A hotel where a stay helps build a career.
A working Vienna hotel combines hospitality jobs, apprenticeships and support for people facing barriers to employment.
AT AustriaIn practice. A Vienna hospitality and training business begun in 2015; magdas HOTEL Vienna City opened in 2022.
What to keep in view
The operator’s training and employment figures do not establish every participant’s long-term outcome. Commercial operation and sustained support both remain necessary.
Make the workplace the learning environment
magdas began at Vienna’s Prater in February 2015. Its Vienna City location opened in autumn 2022. The Caritas social business combines hotel operations with routes into hospitality work, including for people with refugee backgrounds. Guests use a functioning hotel while staff develop skills in the work itself.
In its February 2025 anniversary report, Caritas said 17 apprentices had completed their training and ten were then in apprenticeships. It also described social counselling for employees. These are dated figures from the organisation behind the project, not an independent assessment of every participant’s career.
Build the support into the operation
The lesson is about the structure around a job. A workplace can offer practical experience, recognised training and support with difficulties beyond a shift. Making that combination useful requires both a viable service and the capacity to help people learn.
The model invites other service businesses to examine where supported entry routes could sit inside their everyday operations. It does not imply that a hotel booking alone guarantees a lasting employment outcome.
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