The Hotel Motto (formerly the Hotel Kummer), located at the most prominent site at the mid-point of Mariahilfer Straße, was built at the beginning of the last century and is the only hotel from the time preserved in the area.

During renovation, Arkan Zeytinoglu Architects preserved much of the existing historical building and façade, creating an exclusive boutique hotel with 91 rooms, seminar rooms, and a new restaurant and bar—open to the public—on the top floor beneath a newly build dome.

The proportions of the cross-vaulted dome follow the geometry of the richly decorated front façade as well as the front along Schadekgasse. From an urban planning point of view, and also as a sculptural volume, the Hotel Motto now makes a striking statement at the busy intersection, completing the rooftop ensemble created by the interaction of the corner buildings.

The interior, also designed by Arkan Zeytinoglu, is a perfect staging of bespoke and vintage furniture (including several originals from the legendary Ritz Hotel). The fabrics and carpets were customed designed for the Hotel Motto, as were the bathroom tiles, the handmade cement tiles in all public areas, and the brass doorknobs. 

The special atmosphere of the domed addition, with a unique mixture of historical palace, traditional ballroom, and modern dining, is absolutely captivating.

With a career-long focus on hotel design, Arkan Zeytinoglu has realized a large number of projects in the field both in Austria and abroad. For Zeytinoglu, however, the “hotel” typology is more than a mere functional task. For him, accommodation represents society, traditions, cultural history, urban and rural life, and mobility—and is thus always about creating a world of its own.