Das Posthotel, Small Luxury Hotels and Resorts: Bottom Line Review

Last Summer, my wife and I spent a glorious two and a half weeks in Austria (see our previous reviews for hotels in Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg). We’re avid hikers, and were looking forward to spending a couple of days tramping around the Zillertal region of the Austrian Alps. There was a very attractive Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) property conveniently located within 30-45 minutes drive of several of the hikes that we wanted to do and it was bookable with Hyatt points. Previous experiences with SLH have been awesome, so we were looking forward to checking this one out. It was one of our worst hotel stays of the year.

Das Posthotel Bottom Line Review

Das Posthotel was by far our worst lodging (and customer service) experience in Austria. The hotel is very attractive, if a bit tight, with lots of exposed wood and a modern “alpine lodge” feel. Unfortunately, the room that they make available to Hyatt bookings is on an upper floor, exposed to the sun and has no AC. It was over 90 degrees inside when we arrived. The front desk agents merely told us “yeah, we get a lot of complaints about that room.” Although the next room category was available, they weren’t aware of any upgrade benefit through Hyatt (even after talking with Hyatt about it), so would only give it to us for an extra 250 Euros/night, almost double the price difference between the rooms. The room was also 10-15 feet directly above the small, packed pool, making the balcony awkward to spend time on and  the room very noisy when we had to leave the doors open to cool down the room. No one knew if there were any fans on property or how they might be able to find them if there were. The whole thing was bizarre.

I could see this feeling like a cozy spot for a Winter ski vacation, but as a points option in the Summer, it was hot, loud and uncomfortable. Thumbs Down

• Price: We booked using 25,000 Hyatt points/night. We were there in peak season, the middle of July, and the nightly cash rate was ~$400. We ended up getting a 25,000 point refund from Hyatt.
• Value: Because the hotel only makes the lowest room class available on points, it rarely offers more than 1.5-1.8 cents per point, a bit below our average redemption value for Hyatt points of 2.1 cents each.
• Location: Das Posthotel has a terrific location in Zell am Zeller, right in the midst of the Zillertal Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol. There are six ski resorts within easy travelling distance, including Hintertux, which is the only resort in Austria with open skiing 365 days/year. In the Summer, there are numerous national and regional recreation areas with marvelous hiking routes.
• Room: There is only one room type that’s bookable using Hyatt points, a One Bedroom Deluxe Suite. It’s not clear by looking on the hotel’s website which room it is, but, after staying there, I understand why it’s the only room made available for award bookings. It’s a ~450 sq ft room with separate living and sleeping areas, a sort of half-kitchenette with glasses and cutlery and a fairly large balcony. Unfortunately, it’s one of the only suites in the hotel that doesn’t have AC and, when we arrived, it was over 90 degrees inside the room (there was a bit of a heat wave going on and Zell am Zeller had daytime highs in the 93-95 degree range). There were no fans in the room and no way to cool it down, nor did anyone on property know if the hotel had fans somewhere and where they might be. Also unfortunately, the spacious balcony was directly over the crowded pool area, with fairly constant noise from morning-to-night, since families were spending much of the day there. In short, the room was an uncomfortable, noisy sauna. The front desk ladies told us, “oh yes, we get a lot of complaints about that room.” I imagine in the winter it would be more appealing.
• Parking: The hotel advertises complimentary on-site parking, but there’s not even close to enough spaces for everyone (we were never able to snag one during our stay). Because of that, most guests have to park in a dirt public lot ~3 blocks away.
• Resort/Destination Fee: None.
• Internet: Good on the main floor and lobby, weak on the upper floors.
• Service: The front desk was staffed by what seemed to be college or high school students on Summer break. They seemed fairly clueless about how to handle even basic requests and weren’t empowered to handle the issues that arose. There was no manager or supervisor onsite during our stay (we were told that they were out of town). The breakfast restaurant manager, on the other hand, was terrific.
• Turndown service: None.
• Dining:
  • Die Marie: Spread across the main floor and back patio, this is a nifty, well-run restaurant that seems to be given more care than the hotel itself. The included breakfast was very good and the evening service looked excellent as well. There is a minimal “day menu” served between breakfast and dinner. Breakfast daily from 7:15 AM-11:00 AM, lunch from 11:00am-6:00pm, dinner from 6:00pm-9:00
  • Bar Louie: Although it’s advertised as a separate bar, this is the same bar that services the restaurant. It does stay open later for drinks (if there’s demand). Guests can get bar service in the restaurant, pool and lobby areas. Open daily 2pm-midnight (although it closed early both nights that we were there).

• Spa: Spa services are offered on site, in a couple of external rooms beside the pool. In addition, there is a sauna and hot tub that’s free for all guests to use.
• Fitness Room: There is an absolutely tiny fitness center in the basement level that had a treadmill, a stationary bike and a few free weights. It wasn’t a big deal, because we were hiking in the mountains anyway, but it wasn’t much.
• Hyatt SLH Benefits: 
  • Room Upgrade: Although the next available room was available (and had AC), the front desk agents were completely unaware of that being a benefit of SLH/Hyatt, in fact insisting that it wasn’t. They did offer to upgrade me…for 250 Euros/night.
  • Free Breakfast: There is an excellent daily breakfast served at Restaurant Die Marie. This includes an extensive tea and coffee menu, self-serve juicing station, a selection of a la carte dishes and a well-stocked continental buffet.
  • Late Checkout: Not allowed.
  • Welcome Amenity: There was a melting cake and a very warm bottle of water waiting for us in our sauna room when we arrived.
• Would I stay again?  Not a chance.

Pros

• Great location in the middle of some terrific hiking and skiiing areas.
• Very pretty in a chic, “mountain lodge” way. Lots of exposed wood and stylish design.
• Excellent breakfast. From the sounds of it, dinner at the restaurant is tasty as well.

Cons

• Usually an average to below-average points value.
• Poorly-trained, unhelpful front desk staff.
• The room that they make available for Hyatt awards is the probably the worst one on property – smaller, no AC and directly over the pool.
• Most of the free parking is actually a few blocks from the hotel.

Image Gallery

Das Posthotel One Bedroom Suite

Restaurant Die Marie (breakfast)

Das Posthotel Pool and Sauna

Das Posthotel Lobby/Common Area

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