Austria will welcome its first Ritz-Carlton with the opening of a 202-key hotel in Vienna in spring 2012. The property will occupy two 19th-century palaces set amidst monumental buildings constructed from 1860 to 1890. The brand, which acquired the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow earlier this year, is considering other opportunities on the continent. “We see expansion in Europe, with the right hotels in the right locations, to be an essential part of our future strategy,” says president and COO Herve Humler.