Berger's Sporthotel

Very kind staff, excelent food. Nice position in the middle of Saalbach. Beds are really comfortable. I personally really appreciate the Joker card program because you enjoy the beautiful views for free. Overall excelent expirience in the Berger's sporthotel.

Excellent hotel with very friendly and helpful staff, especially Laura on reception and Tamara in the restaurant. It was good to see Frau Berger herself frequently. The food was good (we had half board), with limited choice for the main course at dinner (one meat, one fish, one vegetarian), but there was a wide choice of buffet starters, salads and desserts. We had a lovely room with views down the valley. The hotel is centrally located in Saalbach, close to buses, cabin lifts, shops, cafes etc. The walking nearby is excellent, with superb views and good mountian restaurants (Alms). One of our best holidays ever.

I’ve been staying at the Berger Sport Hotel since I was a child travelling with my parents. I’ve been 100+ times since 1979 . I’ve travelled the world with my work and still I haven’t been to a nicer hotel. There is something very special about it The decor the staff the food the rooms the Delightful village it’s situated in be it for Winter Sports or Summer vacations you can’t go wrong a wonderful family fun hotel.

We only went in for food in the (Empty) restaurant, and were asked about a booking...Head waiter reluctantly agreed to give us a table despite there being nobody in there. should have left at this point. He was Unbelievably rude to the point where it was actually funny. Steak was not even mediocre. If he didnt want the custom he could have just told us. Only visit here to experience the spectacular rudeness. i honestly thought it was a joke.

Previously strayed in a number of Austrian Sport hotels which have been excellent, most recently in Hinterglemm. This hotel in Saalbach fell way below expectations - despite its high Tripadvisor rating. Unfortunately I did not read all the reviews prior to booking. I would urge everyone to do so, particularly the negative ones which all resonated completely with our stay. Pervading stale cigarette smoke everywhere, passable breakfast, dreadful dinner (felt sorry for the waiting staff who clearly agreed as they never asked if we enjoyed the food), reception general smokey indifference, filthy ski boot room (the entrance of which doubles for a lap dancing club at night 🤦‍♂️), really ageing decor (noted by some as a plus?), tiny rooms & even smaller en-suites. A sort of mix of Faulty Towers & The Grand Budapest gone wrong. Tired & need of a total revamp. Plus side: very near the lifts, but so are a dozen or so other 4 star hotels. Some guests appeared to be happy! The ski area is really fantastic, modern well run, great mountain Alms, so don’t be put off going to Saalbach. It is a party place, so I would recommend the quieter Hinterglemm further up the valley for families.

Looking at the reviews online there are very mixed views about Sporthotel Berger. There is very little middle ground between great and bad. We travelled with friends and the experience wasn’t positive overall. As it stands, the hotel desperately needs updating. Some may call it quirky or artistic, I think it’s lazy and indicates a lack of respect to the customer. My view is that just because you’re consistently full and generating revenue it shouldn’t stop you re-investing in your product and service. The beds are comfortable, but dated furniture and tiny bathrooms are no fun. It also doesn’t help that the boiler gets accidentally turned off on day one resulting in no hot water, all with little apology. The food. Just awful. The slop served up as chilli con carne was the worst ever and the schnitzel resembled boot leather. How can meat hammered to a millimetre and then overcooked be considered good? The chef should be embarrassed. We couldn’t manage more than three nights of half board before giving up and eating out. On the plus side, there are some great restaurants in Saalbach. Just remember to book a day in advance. Customer service by some staff in the restaurant (although not all) was also dire. - Please can we have a coffee after our meal? No. And when pressed - you must go downstairs and order from the bar. All while the breakfast coffee machine sat smugly just meters away. - You are too early for breakfast! This at only 5 mins before, even though the breakfast buffet was fully laid out resulting in a stare-off rather than a welcoming smile. Mrs Berger is welcoming, but I understand that the hotel is now managed by her son. I’m not sure what hospitality training he’s been through or how he’s guiding his team. Limited, is my guess. There is however some good. Laura on reception was efficient and helpful and Renate in the bar was very pleasant and attentive. Although I haven’t seen stripy settees with a backdrop of yellow and red net curtains hiding the vertical blinds for some time, or perhaps ever. All coupled with a mirrored ceiling. Would I go back? The location is good, but there is so much better to choose from on all counts. Fawlty Towers is an apt summary. Funny to watch on TV, but not a place to visit.

For an Austrian hotel the standard of cleanliness was very poor. This is lot worse than the TripAdvisor or Crystal rating. The photos were obviously taken decades ago, very misleading. The dining room chairs were filthy and had old dry food down the sides. The table cloths were reused, the half hidden hoover behind the curtain never saw the light of day if the dirty carpet was anything to go by. The food was prepared so far in advance it was either dried out or cold. Entering the hotel the stench of smoke hit you, that and the numerous Night Club signs, offers of massage and mirrors on the walls and ceiling it was more like entering a ******* than an Austrian family run hotel. Mrs Berger is around but apparently her son now runs the hotel or should I say running it into the ground. He clearly has had no hospitality training and therefore unable to train the staff. The staff were friendly enough but hadn’t got a clue. They would leave their smelly waistcoats on your dining room chair, throw their outdoor coats on the bar stools and basically spent their time on a social. The first bedroom we were given the double bed was up against the wall so I would have had to climb over my husband to get out. In fairness we were given another room and once I had moved out the unnecessary furniture we had room to walk around. The en-suite was basically a cupboard, you could sit on the toilet and brush your teeth at the same time. The shower cubicle was so small clearly the cleaner couldn’t get in to clean the mould off the inside of the doors. The electrics in the en-suite were a fire hazard, loose wiring and a hair dryer that was from the 1950’s that was a problem to turn off. I won’t mention the pillows! The boot room was not secure. People could walk in straight off the high street and down the steps, no code was needed to enter. The fact that the Night Club used the same access was a concern as the door into the boot room was not locked at night. We did check this twice during our stay. On a positive it did have a ski rack. We didn’t risk leaving our boots in there at night. The hotel is a fire hazard with all the internal fire doors wedged open with either a piece of wood or a cloth. That fact that this is an old property and people do smoke in the hallways upstairs it is a major concern and I am surprised that Crystal holidays continue to use this hotel. It falls well below their usual standard. The only thing going for the hotel is that it is central for the lifts.

This falls way below standard for a 4star hotel.We have recently returned from this hotel which we booked through Crystal ski, who are clearly overcharging. The rooms are incredibly small and the decor is outdated. This is nothing like your typical Austrian hotel. The ski store room is shabby and dirty. I would not recommend staying here.

Don’t come here The hotel has gone severely down hill We used to love staying here but things have changed since Mrs Burger passed on and it’s not good We popped in one evening for a drink and the bar/restaurant area smelled dreadful It remakes of stale cigarettes and the bar staff were very indifferent and uninterested We left after ten mins absolutely awful