 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm trying to get prices / book for a hotel in Austria for New Year 2010/2011. Some of the hotels are telling me that they are completely booked for this period (11 months in advance). I have read that Austrian hotels can have a lot of repeat guests but surely this wouldn't completely explain this position. Do Austrian hotels have a reluctance to take direct bookings at peak times? Would I be better going through a specialist ski booking agent (e.g. Igluski).
Does anyone have any advice concerning this?
Cheers, Pete
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PeteMan, You will probably find that some of those hotels are ones used by Tour Operators, and they will block book as much as they can get at peak times.
You will have a better chance going for hotels not used by TOs, although there will still be potential issues at peak time - and New Year is the most peak time there is.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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PeteMan, contact the Tourist Office for the resort you're looking at and ask them to help you find some accommodation ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PeteMan, Some of the hoteliers I know in Austria are fully booked with repeat customers at that time. It is extremely difficult to get in early as new people because the regulars are not required to confirm bookings or pay deposits. Many people have been returning to the same hotel as families for donkey's years. This is particularly true for the smaller and/or less known to the British market resorts. Germans for example are very loyal to hotels offering the standard of facilities and welcome that they appreciate. As a regular at my favourite hotel I get a minimum of 3% discount off list prices simply because I have returned to them on several occasions. I am looking at a week there in March with half board and ski pass included for between 770 Euros for a single room and 725 Euros if I go with a friend and share a double room. That is in a 5* (4*S) hotel right opposite the main lift system. So as near to ski in - ski out as you can get when having to cross, an albeit quiet, public highway!
As suggested, get in touch with the local tourist offices and tell them what you are looking for.
Sue 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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PeteMan, a lot of them really are full over new year with returning guests, or they want to give their loyal customers first dibs on rooms before they open them out to others. In my experience of doing this, a lot of rooms get released around April ish is the 'Stammgaeste' do not re-book.
I certainly don't think it's reluctance to take direct bookings, it's just a different culture for doing business, which does seem strange I guess, to our more 'first come first served' way of doing things. I wouldn't think using a booking agent will help, and it will certainly limit the accommodation you have access to.
I feel your pain though, I have been through this twice! The only way I found to get through it was perseverence, as well as a bit of flattery...'I have heard your hotel recommended by a friend who said it was their best holiday they have had' and that kind of thing. Don't know if that actually made any difference but both times I ended up with the right result in the end!
It might be helpful to try a tourist office search engine that can search actual availability, although many won't kick in until after this winter season.
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PeteMan, yip, I was told a lot of people rebook their holidays in certain hotels (for the next year) at Austrian resorts as the check out from their current holiday, and have been doing so year after year !
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PeteMan, are you looking for an irregular length booking, or the usual Sat/Sat?
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pam w, isn't New Years day on a Saturday next year?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Firstly, thanks for the replies / advice so far.
Dates fall as follows:
25/12 is a Saturday
26/12 is a Sunday
1/1 is a Saturday
2/1 is a Sunday
I understand that Austrian hotel changeover is usually a Sat or Sun. I cannot see any one wanting changeover on Christmas day so I am assuming that the hotels will go for Boxing Day or the 27/12.
I took that advice on this forum and sent a flattering email to the Tourist Office. Within an hour I received replies from both hotels (despite sending my requests to them a couple of days ago). One hotel has stated that they cannot take a booking on 27/12 and are insisting on 26/12 start. The other hotel has provided prices for 27/12 start.
Cheers, Pete
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i'm thinking of doin my first DIY trip next Dec, somewhere with good early snow record and cheap
hoping for 5/6 day trip departing Dec 18th coming back Dec 23rd
only thing thats worrying me is last 2 or 3 years with fog and snow + threatened BA strikes the aviaition network has been chaos at that time
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've found that a lot of hotels dont start taking bookings till July/August time but there are some that will take in advance. Where are you heading too? Probably some of the more popular resorts/hotels will be a bit more guarded for existing customers??
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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PeteMan, glad you seem to be getting somewhere finally! Perhaps flattery really does get you everywhere.
D
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You know it makes sense.
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I choose the accommodations featured in Bergfex which provides farm houses with only cold water to 5 star hotels to suit all pockets. Google Maps also have the hotels or B&B near any resort you care to pick.
I believe hotels are more rigid whereas pensions are more accommodating. The accommodations in Bergex appear to be well regulated and I have never been let down in anywhere I ski in Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
I am answering this post in Falchau. HB+ski pass for a week for two persons cost 958 Euro. I have been going around one resort a day. Snow is fantastic in Ski Amade at the moment.
To be honest I have never had a problem to find accommodation in Austria which in my experience is the easiest place to book advance accommodation. Having said that I notice a lot of visitors are driving to the Austrian resorts and they don't have to stay close to a resort so giving a huge possibility of choices.
I have skied Schladming twice and this distance from Flachau is 21 miles. I also visited Dachstein Glacier twice (it was closed in my the first trip) which is 23 miles away. The Ski Amade pass covers Bad Gastein Valley which is over 33 miles away.
Although no longer doing it I had stayed in Zell Am See and Ski Welt during Christmas and New Year in Austria.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
For what it is worth the 25th December is NOT an important family day in Austria
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But however much you don't care about christmas day, the fact remains that there are usually no flights or ferries that day. Which does suggest that the changeover days will need to be juggled, somehow.
French accommodation agencies certainly don't normally start thinking about the winter until around July.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, your ability to comment on my "views" when you do not know me from Adam quite honestly, beggars belief. 
It is not "my view", it is a cultural observation based on years of experience living and working full-time in France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany and learning the differences in the various life styles. My friends here are always so worried that I may actually spend Christmas Eve on my own that I am always inundated with invitations to join various friend's families to ensure I have "the family experience". I do actually have a family of friends who always celebrate together and we always enjoy a fabulous evening on the 24th December, "en Famille". The 25th December is not as an important day in the same way it is in the UK. The day here that is very important is quite simply Christmas Eve. Just as in the UK, where the 26th December is often a travelling day, in Germany and Austria it is the 25th, i.e. the day after the family gathering.
Yes, anyone travelling from the UK may possibly have a more restricted choice in terms of flights or ferries on the 25th December, but at least they will probably not be over booked nor stuck in traffic jams. But the trains, planes and ferries are still running and just possibly, they may find that they can get a really good bargain!
However, the OP was having problems understanding why it was so difficult to book somewhere so far in advance (11 months) due to hoteliers saying they were already full. Those of us here, either on the spot or with real recent experience, were trying to help with explaining that a thing such as loyalty to a specific hotel in a specific resort is actually quite normal within the certain areas of the Alps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sue, it wouldn't be much of a forum if people couldn't comment on each other views would it!
I think that changeover day will need to be juggled for UK travellers. It's simple economics. Moving check-in to the 26th or better still the 27th will mean that tour operators / hoteliers can sell these dates at premium prices instead of bargain basement prices.
Pete
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If they're targets are Brits - remember other nationalities like to ski too!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Samerberg Sue,  I'm not commenting on your views or German customs, at all. where'd you get that idea? I am commenting on the fact that, as far as I know, most public transport in and out of the UK doesn't operate on Christmas Day. BA, for example, doesn't operate on Christmas Day and I don't think eurotunnel or P & O ferries do either, so however much people do, or don't, care about Christmas Day, some other day will probably have to be found for changeovers for UK travellers for the Christmas and new Year holidays next season.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Samerberg Sue, I'm not commenting on your views or German customs, at all. where'd you get that idea? |
I think she took your "But however much you don't care about christmas day" as being a comment on her attitude to Christmas, rather than the general observation it was intended as.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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alex_heney, yes, I dare say you're right. I should perhaps have said "However much one doesn't care about Christmas Day". But that construction is not much used in English, as opposed to French or German. But nonetheless it was still hardly a "comment" on an opinion; my purpose was to point out the practical difficulties. I've always thought it must be annoying for Jews, Moslems or others not to be able to go anywhere on Christmas Day. Personally I'd be happy to abolish Christmas altogether; I heartily dislike the way people feel impelled to spend money they haven't got on stuff people don't need.
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pam w, you could have said 'However much Xmas Day is not cared about.', inelegant but avoiding any suggestion that you, Samerberg Sue or any other specific person, living or dead, had, or didn't have, a particular view of Xmas Day.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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richmond, 
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To get the thread back on track - have we established whether there is any public transport to get people to and from the Alps on Christmas Day, or not?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well as an example, I have tried costing as if I were going to Zell, and Lufthansa are currently showing flights from Manchester to Munich travelling out Christmas day and back new year's day.
We would normally hire a car, so would need to check if the office was open, but one year when a friend travelled to meet us on Christmas day they managed to get picked up from her flight arrival at Salzburg by the normal minibus transfer service who took her to resort.
I know trains and buses etc. operate on Christmas day in Austria, so it is likely it would be fine.
So I guess the conclusion is, it may well work like clockwork, but enquire with all the relevant companies before booking anything, so you can be sure that it all links up.
Package hol companies will of course have their own arrangements which I am sure will be 'announced' in due course.
D
PS I am now signing off as it is my afternoon off and I need to find another way of spending it that looking up hypothetical travel arrangements that I am never going to use
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pam w wrote: |
| To get the thread back on track - have we established whether there is any public transport to get people to and from the Alps on Christmas Day, or not? |
I don't know, but Crystal certainly aren't doing so. Their changeover days around next Christmas are 21st and 28th (Tuesdays). If you put in a search for 25th, those are the only two dates that come back.
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You know it makes sense.
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robboj, 
Yes, I wouldn't have anticipated any problem this end - on Christmas Day things seem to work just like any other day. But that's not usually the case in the UK. There was a report on another thread that one of the TOs was doing Monday changeovers (20th and 27th) so it sounds as though there could be a wide range of arrangements for next Christmas. That might be very good news in terms of spreading the load a bit.
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FAQ
