Perhaps you’ve noticed Marriott’s video series on the TV screen as you arrive in your room depicting different people in exotic locations and providing a human element to traveling. One such video, called “The Crown & The Cake,” explains a story involving Hotel Imperial in Vienna and the Emperor of Austria’s request for something new to enjoy from the kitchen.

As legend goes, the chefs were beside themselves trying to come up with something that would please the Emperor when a kitchen apprentice created the signature torte for which Hotel Imperial has become so famous.

I was lucky enough to stay at Hotel Imperial during my recent trip to Vienna. But, of course, my sights were set on sampling one of these famous tortes as well.

My Marriott-loving friend had enough status to receive a complimentary box of petit fours of the famous torte upon our arrival. And, of course, we sampled the select variety of flavors that have since been created over 150 years later.

• #1 Original, with layers of whipped chocolate, shaved almonds and a bit of marzipan
• #2 Orange, with layers of whipped chocolate, shaved almonds, orange marzipan and citrus notes, wrapped in dark chocolate
• #3 Raspberry, replacing the orange flavors in torte #2
• Limited Edition, using Arabica coffee beans in place of the fruit flavors, wrapped in marzipan and chocolate

For the record, my favorite was the coffee torte — and I’m not even a big coffee drinker! It reminded me of a firmer tiramisu with more chocolate notes, but not overly sweet at all.

As our vacation came to an end, we purchased a few additional individual tortes as gifts for family and friends, then placed them in the hotel mini-fridges as we traveled. Unfortunately, my friend forgot to grab her tortes before catching her morning flight, leaving me with full responsibility of ensuring the delightful desserts didn’t go to waste.

After arriving home, I decided to save the tortes for my birthday a couple of weeks later. However, another friend sent me the JFK Presidential White Torte for my special day, and we ended up eating that cake instead (how lucky am I to have such great friends?).

Overall, after leaving the hotel in Vienna, the Imperial Tortes have traveled to Amsterdam; Washington, D.C.; Georgia; Florida; Colorado; and Kansas, holding up just fine.

While I still have a couple tortes remaining, I believe they’ll be making their way out of state as well. I’m saving them for one more special round of upcoming travel ahead.

— Carrie Cox, account executive