Hotel Krone

We went ahead with the voucher for our wedding anniversary because it fell during the week. The room was basic but OK. It was quite hot, and there was no fan or air conditioning, though the TV was modern and had YouTube. There weren’t any swan-shaped towels, chocolates or complimentary slippers in the room, despite photos and reviews showing them and my husband calling a few days beforehand to say it was our anniversary. The welcome drink included in the voucher was missing too, so we had to go back to reception and ask for it. I kept feeling that unless we asked, they were hoping we’d forget what was included. The voucher cost €180 and was supposed to be worth €290. It included two nights with breakfast and dinner on half board, a welcome drink and entry to the thermal pools. We tried three times over six months to book different weekends, and each time were told the hotel was full. On the third attempt, a very unfriendly employee said we had to book by September and during the week. I pointed out that the voucher was valid until December and for any day of the week. She said the hotel would close for renovations in September and that weekends would probably be full. It left me thinking they simply didn’t want us to use the voucher on weekends. Nobody had told us by email or phone about the renovations or that we had to use it before September, rather than December. If we hadn’t called, we might have just had a “surprise.” At check-in, the receptionist was very unfriendly. I’d never met a hotel receptionist like her. She made us feel like a huge inconvenience and as if she were doing us a favor by talking to us. She spoke very fast and sounded stressed, even though there were no other guests there. She gave us the hotel rules, and when I asked about dinner, she said the restaurant was closed but she’d give us €10 per person per night. When we said that wasn’t a realistic amount for dinner, she insisted that was what half board cost there, including drinks and dessert. I don’t think even McDonald’s offers that kind of deal :P. She said there was nothing to discuss. We had to agree, since nobody had told us beforehand, not when we booked or when my husband called a few days earlier, and we’d travelled all that way with nowhere else to stay. I had to ask three times about parking. First she said it was probably full. Then she repeatedly underlined “back of the hotel” on the sheet, without explaining how to get there. Eventually she told us the entrance was next to the organic cafe/store. There are only five hotel parking spaces, and staff use them too. I also asked whether we’d at least get the thermal pool tickets, and she gave them to us. The information folder in the room said half board could be booked for an extra €15 per person per night. We decided to let go of the fact that she’d just told us €10. The hotel is in the town center on a quiet street where cars aren’t allowed, though planes pass overhead and a weekly market takes place. There are four nearby restaurants: an Indian one next to the parking lot, an Italian, a Greek-Turkish and a Bavarian place right beside the hotel that actually belongs to Post Hotel. We ate at the Bavarian restaurant both nights. The food was good and the waitress polite.

The hotel and breakfast were lovely, fresh and clean. I would’ve liked darker curtains, but aside from that I liked it.

For a Salzburg trip, this hotel is a good option. It costs about half what you’d pay in Austria, and the train to Austria takes just 7 minutes.

Good location and great service. It gets hot here during the summer days.