Then as now

In 1889, the Hotel Salzburger Hof included ...

... at least 3 large buildings, the main house - the Schneider-Teuber-Häusl - was just built by Dr. A Fechter 1889-1891. In the same period, the spa house Salzburger Hof was built by the famous Italian master builder Angelo Comini and his talented 300 Italian craftsmen.

With the completion of the new railroad ...

... to Bad Gastein, the hotel was named Hotel Bahnhof. Only 3 years later (1906-1907), Dr. Fechter had master builder Angelo Comini extend the main building and completely redesign it in pure Art Nouveau style - the Angerer tenement house was created.

Although the later Kurhaus Salzburger Hof, was not yet connected, it was part of the works and both houses now formed a hotel with more than 60 rooms, commonly known as Salzburger Hof.

In just two decades (1880-1910), master builder Comini built more than 100 important stone hotels of a unique first-class standard, which made Bad Gastein the number one spa resort in the world in terms of 5-star hotels in relation to population.

Kaiserhof, Grand Hôtel de l'Europe, Straubinger, Hotel Austria, Whürers, Bellevue, Hotel Astoria, Hotel Savoy, Hotel Salzburger Hof and the Elisabeth Hof were world famous destinations for the traveling society of the time.

With the outbreak of the First World War ...

... tourism in Bad Gastein was hit hard. The limited transport possibilities at the beginning of the century and Italy's entry into the war against Austria made it visibly more difficult to run a profitable business.

At the end of the First World War, the Hotel Salzburger Hof served as a hospital. However, as early as 1919, reservations in Bad Gastein's hotels reached record levels.

During the 1920s many world famous guests spent their time here, such as Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Somerset Maugham, The Roosevelts and many others.

The Hotel Salzburger Hof thus had a successful time in the "Golden 20s".

Hotel Salzburger Hof, Anno 1925

By the 30s came about ...

... 50% of guests at the Hotel Salzburger Hof from Germany. With the German tax introduced in 1933 of 100 marks per German citizen going to Austria, German visitor numbers dropped from 50% to just 2% within a year. Tourism recovered only slowly from this and since then overnight stays by German guests in Bad Gastein have never exceeded 15%.

At that time, the Lackner family from Bad Gastein ran the hotel. Among the projects of that family was the construction of a sauna (the first in Salzburg province) and a "treatment resort" around 1930.

This first spa or wellness center, was then closed in the 1950s when a new spa center was built next to Grillparzerstraße (in its current location).

Now the cozy fondue restaurant "Hofkeller" is located in the then visionary sauna.

Soon after the beginning of the Second World War ...

... the hotel struggled with weak guest numbers and when peace was declared, the hotel was again used as a hospital.

However, the demand for recreation in Bad Gastein soon returned and people were ready for new investments.

The 50s were a time ...

... of bloom and many hotels expanded their buildings with one or two floors.

On March 18, 1952, the Hotel Salzburger Hof received permission to add two floors to the existing building, which created an additional 25 rooms with spectacular views.

Master builder Franzmair was commissioned and designed a flat roof, which was used as an extensive sun terrace with swimming pool.

Soon after, Bad Gastein hosted the World Ski Championships (1958) and there were 12,000 high-class beds available in Bad Gastein.

In the 50s and 60s ...

... many famous spa guests came to Bad Gastein, such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Tyrone Power, Bill Wilder, the Shah of Iran, Lady Churchill, Richard von Weizsäcker, Bruno Kreisky and many others.

In the 70s and 80s ...

... the Hotel Salzburger Hof felt a period of slow decline. There was little investment and at the end of the 80's there was a great need to change hands.

In 1987 the international educational and travel group STS (Janus Ges.m.b.H.) bought the Hotel Gisela and in August 1989 the Hotel Salzburger Hof. STS immediately launched an investment program that continues to this day.

In the 80s and 90s came artists like U2 with bandleader Bono, as well as celebrities like Anita Ekberg, Liza Minelli, Shirley Bassey and many more.

Approximately 50 million euros were invested in the buildings, which today include 150 rooms, 2 wellness resorts, 10 restaurants and bars, and so much more that could be mentioned.

On April 20, 1992, the reopening was performed by Princess Birgitta of Sweden. The Hotel Salzburger Hof now has 6 sister hotels in Bad Gastein:

• Villa Orania (2007)
• Hotel Gisela (1987)
• Hotel Post (2001) and
• Hotel Reineke (2011)
• Hotel Wildbad (2011)
• Hotel Eden Rock (2014)
• Hotel Goethehof (2019)

From the year 2000 ...

... British actors like Jude Law and US actor Nicolas Cage have visited Bad Gastein.

The former Pope John Paul II was also a guest in Gastein several times.

The Hotel Wildbad ...

... (built by Angelo Comini in 1892) was completely connected with the Hotel Salzburger Hof by means of a glass bridge.

Included with the Hotel Wildbad are another 32 first-class rooms, an elegant restaurant and a separate wellness and fitness area.

At the same time a brand new wellness area with almost 1000 m² was built in the Hotel Salzburger Hof, as well as 2 new sun terraces.

In 2012, Tripadvisor chose ...

... the Hotel Salzburger Hof became number one (#1) among 65 hotels in Bad Gastein and it received one of the best ratings in the entire Alpine region.

This success was achieved in December 2012 and maintained in 2013.

Bad Gastein gets ...

... finally snow cannons and new slopes on the local mountain Stubnerkogel, reaching down to the valley.

25 years of struggle and effort are over with the inauguration in December.

In 2014 the Hotel Eden Rock

... from the company Janus HotelbetriebsgesmbH. taken over, completely renovated and topped up.

It was built in 1906 by the famous Italian master builder Angelo Comini (*1839 - †1916). In 1929/30 it was extended by master builder Franz Xaver Franzmair according to the plans of Viennese architect Josef Prikryl.

In the hotel there is Eden's Pub one of the oldest pubs in the Gastein Valley. Eden's Pub has hosted many prominent musicians and actors such as Bono (U2), Jude Law and Hugh Grant.

The ** Hotel Goethehof is since 2019

... owned by the company Janus Hotelbetriebs GmbH and convinces with its very central, yet quiet location. The hotel is located in the immediate vicinity of the train station and is only a 3-minute walk from the Felsentherme Bad Gastein and a 10-minute walk from the cable car Stubnerkogel.

The Gipfelrestaurant Stubner was

... taken over by Janus Hotelbetriebs GmbH in April 2021 after years of management by the local family Pölzl. After the reconstruction, the self-service restaurant became a service restaurant. There are a total of 300 seats indoors, plus an additional 150 seats on the outdoor sun terrace.

Directly connected to the Gipfelrestaurant, which is located at 2,230 meters above sea level, walkers as well as winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy the 140 meter long suspension bridge. In the opposite direction there is a viewing platform.