Alpenhotel Garni Weiherbach

I was very disappointed by how this property handled a problem, rather than by the policy itself. I booked late in the evening and didn’t see that check-in was strictly limited to 2-6 p.m. Work meant I couldn’t physically arrive during that window, so I couldn’t use the room at all. I contacted the property right away and offered other arrangements, but they showed no flexibility. The way they spoke to me made things much worse. They called me “arrogant” and “uncooperative,” even though I stayed respectful and tried to resolve the issue. That felt rude and unnecessarily personal, and it doesn’t meet basic hospitality standards. Future guests should know the check-in rule is extremely strict and they won’t try to find a solution if something goes wrong. Double-check every condition before booking, because there’s no room for misunderstanding.

Families, beware. The room itself was decent and the location was great, but this was the worst hotel policy and customer service I’ve ever dealt with, and I’ve worked with a ton of awful people. We booked through Booking.com, never again, and the whole process was deeply upsetting. The hotel charges every occupant as an adult, no matter their age, and doesn’t accept child reservations. So even if you search for and reserve a room for two adults and two children through Booking.com, the reservation may only show two adults. Adding the kids can cost several hundred more. We booked for two adults and two children, one aged 2 and the other just 2 weeks old. The confirmation page showed 600 euro, but after confirming, the reservation listed only two adults. We messaged the hotel politely to explain that the children had somehow been dropped between Booking.com and the hotel, before we understood their policy. They said bringing the kids would cost another 400 euro. Because we booked through Booking.com, it was non-refundable. We were told to pay 1000 euro for a room advertised at 600, leave our children behind and go as two adults, or cancel and still pay 600. What a scam. The hotel’s replies to my wife’s very professional and courteous questions were abrasive and rude. At one point, they wrote, “What is wrong with you”! I thought maybe there was a misunderstanding or a translation problem, so I called. The man I spoke with was combative and kept interrupting and yelling that it wasn’t the hotel’s fault, it was ours or Booking.com’s, and there was nothing he could do. He hung up on me mid-sentence. I called back, but he’d blocked my number. We then worked with Booking.com. After more than 3 hours on calls over two days, they agreed to cover the difference between what we booked and what we were charged, as long as we went to the hotel and stayed. We said we didn’t feel safe after the combative service, but Booking.com said that didn’t matter, so we went. At checkout, the hotel said they’d email the invoice, but it never came. We sent two emails, one through Booking.com and one directly, and got no response. Now we’re asking Booking.com to honor the refund, but they won’t without the invoice, and the hotel still won’t answer our emails or calls. My number is still blocked from that brief conversation weeks ago. When I call, it doesn’t even ring, it says the customer doesn’t want calls from this number. Unreal.

We had a lovely balcony overlooking the rolling hills and mountains, and the rooms were comfortable and clean, with a fridge and hairdryer. The continental breakfast was fresh and varied, but there’s only one coffee machine, so you can end up waiting when it’s busy. Great hotel and location too, about a 15-minute walk into the Bertchesgarten. We enjoyed several beautiful evening walks.

This is a quintessential Bavarian Gasthaus, even if the rooms are a bit antiquated. They were clean and spacious, and the host was super friendly. Breakfast was well above average, and there was ample parking. It was fairly easy to drive to, with beautiful views and easy access to Kehlsteinhaus and Salzburg. The village of Berchtesgaden is about a 15-minute walk, but it’s a challenging route up and down a very steep hill. We only stayed two nights and didn’t get a chance to use the pool. We were very happy with our stay and would come again.