Originally Posted by
SanDiego1K
I'm surprised to find rather limited reports on one of Starwood's star properties.
What kind of upgrade can a platinum expect at this property? There don't seem to be many reports of upgrades to suites. Is a regular room cramped? Are rooms across the street to be avoided? What toiletries does the hotel use? How are the public areas? Any comfortable areas to sit and relax?
Any suggestions of good restaurants within an easy walk?
Stayed one night at the Goldener Hirsch in early June, 2006. I wrote to the GM ahead of time to note that this was a special trip for my wife and me (major anniversary) and we were treated royally: assigned Room 1 (literally, their best room. numbered accordingly, a small suite); given a nice bottle of the local sparkling wine and a big chocolate confection and fruit plate. We greatly enjoyed our dinner in Herzl, their "relaxed" restaurant which features local foods (both the sausages and Schnitzel were outstanding). There are lots of other good restaurants in Salzburg; we had a nice breakfast at an outdoor cafe in the main square in town, but there are plenty of choices. If you have time, walk (or take the funicular) up to the Schloss; you'll get a nice look at the surrounding countryside.
I didn't look into any other rooms, but the hotel is really a couple of very old, and small, buildings interwoven to make a hotel. I'm sure each room is distinctive, and probably furnished with genuine antiques from the area as our room was. So no way to know whether you'll like the room you're assigned, but this isn't a W or a Le Meridien; it's a unique property that will greatly appeal to fans of authentic and small old guest houses, with adequately modern plumbing and electric but nothing contemporary past these minimums.
As we were leaving, I thanked the staff for making it such a nice visit, and the front desk manager said, "Oh, you cannot leave before the general manager says hello". And a few moments later, he came running down the stairs in his loden coat, and we had a nice conversation; he clearly believes in making a personal connection with his guests whenever possible, and I would cheerfully return to visit with him, and his fine property, if I have any opportunity to return to Austria.