Hotel Panther'A

Outstanding hotel, literally 1 min walk from two major lifts, absolutely amazing hotel, staff are great, onsite bar is perfect, food is great, we’ll be back before next year!! Special thanks to Donny and Nick!

Great location, amazing wellness and pool area and free parking in the garage during summer, all big pluses. The rooms were clean, stylish and comfortable. The staff was super friendly and helpful. But the food really let us down. Meals tasted like they were made from packet mixes or low-quality ingredients or pre-prepared and most felt like something I’d cook quickly during a busy work week. Portions were small. Examples include cold pasta with plain tomato sauce, pudding served in burnt milk with a frozen, mushy strawberry, soggy salad and syrup-based juice at breakfast. One evening we were served lasagna that was as flat as the plate. Another time, the "stroganoff" came with just two small pieces of meat and three croquettes, which is barely enough for a child, let alone an adult. They didn’t have high chairs for small kids either. Breakfast and dinner were clearly designed to require as little service as possible: soup, starters and desserts were all self-service. There was only one person working during both meals, serving around 50 guests. Our package included an afternoon snack between 4 and 5 PM, but the concept simply didn’t exist. Nothing was on a table. Only after we asked did we get a basic toast with fries, clearly improvised. We asked only once in a whole week. Not everything was bad, the tiramisu at dinner was genuinely delicious and the grilled salmon was one of the few mains that felt like a proper 4-star meal. But these were the exceptions, not the rule. Once a year, we treat ourselves to a (not so cheap) holiday where someone else does the cooking and does it well. That’s exactly what I expected from a 4-star hotel. Right now, the food simply doesn’t deliver on that promise. If they improved the culinary offering, the hotel would live up to both its price and its star rating.

Firstly, to whichever staff member replies to reviews the responses to the negative/constructive ones aren't very professional. Guests spend a lot of money on these holidays and are entitled to express their opinions and sometimes they are right. Had I read some of the responses from management towards negative reviews prior to my trip I'd have booked elsewhere as it doesn't fill me with confidence that problems will be dealt with. The pros - hotel is in a very good location for skiing which is hard to beat and the main reason as to why you'd go. The room was very comfortable and the bed was great. Unfortunately our room didn't have a balcony and no view (we essentially just had a view of other rooms) but not the end of the world. The staff were very attentive - both myself and my wife were very ill (flu) during our stay with the flu and the staff tried their best to accommodate us. Swimming pool was nice but a bit small and can be busy. Relatively basic spa. The negatives - the food really needs to be improved. You can see from many reviews below that is sub par. I usually eat a cooked breakfast but the eggs and sausages weren't very nice and it is unusual not to have potatoes as an option. I largely just eat the fruit. The main food - you only get two options to chose from. Some of the food was simply inedible and were sent back half eaten by nearly all 4 of us in our group. Occassionally it was alright but it is apparent the hotel buys cheap ingredients and mass produces it - which is understandable considering the hotel Is busy. If food was nice the review would definitely have been a four star pushing towards five. There are not enough staff in the restaurant. You'd wait ages from your starter to your main. And if you ordered a drink it'd take a good 5-10minutes before it arrived. The staff try very hard but as the hotel is often busy you see them getting stressed. One or two more staff members would help alleviate the pressure. Cleaning staff don't actually clean the rooms. We had cups/glasses etc all left in the room which we'd need to bring down and need to clean the bin out ourselves etc. It's a small thing but you expect the room to be cleaned and not just the same sheets put on the bed and made smart again. I enjoyed myself overall however I would not rebook and this is only down to the food. If the food is improved to a level that mathces its competitors (and I ski often in Austria and hands down this was the worst food I've had) I would reconsider as Saalbach is a great ski area and location for skiing is unbeatable.