New Year 2019

30 The Hotel Stadt Wien is a fourth-generation family-run hotel in the Austrian town of Zell am See. As part of LUXlife Magazine’s End of Year feature, the hotel was recognised as ‘Austria’s Leading Wellness Hotel’ for 2018. We spoke with Christine Kerbl who, as joint owner alongside Klaus Kerbl, has hosted guests from all over the world. We were eager to find out more about the hotel’s remarkable reputation for excellent hospitality. Being ideally situated just a few minutes from the centre of Zell am See, the Hotel Stadt Wien has been the hotel of choice for travellers looking to make good use of the region’s alpine setting. The hotel itself makes a stunning first impression, nestled as it is between archetypal Austrian mountains; it’s a traditional chalet, upscaled to grand proportions. Th Hotel Stadt Wien is also a stalwart in the region, a long-standing presence in an ever-changing industry. More than anything, Christine and Klaus enjoy their work, and enjoy hosting others. As Christine proudly says, “our passion for this business in practically in our blood”. To begin, Christine takes the opportunity to offer some background on the hotel and its history. “Hotel Stadt Wien is a family grown company, and me and Klaus run it with plenty of love, dedication and commitment. We are very proud to host families from all over the world. Tourists are enchanted by the idyllic alpine town of Zell am See, in the middle of the mountains of Salzburg and embellished by the beautiful lake Zeller See. Our family-run hotel is in a prime location, offering the ideal starting point for different trips and activities. Ultimately, it’s the perfect accommodation for your summer holidays, hiking or winter holidays.” Christine continues, emphasising the importance of the guest experience at the hotel. “All of us, be it the dish washer or the head- Nov18137 waiter, want to provide guests an uncomplicated, easy going, relaxed atmosphere. Our main team consist of team-members who have grown up with us and are part of the ‘Stadt Wien-Family’ for many, many years. They know how to pamper guests and use the best quality of food and drinks. They know return customers and their special requests – we have a lot of return guests every year. Furthermore, we provide different training and education programmes to further improve our skills.” Yet, the hospitality industry is changing. It is now far more uncommon for guests to stay weeks on end at a single hotel, preferring to travel around the region to experience more of what is on offer. For Christine, this new trend has proved a challenge. “Right now, we are in a difficult situation due to extremely short-term bookings, which make it difficult for a hotel to plan ahead. This is one of the biggest challenges we are facing, but with the support of the team and ourselves we are able to manage this trend as well and are continuing to give our best to provide the known ‘Stadt Wien’ quality. When it comes to the future, the Hotel Stadt Wien is focusing on quality, as they look set to welcome more guests to the hotel over the coming year. “Thankfully, globalisation does not end at the border of Austria and Germany. We are very much looking forward to welcome even more nations in our hotel from all over the world. However, we are making efforts to ensure that we will not change our philosophy which is to provide a relaxed holiday with the typical Austrian charm.” “We also try to uphold everything to a very high standard. So, we are looking to improve the hotel again, and have decided to renovate the swimming pool and spa area in spring 2019. Naturally, this will be to the highest of standards.” Contact: Christine Kerbl Company: Hotel Stadt Wien Address: Schmittenstrasse. 41, 5700 Zell am See, Austria Website: www.hotel-stadt-wien.com/en/ Telephone: +43 6542 762 Retreat Perfecting the Alpine Chalet Experience