wiltschnigg, Member of the Board of the IMMOFINANZ Group.

Vienna’s soon-to-be Leonardo Hotel is located in a central position right on Europaplatz just 100 m from the city’s main shopping street, Mariahilfer Straße, and post conversion will have 213 bedrooms and 3 function rooms with up to 100 sqm. Also planned for the hotel is a spacious, open lobby that will combine bar, restaurant and lounge in an expansive entrance area. “This is designed to be the heart of the hotel, its ‘living room’, and to encourage people from all over the world to linger, chill out and make new contacts,” says Neudahm, explaining his concept. In order, despite the purist style and modern design, to nevertheless create a link to Vienna and its sights, several special artworks featuring typical Viennese scenes are being produced exclusively for the hotel and will be found in varying sizes throughout the premises.

The world-famous Viennese charm will characterise the atmosphere of the hotel and offer guests a relaxed stay in the hotel – the new rooms in particular should contribute to this. Andreas Neudahm has opted here for warm red tones, offset by fresh contrasting touches of pastel green on pillows, pictures and decorations. One very special feature of the hotel will be the business level. Extending over two floors, its bedrooms will be tailored specifically to the needs of business travellers and will match the comfort and convenience of 4-star hotels. The business-class bedrooms will, for example, have large desks at which guests can sit in extra comfortable ‘Relax chairs’. The colours will be more subdued, conveying an especially elegant and refined ambience.

In addition to the business-level bedrooms with their high-quality fittings, business travellers staying at the new Leonardo Hotel Vienna will also benefit from a well-lit conference area with its own entrance, foyer and additional small kitchen facilities. And for anyone for whom that is still not enough, the VIP lounge will offer exceptional exclusivity – a relaxing atmosphere combined with a comprehensive range of additional services, such as separate check-in, an extended culinary offering and free Internet access will leave nothing to be desired.

Leonardo Hotels is the European division of Fattal Hotels, founded in 1998 by David Fattal. In addition to its hotel locations in Israel, the company has also been active in the European market since 2007 and currently operates over 30 hotels in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Hungary, with other attractive European sites to be added soon. The company head office is in Berlin, Germany.

About the IMMOFINANZ Group
The IMMOFINANZ Group is one of the five largest real estate companies listed on the stock exchange in Europe. It is listed under ATX in the Viennese stock exchange. Since its foundation in 1990, the company has developed a high-value real estate portfolio with more than 1,600 current properties and a net asset value of around EUR 8.7 billion. The core business of the IMMOFINANZ Group includes the acquisition and management of portfolio properties, the realisation of development projects and the utilisation and sale of properties. The IMMOFINANZ Group concentrates its activities on the segments of retail, office space, logistics and residential space in eight regional core markets: Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Russia.