Wens Hotel Auwirt Saalbach — Attraction in Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Having stayed at this hotel 7 Years previously - and been delighted with every aspect of it - I suggested to my group of friends that we should book the Auwirt for our 5 nights in Saalbach. The direct booking (by email, with Andreas) was straightforward enough (or so I thought) so the requested deposit was paid and the 5 of us were anticipating a pleasant stay. ||As we came into Saalbach we were excited to see how deep the snow was everywhere and were keen to book into our rooms so we could get out and collect our hire skis from Sport2000 under the Shattberg Express lift 100m away. ||Sadly, this is where it all went wrong. ||As we walked up to the Reception Desk we could see the top of a lady's head engrossed in a phone call. After more than five minutes (during which time it would have been obvious we were politely waiting), she looked up. But rather than say (or even signal) that she was sorry and would be with us in a moment, she bowed her head again and carried on with her phone call. The barmaid could see our growing frustration from across the hall and came over to see if she could help us - only to be waved away by the first girl before she again resumed her call. ||She eventually finished her call and her first response to us was: "Yes?". No introduction, no welcome and no apology for ignoring us for more than 10 minutes. ||When I announced my name and our booking for 5, things then went from bad to worse. ||The lady on the reception (who's name we much later learnt was Melanie) flatly refused to believe that I had changed the booking from 6 to 5 people - in three TWIN rooms, one with single occupancy. She found it highly amusing that the person in the room on their own would have to pay the full room rate (€218) per night rather than the agreed single occupancy rate of €159. ||Melanie was rude and surly throughout the Mexican standoff that ensued and rather than call her manager or find a compromise, she found it preferable to make flippant comments and treat us like children. ||As an aside to Melanie, I would suggest that if you're going to have a bowl of sweets on the counter and not also have a bin placed nearby, you don't make a petulant fuss about the wrappers being left by the bowl !!!||After half an hour of getting nowhere (other than angry and frustrated), Melanie finally called Andreas across from their sister hotel. ||Seemingly not wanting to upset Melanie, Andreas supported her stubborn unrelenting attitude for another 10 minutes before finally agreeing we could go and put our bags in our rooms and to sort out the room rates in the morning. ||When we got to our rooms we found we had been given 'double' rooms and not 'twin' rooms as I had booked - hardly ideal for 4 out of 5 guys ! So it was back downstairs for further discussions. ||Andreas agreed I had requested 3 twins but that he had confirmed doubles. He added that there were no twins available until our fourth night - this was due to a huge party of Danish guests (maybe 100?) who had all but taken over the hotel. ||If it wasn't for the fact that we had already paid a €600 deposit, we would have walked out and tried finding alternative accommodation. ||Making no further headway, we then headed out to pick up our hired skis - only to find out that the delay in booking in (totalling almost an hour) meant Sport2000 was shut for the night and we would have to pick up our skis the next morning - at the busiest time of day !!!||The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast, I revisited the Reception Desk to resume 'discussions'. Andreas was polite and charming and told us we would only be charged €159 for the single occupancy room. Having found a favourable solution, we compromised by agreeing to remain in the double rooms for the duration. ||Melanie stood smirking at the office door like it was all a big joke to her. ||In fact, Melanie stood around smirking for most of the time we were staying there - whilst Andreas seemed to be rushing around sorting out multiple tasks. ||For such a cold, rude and unwelcoming person as Melanie to be front of house is a massive negative for the hotel - I can only imagine she's a relative of the owner. ||This hotel is very well appointed, in a fantastic location and serves a hearty breakfast (no half board option). But a poor first impression will put many guests off from returning; as it...

Having stayed at this hotel 7 Years previously - and been delighted with every aspect of it - I suggested to my group of friends that we should book the Auwirt for our 5 nights in Saalbach. The direct booking (by email, with Andreas) was straightforward enough (or so I thought) so the requested deposit was paid and the 5 of us were anticipating a pleasant stay. ||As we came into Saalbach we were excited to see how deep the snow was everywhere and were keen to book into our rooms so we could get out and collect our hire skis from Sport2000 under the Shattberg Express lift 100m away. ||Sadly, this is where it all went wrong. ||As we walked up to the Reception Desk we could see the top of a lady's head engrossed in a phone call. After more than five minutes (during which time it would have been obvious we were politely waiting), she looked up. But rather than say (or even signal) that she was sorry and would be with us in a moment, she bowed her head again and carried on with her phone call. The barmaid could see our growing frustration from across the hall and came over to see if she could help us - only to be waved away by the first girl before she again resumed her call. ||She eventually finished her call and her first response to us was: "Yes?". No introduction, no welcome and no apology for ignoring us for more than 10 minutes. ||When I announced my name and our booking for 5, things then went from bad to worse. ||The lady on the reception (who's name we much later learnt was Melanie) flatly refused to believe that I had changed the booking from 6 to 5 people - in three TWIN rooms, one with single occupancy. She found it highly amusing that the person in the room on their own would have to pay the full room rate (€218) per night rather than the agreed single occupancy rate of €159. ||Melanie was rude and surly throughout the Mexican standoff that ensued and rather than call her manager or find a compromise, she found it preferable to make flippant comments and treat us like children. ||As an aside to Melanie, I would suggest that if you're going to have a bowl of sweets on the counter and not also have a bin placed nearby, you don't make a petulant fuss about the wrappers being left by the bowl !!!||After half an hour of getting nowhere (other than angry and frustrated), Melanie finally called Andreas across from their sister hotel. ||Seemingly not wanting to upset Melanie, Andreas supported her stubborn unrelenting attitude for another 10 minutes before finally agreeing we could go and put our bags in our rooms and to sort out the room rates in the morning. ||When we got to our rooms we found we had been given 'double' rooms and not 'twin' rooms as I had booked - hardly ideal for 4 out of 5 guys ! So it was back downstairs for further discussions. ||Andreas agreed I had requested 3 twins but that he had confirmed doubles. He added that there were no twins available until our fourth night - this was due to a huge party of Danish guests (maybe 100?) who had all but taken over the hotel. ||If it wasn't for the fact that we had already paid a €600 deposit, we would have walked out and tried finding alternative accommodation. ||Making no further headway, we then headed out to pick up our hired skis - only to find out that the delay in booking in (totalling almost an hour) meant Sport2000 was shut for the night and we would have to pick up our skis the next morning - at the busiest time of day !!!||The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast, I revisited the Reception Desk to resume 'discussions'. Andreas was polite and charming and told us we would only be charged €159 for the single occupancy room. Having found a favourable solution, we compromised by agreeing to remain in the double rooms for the duration. ||Melanie stood smirking at the office door like it was all a big joke to her. ||In fact, Melanie stood around smirking for most of the time we were staying there - whilst Andreas seemed to be rushing around sorting out multiple tasks. ||For such a cold, rude and unwelcoming person as Melanie to be front of house is a massive negative for the hotel - I can only imagine she's a relative of the owner. ||This hotel is very well appointed, in a fantastic location and serves a hearty breakfast (no half board option). But a poor first impression will put many guests off from returning; as it...

Somewhat mixed feelings about the establishment, after 4 nights I spent there with my son. He got ill the day before we were meant to go to Saalbach from Salzburg, and we had to stay an extra day until he felt better (over an ear infection). So, we had 3 days to ski in Saalbach (which I cannot fault despite the warm weather), and were given a 3-bed room for the two of us on arrival, albeit the room overlooked the main road and the windows had to be locked at all times to avoid street noise. |I reserved the room for approx EUR 300 per night, but since I was required to pay for the night I missed out as well, my 4 nights came out to EUR 400 each, for a very basic room with breakfast. It feels a bit too much, to be honest, but this was the week between Christmas and New Year, and the term holiday premium also applied.|Schattberg X-press is indeed a 2-minute walk from the building, but all other ski lifts are about 7-10 min walk, in the village centre. The location is good for arriving, but the hotel sits on the outskirts and is certainly not centrally located. We stayed in Room 109 overlooking the road, and the balcony didnt feel private at all, as there were lots of cars arriving and leaving, as well as smokers in the street.|To the pros: |- cosy bar and lounge areas, which were empty most of the time, with small but quality selection of drinks;|- large ski room and a sauna which I didn't use;|- excellent breakfast for 3 stars which would be a good one for 4 stars; |- an excellent dinner option for EUR 45/- per day payable extra (30 per adult and 15 per child). We could eat as much as we wanted from the a la carte menu in the evening, and I would praise the chef for his creme brule and gulasch which were delicious;|- clean rooms;|- easy access to / from the building;|- friendly staff.|The cons:|- no temperature control in the room, and I would wake up every night to let some fresh air in from the street (there was a tiny inlet for airing in the window, but temperature was still too high);|- no bathroom toiletries other than hand soap - one and the same for hands, body and hair, which made me and my hair feel rather dull and unexcited. we ran out of soap by the sink on day 2, which was never refilled;|- very basic room furnishings, but I still do not understand the rating (if any)...