The snow conditions in the Upper Austrian ski areas are good, just in time for the start of the semester break, and there is still room for improvement when it comes to the mood of the hoteliers and thermal bath operators: Because hardly any operation is working to capacity: “In 2021 we were missing 50 percent of the guests, now it is up to 30 percent”, says Helmut Holzinger, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm. However, business people are also looking to the coming week with optimism: as of today, the 3G rule will again apply as proof in hotels, restaurants and cable cars.
“Czechs and Dutch back”
Thanks to the loosening announced in the neighboring Czech Republic, the Pyhrn-Priel tourism region can look forward to increased bookings for the semester break.
“We can already see that the Czechs and Dutch are back,” said Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil, Managing Director of the tourism region. After the locals, tourists from these countries are among the most important customers in the region. However, it is still too early for concrete assessments.
Eurothermen: “Weather plays along”
“The weather is playing into our hands,” said Patrick Hochhauser, Managing Director of Eurothermen Resorts Oberösterreich. The “noticeably noticeable” boost from the easing increases demand.
The Hotel Paradiso in Bad Schallerbach already has more than 90 percent occupancy. The beds are also filling up in other houses, but with significantly lower occupancy rates. Rooms for the hotels and for day stays in the thermal baths can be booked online.
“We still have room for guests”
“We still have room for guests,” says Iris Gössweiner, manager of the Hotel Sperlhof in Edlbach (Pyhrn-Priel region): The occupancy rate is 50 percent. In a normal year, the semester breaks were almost fully booked.
“We’re not full, but you can’t whine,” she says. The Sperlhof is also hoping for a boost from the 3G rule that will apply from today, Saturday.
“Quite classic spa time”
“The semester breaks are a very classic spa time,” said Karl Berghammer, Managing Director of Therme Geinberg. Right now people would appreciate the warmth, even more so since the lockdown was announced.
All offers are in high demand. For the hotel, this means 70 percent advance bookings, and 80 percent of day guests.
Up to 4500 guests on peak days
Helmut Holzinger, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm, expects up to 4,500 guests on a good day during the semester break: “Before the crisis broke out, there were up to 6,000.”
The proportion of day visitors in the region is around 65 percent, many of the foreign guests are missing: “Most of the guests come from Austria, especially from the central area, partly from Lower Austria.” He hopes for a boost from the 3G rule, which today, Saturday, in the cable cars.
Guests make decisions at very short notice
“Many guests are spontaneous and are still waiting to see what the weather will be like,” says Peter Gruber, Managing Director of the Inn Holz in Schöneben in the Mühlviertel: Due to Omikron, cancellations are repeatedly made at short notice. Gruber has 220 beds available, and the occupancy rate is currently 80 percent.
90 percent of the guests come from Austria: “A few Czechs are there, the holidaymakers from Germany, for whom Austria is still a risk area, are absent.”
Source: Nachrichten
