Hotel Pichlmayrgut

Location: Proximity to mountains, ski resorts, and scenic views; ideal for hiking, skiing, and relaxation.

It's hard to review this hotel. On one hand it has loads of charm and history, at night it looks like a fairytale scene, and on the other it's clear that it's living on past glory. It's obvious that the hotel is need of urgent remodelling considering it's current state. The spa zone is most obviously troubled, with water jets not working, showers looking like they haven't been updated in decades, worn out surfaces and just a general feeling of poor maintenance. Rooms are ok, clean with comfortable beds, but the theme continues - it all just feels a bit dated and worn out. The tv in our Fasanerie room was ancient and small, probably 15+ years old, the fridge didn't work, there is no mini bar and the elevator had a broken glass that was literally just taped over with ducktape. Food in the restaurant was very good, especially dinner! Breakfast was also fine, but it would help if there were some daily morning specials to make this more interesting. The cake break in the afternoon was also nice, albeit the area can get pretty crowded. The hotel has a free shuttle service which takes you to the nearby ski slopes, which was very nice. Their vans are clean and comfortable. Staff wise, our waiter Petar was awesome! Very pleasant, professional and curteous. High praises for Petar! Unfortunately on the last night of our stay, he was replaced with a new waiter on his first day of work and needless to say, things got bad... Our orders were lost 3 times and we were offered dessert while still waiting for the main course, the table wasn't cleared between dishes etc. The rest of the staff was friendly and helpful, both in the restaurant as well as the cleaning crew, greeting us with a smile and striking up smalltalk conversations. Speaking of clean, the rooms and the general areas of the hotel are clean and tidy. Only the spa zone felt like it could use a bit more attention, especially during peak hours. One thing I have to mention is the front desk experience. I was greeted by a receptionist who was in the middle of his lunch and was chewing while handling my checkout. Details like this tell me that the staff could use some training. Front desk appearance and attitude has to be top notch - they're the first and the last staff members guests see. Overall, we felt that the asking price for the hotel was simply too high for it's current state. The price / performance ratio wasn't there. Hopefully there is a significant investment planned to refresh the Pichlmayrgut, because the hotel with such history deserves to be brought back to it's glory.

We stayed there for three nights in the end of October and we had great time. The room was spacious and clean. The breakfast and dinner are very tasty and offer big selection of fresh food. The heated outdoor pool is wonderful. We enjoyed a afternoon snack too and our son liked the animals outside.