ChEMBL

This was the hotel used for the EMBL-EBI SME meeting in Vienna. It was my first time in Austria, so there was a little frisson of excitement as I registered at the front desk. There was a man at the desk who was trying to book cabs for 18, on a rainy night, so my check-in was slow and laboured, but at least I could purposefully pace up and down the hardwood floored lobby, while the concierge tried to find some transport. I have a huge pile of loyalty cards, which have never been of any use, but I handed over my A|Club card, was told I had an upgraded room, and was then sent on my way to my room.

The room was very impressive - two floors, four rooms, two bathrooms, almost like a little alpine cottage on the roof of a hotel. Edelwiesstastic in my book. The next morning, I commented on my fabulous room to my colleagues - it's probably fair to say theirs was less impressive than mine. So one of two possibilities - either the Chembl-og Hit-The-Sack series strikes fear into the hearts of hoteliers worldwide, or there is some merit in loyalty schemes and a cheeky grin.

Overall a very creditable 58%.

Room Quality - 8/10 Excellent (but see notes above, yours may not me as impressive). Minor criticisms were that there was no TV in the bedroom, only a radio. Decor was charming, build quality was solid, as was the bed.

Getting There - 7/10 About twenty minutes from the airport, about 36 Euros, and the cabs take credit cards.

Cost - 6/10 - paid as part of the conference registration.

Phone reception - 7/10 - Good quality city center reception.

Internet - -/10 - Not scored - did not have time to try and find a wifi signal, but there was a desk and an ethernet cable.

Conference facilities - -/10. Not scored - but the hotel did have conference rooms.

Mushroom factor - 1/10. 'Concrete and brick, n'er toadie or stick', came to mind.