Hotel Krallerhof — Hotel in Leogang

RECEPTION : We checked in late (8.30pm) so we were told that we would have the tour of the facility the next day. When we asked the next day, we were told they could not as there was only one person at the reception. We came back at a time when there was 2 persons and were then told that the time was too busy and we should come back the following day... TREATMENTS : I took the contouring treatment, which was really nice. The part that was not acceptable was booking the treatment. We arrived at the reception spa with my friend at around 16.00 on the Friday of our stay. There was no one at the reception and we had to wait for a good 5 minutes (not up to hospitality standard of a 5-star hotel). Then the spa receptionist finally showed up. My friend, who wanted to do the "dermabrasion treatment", was answered : "we don't have it, the machine is broken". She then started to browse through the printed spa menu (as the receptionist did not suggest any alternative treatment) and after one minute, the receptionist told us : "are you close to making up your mind ? otherwise I will leave and come back in 10 minutes". And... SHE LEFT!!!! Surreal in such a hotel! We would have expected "sorry, the treatment is not available at the moment, but let me see with you what alternative we could find that would have close effects". Or something like that. The rudeness of that staff was incredible! WEEKLY PROGRAM : We did yoga class, nordic walking, flexibar, cross-fit (all last 3 with Alex who was great) and one hike with Atu (who was great). We registered to one hike with Willy one day at 10.00 am. Willy never showed up... We enquired at the reception : they called him but could not reach him (3 times) and just left us standing there without offering any alternatives... We ended up hiking on our own thanks to a map we had taken at the information point in Leogang. SERVICE TEAM IN THE RESTAURANT : On one morning at breakfast, I was shouted at by a waitress (in German, who then switched to English) as I had taken a table (indoor) which was "reserviert" (although there was no name tag on it). I asked where we should have sat and she answers : "where you sat yesterday". I answer that yesterday we sat outside and today is cold and rainy so I am not going to sit outside... then she answers "you need to sit where you were seated last night at diner". (we had never been explained that rule, as we never got a proper tour of the facility...). So I tell her : "look, I don"t see any name tag on that table so it should be fine" (and besides, we had already put all our breakfast dishes on that table). She then shouted back "you have to move". Without even offering us to move all our breakfast on a tray to another table... And what is even better is that the first day we had breakfast indoor, we had asked the waiter then where to sit and he told us "anywhere where there's no name tag". So this situation was totally ridiculous, humiliating, the staff (this waitress) absolutely not up to the standard of such an establishement, with no customer care at heart. I was amazed to be shouted at, not offered any assistance to move our breakfast to another table, and to be given contradictory guidelines!! Besides the "spa receptionist" unacceptable behavior, as well as the waitress shouting at us to move table, and the no-show of the hiking guide, we were also shouted at when we arrived at breakfast in bath robes (although I had seen people taking breakfast in bath robes the first morning). Again, instead of being gently and discretly told that we cannot have breakfast in our bath robes (which is common in hotel claiming to be wellness-center...), we were told loudly and very agressively "to get dressed". So clearly the staff is not trained properly to manage customers relationship. They are not customer-care driven, which should be the number one motivation in such a place. The positive sides were the spa and wellness areas which are incredible and also the meals and food. Unfortunately we will not recommend to...

Read carefully, I want to help you not make my mistake. We are used to mid- and high-end hotels, we have recently been to 4-star and 5-star hotels, and this one is definitely not. Even though we have been to good hotels, we are very relaxed about the quality of the hotel, and I have NEVER written a bad review, but there is always a first time and I am doing this because I felt deceived by the photos and I want to warn other people. They sell the hotel by its exterior, especially the outdoor pool with the lake, which is large, in a modern style (and it is really beautiful). The hotel was initially built in 1956, and has undergone some modernizations. It turns out that it is as if the hotel was divided into two: the old side and the new side (pay close attention to this, seriously). The old part: The inside of the hotel is COMPLETELY different from what it looks like, everything is very old, old furniture, ugly walls, floors, elevator, everything! (Below are the photos). The reception is old, the floor in the restaurant area must be 50 years old, and so is the bar.

Now imagine this with pink, purple, and blue lighting in various parts of this same hotel...

About the room: The only positive thing is that it is large, but very old, with an old sofa and old, rough, and pilled bed sheets. (I have never seen sheets so old). The double bed is not a double, but two single beds with a separation in the middle. The blanket is also separate, with two single blankets. There is no air conditioning (honestly, I don't know how a hotel can be classified as 5 stars today without air conditioning or anything like that). About the new side of the hotel: The outdoor area and the spa are modern and very beautiful and were recently built, making the spa very modern and large. About the experience of staying here: Dinner: we ordered carpaccio as a starter and salmon with pasta as a main course. The carpaccio and pasta had no taste at all. The salmon was good. The dinner tables are extremely close to each other, so you have to speak softly so as not to disturb the table next to you.

About breakfast (I'll talk about the food first, and then about what happened during the breakfast experience): The breakfast buffet is OK, but nothing special. I would say it's good, but not even close to a 4-star or even a 5-star hotel, but more like a 3-star hotel. Now I'll talk about the breakfast experience: It starts off strangely, you can only sit at the same table you had dinner at the day before (what?). NOBODY WARNED US ABOUT THIS. We sat at any table, and a lady appeared from the other side of the room shouting "NO NO NO" and saying in German that we couldn't sit there. She was really rude, shouting in front of everyone. We asked her to speak in English, and she said that each table has its name based on where you sat the day before. What do you mean? I've never seen that. Then a young man in a suit took us to our table and said that he knew she was rude, but he didn't talk to us about it anymore. We arrived at the hotel the day before and our names weren't on it, and all the other tables had the names of other families. We are still shocked by the way the lady yelled at us, we simply didn't continue eating. She can't treat someone like that, especially a customer. Conclusion: RUN AWAY from this hotel, don't fall for the photos of the pool or the spa, unless you really want to stay only in that area. I feel like I was deceived because from the photos, it seemed like it would be a luxury hotel, in a modern or more sophisticated environment, but it wasn't. We are extremely disappointed, this is not a 5-star hotel, I would say at most 3 stars exclusively for the spa. LOOK AT THE...

The Krallerhof – From a Jewel of Understated Luxury to an Instagram Stage

Once upon a time, there was a hotel in Leogang that perfected the art of discreet luxury. The Krallerhof was a haven for people who valued style, respect, and genuine hospitality – not vanity or champagne selfies. A place with character: sophisticated without being stuffy, luxurious without being loud. Everyone met at eye level; all guests were equals, welcomed with warmth and appreciation. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere radiated elegance and calm. No surprise we returned more than a dozen times.

But the Krallerhof of today is barely recognizable. The much-touted generational change has happened – and it has gone thoroughly off the rails.

From Character to Concept – But the Wrong Kind The shift began years ago, with the redesign of the exterior. Sleek, modern, trendy – almost a statement: We want to look cooler than we are. While the outside poses as a design hotel, the rooms inside creak under the weight of decades-old furnishings. Wear and tear? Not charming patina – just neglect. Rather than rejuvenate the heart, they gave the shell a facelift. A symbol of the transformation: image over substance.

This change in image could be forgiven – if the overall quality remained intact. But instead, amenities were cut while prices soared. That’s not evolution, it’s a golden-glossed downgrade.

Farewell to Wellness as a Place of Well-being Particularly painful is the Spa. Once a sanctuary of relaxation, now a monument to superficiality. The newly built wellness area looks great – for Instagram. And that seems to be the main goal. It delivers more show than substance, more tiles than tranquility. A paradise for influencers and poseurs, less so for those simply seeking peace and recovery.

Meanwhile, the original spa area shows clear signs of wear and age. Yet instead of investing in care and upkeep, they built a backdrop. Not for well-being, but for appearances. The sauna has become a selfie zone; the relaxation room, a catwalk. If you're looking to strike a pose, this is your place. If you're looking to unwind – look elsewhere.

Target Audience Wanted – Authenticity Abandoned Where once thoughtful connoisseurs gathered, now the scene is dominated by wannabe celebs and hipsters in Balenciaga swimwear. The focus has shifted to the sparkle of the social media crowd – to short-term trends and surface-level appeal.

And herein lies the core of our disappointment: The Krallerhof has sold its soul. Not to the devil – but to the zeitgeist. Values like authenticity, true quality, and heartfelt hospitality have been tossed overboard. In their place: hashtags, high gloss, and hollow pretenses.

Our Verdict: We’re Out. We’re saying goodbye as loyal guests. With heavy hearts – but firmly. Between the selfie sticks and self-promoters, between conceptual design and conceptual confusion, what we cherished most has been lost: that precious feeling of home in a house full of dignity, elegance, and sincere care.

Leogang remains breathtaking. But the Krallerhof – in its current form – won’t be missed. Thankfully, the region still offers many outstanding alternatives that understand how to stay elegant without becoming pretentious – and often at much more reasonable prices.

A Final Thought of Caution:

The Krallerhof has become a mirror of our times – shiny on the outside, hollow within. A case study in what happens when a place tries to reinvent itself without remembering what once made it truly valuable.

Yes, luxury can be modernized. But one should never forget what true luxury is really made of: honesty,...