Johannesbad Hotel Palace

Horrible experince, staff was rude and the food wasn’t fresh. The rooms were small and they stank. DONT GO THERE!!!! They kept saying rude things and we wanted to go into the pool and they kept denying without a reason. We wouldn’t recommend to anyone it’s a waste of money.

One of the best ski hotels I’ve stayed at. Staff were great, spa facilities very good, food exceeded expectations and the drinks package was good value for money. Live music provided a good way to finish the evening. The cakes in the afternoon were an added bonus and were delicious. The rooms are a little dated, but the beds were comfortable and the room was very clean. Fab to have ski hire on site with a very personable professional to serve you. Communication about the activities going on each day was great and I would highly recommend this hotel.

Acceptable ski hotel, decent food, good pool, but issues with some staff/policies and compromise on location, albeit think this is reflected in price. We had an issue with the format of the rooms we had been allocated. Rather than seek a solution the reception manager was intransigent and refused to do anything. Luckily Crystal rep was excellent and sorted it. Also the drinks package doesn’t really work. For €8 per guest per day you can drink unlimited wine beer with dinner. The problem is you can’t take your drinks to the bar to finish them in comfort. When one of our party tried to do that they were treated as if they were some kind of criminal. Possibly down to language barrier in part but was embarrassing for the guest. The hotel is 20 min walk to lift, but busses from outside are regular, but stop at 5pm. Apres in Bad Hofgastine is limited to a couple of bars near the lift, didn’t see any bars in town near hotel. This means hiring locker in shop near lift or carrying skis if you miss last bus. Bar in hotel is fine , but a bit dull. There’s not much happening nightlife wise in Bad Hofgastine at all really, if you want more action Bad Gastine is more lively. Food is buffet and wasn’t massive choice or variety for the size of hotel, but was very tasty and good quality. Rooms fine if a bit small. Hotel might have been a palace when it was built, but a bit tired now, but clean and functional. Pool and hot tub is decent though. Ski school takes place in Angertal which means you have to get to the bad hof lift, then further 20 min bus journey. Buses work well though and give easy access to the other slopes covered by area pass. In summary this hotel comes with a load of compromises, (especially location) but we were aware of them when we booked and I think they were reflected in the price. The main things such as food, comfort of hotel etc are fine.

This is an old hotell that has failed to modernize

We stayed here for a weeks ski holiday, picking this hotel as it appeared to be reasonably good value. Essentially, you do though tend to get what you pay for. We has a small double room on the second floor with a balcony. It is by modern standards very basic and not at all up to that of a 4 star hotel. A very basic double bed with one side right against the wall. There is no kettle or facility to make drinks in the room. On the opposite side of the corridor is a staff office. As such, the housekeeping staff are coming and going from early in the morning, chatting away in the corridor. Vacuum cleaners starting at about 8 am when breakfast goes on until 10. In short, not much consideration for guests that may not want to be up early to catch the first gondolas etc. In the landing area next to the lift, it smelt of cigarette smoke most of the time which isn’t pleasant. Dining is again a fairly basic affair being self service. Food is plentiful but bland , could be compared to school dinners . The pool area is nice, the whirlpool is colder than you would expect. Normal hot tub temperature’s are about 38, this was probably about 33-35 at a guess. Saunas are ok. Bar staff are efficient and friendly enough, as are reception. Shuttle buses which are included in your lift pass are efficient and the nearest stop is convenient,right next to the hotel. Great ski areas and mountain restaurants. In summary, I would return to Bad Hofgerstein ski area but would probably opt for a different hotel or chalet/apartment.

Stayed here during school holidays in February so as you can imagine the hotel was full and very busy. I didn't use any of the spa pool or wellness facilities as all the time we devoted to skiing so I won't comment on them. I'm not a fan of buffet food so I thought I would not like this aspect of the hotel. Unfortunately it was worse than I expected. The queues for the food and drinks made it feel like a dinner hall rather than a 4* hotel. Some of the combinations of foods were confusing. For example one evening for a main course there was a tasty meat dish in sauce but the only vegetables on offer (except potatoes) to compliment it was a half roasted tomato with cheese?? I would have expected some carrot batons or some fine green beans for example. There was a drinks package available where residents were invited to 'drink as much as they can.' This was actually said too us when we checked in!! Some of the guests took this literally and regularly came back to their tables with wine glasses so full they were almost spilling in their way back to the tables. Breakfast was a similar affair with queues at every station with always at least 4 persons waiting for a sole coffee machine. They did provide coffee butlers (jugs) but the coffee was not as hot or tasted as good. Two mornings scrambled eggs was emptied onto the warming trays icy cold and was particularly unpleasant. This must have been a mistake as it was not repeated again. The room was fine and always kept clean and tidy. Tea and coffee making would have been nice but not a deal breaker. The ski room was always busy during the start of the day to be expected and a couple of extra seats would have been nice. The heated boot rack only started working on the final day. Was it broken previously or has someone not bothered to check if it has been switched on our whatever?? What I found particularly unpleasant was the many places around the hotel which smelled either of smoke or stale smoke. The combination of a hotel offering 'wellness, health and spa' facilities and the smell of smoke doesn't go together. I'm not sure if there are smoking rooms or if it is the staff having sneaky cigarettes, it put me right off. As a country Austria needs to join with lots of other countries and segregate people who want to smoke away from people who do not wish to smell it. Hotels however can create their own rules and get ahead of the game which would also give them an advantage over their competition.