Spitzinsee, Germany: Arabella Sheraton Alpenhotel [Master Thread]
 

Anybody stayed here before? What is nearby? It comes up in a hotel search for Munich but it doesn't sound anywhere close.

It´s a 60-90 minute drive. Very nice location, at a lake in the Alps, very nice hotel and friendly staff, but if you look for Munich, too far.

Stayed there last August for a conference. Excellent staff, and a very nice location to explore the Bavarian Alps.
However, as the previous post has correctly stated, not convenient if your main purpose is to hang out in Munich http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Great topic. I was just about to ask that question myself. We're planning to stay there in December and hope to get some snow up in the mountains. Has anyone stayed there as a humble Gold? Any upgrades during your stay to the next category or just a better view? I had a look at their website and came across a room picture that looks pretty ugly. Does anyone know if they renovated the place recently? All the other pictures looked nice with lots of wood and warm tones. Any comments on the spa area and the "Sole Bad"?

Edited link



[This message has been edited by Sydfly (edited 09-01-2003).]

They've renovated the place last year. If you go there in winter, you walk less than 5 minutes to the ski lift... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Any info on this nearby ski area? I couldn't figure out which one it is.

http://www.skiresort.de/germany/spitzing.htm

It's just a short walk from the hotel. Usually, here are more snowboarders that skiers there though. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Is that the really tiny one mentioned in the SPG Gold book, and is Arabella like a corp. that owns tons of Sheraton's.

I don't know if you refer with "SPG Gold book" to the book "The best of Starwood" that is mentioned here. The hotel is described on page 38.

ArabellaSheraton Holding is a joint venture between Schörghuber corporation (51%) and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (49%). The joint venture manages 32 hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and South Africa (latest hotel in development: Hotel Gut Kaltenbrunn, Tegernsee/Oberbayern; opening 2005/2006). Mr. Schörghuber is CEO/main owner of Schörghuber corporation (other business e.g. Bayerische BrauHolding AG with Paulaner and other beverages; Bavaria aircraft leasing; ...) and started with an independant hotel chain ("Arabella") before the joint venture. Unfortunately, many hotels in the ArabellaSheraton are also notorious for having a bad attitude in SPG status recognition).

------------------
Pictures from hotel stays
Basic Hotel stays/nights/points calculator
Short overview: KLM FD, LH M&M

[This message has been edited by LH738 (edited 08-31-2003).]

There's another website for the hotel in German (I didn't find a switch for English). There are six room categories:
- room mountain view
- room south side
- room lake view
- studio
- appartments
- suite (suitable for allergic persons)
Some of the pictures are also in the above mentioned book including the ugly rooms. This book mentions a complete renovation in 2002 and early 2003. I do think that the pictures are after the renovation because the description contains phrases like "guests retire to first class rooms, decorated with light pine in the Bavarian style ...". That fits to the picture - marketing-wise. The landscape looks terrific.

------------------
Pictures from hotel stays
Basic Hotel stays/nights/points calculator
Short overview: KLM FD, LH M&M

The place is about an hours drive from Munich, longer during rush-hour.

Setting is beuatiful, directly at a small lake, not too many hotels etc. around.

They have 5 suites and are rather reluctant to offer these - the regular rooms are ok, but not huge.

Try to get at least lake front.

They have finished major construction, with new pool area etc, which is nice.

The next village, Schliersee, has a lot of restaurants, about a 10 min drive.

As an alternative: Hotel Jagdhof in Salzburg also is nice, or Schloss Fuschl, which is only worth the extra money if you have a room in the main building, as opposed to the baracks.

I was upgraded to a lakefront studio this weekend (as the hotel was quite full I guess the appartments and suites were occupied already).

The studio rooms are a 1/3 larger than the regular rooms and have a fake 'Kachelofen' with a bench around and a large table. also they have a large dressing room instead of a mere wardrobe.

Try to avoid the rooms 109-114 (we had 114) as they are on the corridor with high traffic to the beauty farm and you hear some kind of 'gargling' noice from the spa below (also in the night...).

Breakfast is included in ALL (!) rates, also on award bookings.

I'm interested in staying at this property for a few days (to explore the Alps, Lake Lucerne...). If anyone has stayed there before, I am wondering if you can answer a few questions. I'd like to start here before proceeding on to Zurich. The website does not say where the closest airport is, so I'm not sure where best to fly into. Also, are there restaurants and cafes nearby? It seems rather isolated. Is a car necessary? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Next Airport is MUC. If you are using a programm like Microsoft AutoRoute you can simply type in "MUC" to "Spitzingsee" to calculate the distance. Is is 105 km.

I would highly recommend to rent a car as this is a very nice but quite remote location.

Restaurants are available, for example the "Wurzhütte" is genuine bavarian.

To explore the lake lucerne, I would recommend another *wood, the Arabella Vitznauerhof. Excellent lakefront location, modern rooms, good and friendly service.

AlpenHotel Germany
 

I'm going to take an holiday here in Feb/2005.

Some impressions about AlpenHotel, Germany ?

I see there is a good SPA and a nice location.
Hope it's a good hotel.

I've stayed at the ArabellaSheraton Alpenhotel Spitzingsee early januar this year. As a Plat I was upgraded to a slightly larger corner room near the entry to the spa treatment rooms - so it was a bit loud sometimes.

The location is quite good if you want to take a walk or ski. And it's a comparably nice hotel IMO, but not really special or luxurious. The spa is nice but tends to get really full in high season, so I would plan to go there early or late.

We also had problems with breakfast as we had to wait for a table - the large restaurant was packed. If you want to have dinner, you should reserve, probably even before you arrive.

It seems they don't have too much upgrade inventory, so don't rely on getting an upgrade.

If you stay a few days and want to take nice walks or ski it's a good place to be. But as it is a 4-star and not a 5-star don't expect too much and be prepaired for sometimes crowded spa and restaurant areas.

If you look for similar priced starwood alternatives in comparable settings, I would recommend to take a look at the Sheraton Jagdhof near Salzburg. They have nice new rooms in the new building, a very nice spa, good dining and maybe a bit more choice for activities in the immediate vicinity. Also this region is perfect for a matress-run as a few other nice starwood hotels are within 30 kilometers...

I went this summer to Jadghof.... is a splendid hotel !
So is Jadghof better than AlpenHotel ?

I'm going to go here on the middle of Feb. for a relaxying holiday.
I don't ski. I will use Spa and looking for " sweet do nothing " :cool:

thanks for your suggest !

I read somewhere that freedom of choice can cause stress. You don't have to worry about that in this case:

Arabella in Spitzingsee is the only *wood ski hotel in Europe. There are a few *wood properties in Salzburg which is reasonably close to skiing if you have a car and don't mind the daily drive.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...CheckAvail=yes

Arabella Alpenhotel (Munich)
 

There was a prior thread which said this hotel would be leaving SPG earlier this year, but it is still listed as an SPG property. I am thinking of staying there in late July. Does anyone have any comments about this property? The pictures look very nice for a summer visit.

In case no one with a more recent visit answers, I was here in August, 3 years ago on points and enjoyed the area and hotel. It's right on the lakefront and there are many pretty, small villages in the area. Great location for hiking and a beautiful part of Bavaria. The hotel has a lot of the tradtional wood interiors in the Bavarian style. There was a very nice spa, 'wellness' area, too which was a treat after hiking.

Room type info?
 

Has anyone been to this property recently? Trying to figure out the differences between the suites and executive studios. From what I can gather, the suites are on the mountain side only and have a separate bedroom and the executive studios are one-room units but on the lake side. The web site prices them the same but does not have sizes listed.

Has anyone been in either (or both) of those room types recently that could provide some more information? Or have I deduced all there is to know... ? Thanks!

I have been to the hotel several times, and seen all sorts of different rooms and suites. There are lake-view suites as well. It also depends which building you are in. I recommend you give them a call or send an email to get what you want - room assignment at cki in my experience can be a bit of a lottery here.

Okay, thanks... interesting about the lake-view suites, which don't seem to appear anywhere on the room lists...

My wife and I are staying at the Alpenhotel for a night in mid-Jan before going to a wedding in Kitzbuhel the following day. We're not going to arrive at the hotel until after midnight having flown into MUC late that night.

We've hired a car and specified winter tyres - has anyone got any knowledge of the state of the roads to the hotel in January and whether I need to sort out snow chains as well?

Google maps suggests the route to Kitzbuhel from the hotel to Bayrischzell then directly south over the border and presumably some mountains - again, anyone with any knowledge of the route and what it'll be like in a couple of weeks!? I'm going to email the hotel as well but FTers are normally a bit straighter with their answers!

Not true @:-) There are also the two Sheratons in Davos

Any recent updates for this hotel?

Me and the Scatterette are thinking of staying here for a couple of days to unwind (after 3+ weeks of hectic touring) before flying out of MUC.

Any other recommended *W hotels near MUC (close enough for a 10am flight)?

Just back from 1 night paid stay. Upgraded to family suite, mountain view, but huge room with 2 br, 2 bath plus living room. Bathrooms were newly done, very nice. Also the entrance/reception/bar area is newly renovated, nice modern yet local touch.

This hotel remains one of my favorite SPG properties, though many people will find the stone-aged TV sets odd. However, apparently the flat-screens have already been ordered and should be arriving shortly.

Been there for 6 nights during the ski season this year!
Overall its good for families (2 kids) who wish to ski local small resort or near by - Bayerischzell/Sudelfeld!
Yes the rooms on the top floors are great ( views and size), I have to stayed in both of them.. stayed many times there as plat guest! best one is 701!
great breakfast but I would avoid the dinners.. There are 3 restaurants near by which offer better alternative and cheaper!
The Spa is good, a bit tired but again good with kids generally..
The other building offers conference facilities and also for families rooms which link together.. Views over lake is the best, as they come with terrace.
Bear in mind you have to pay €2 per night per person on hotel tax( €1 for kids), which is not included on your reservation.
Yes TV are rubbish, but overall if you go skiing for the first time there, it is a good experience.
Schliersee is on the way and a pit stop to the newly SLYRS Bavarian single malt place is a must!!
The service is also not that impeccable @ reception compared to Austria style service! They tend to have an attitude at reception, but staff at the restaurant will go the extra mile to help out! Internet didnt work for some reason TMOBILE issue, but I am told it works again now!:confused:

A few days ago I read in the Handelsblatt that this hotel will leave spg soon (IIRC it was planned for Nov. 1st 2011).

Seems that Arabella is changing their focus, as a lot of other hotels were also mentioned as leaving. I remember 4P Cologne and Dusseldorf, some swiss hotels and the Western cape in Hermanus South Africa (left already in spring 2011).

very nice
 

Was there last week on Cash & Points. I'm a gold and was given a lake view room on a lower floor. The room was nice and very large by European standards the bathroom was average sized but modern and equipped with a nice shower. Room still had a 1980s 7 inch or so tube tv but I didnt mind because the weather was perfect. The balcony and lake view were truly amazing. Very good service and a beautiful pool/spa area.

Breakfast was not included and quite expensive (20 euros pp) for what was offered.


I hope that they dont leave SPG.

Leaves Starwood Dec 31
 

Leaving Starwood December 31

:( That's a pity.

agreed.. been there many times for the skiing.. any one knows why?

All the remaining Arabella branded hotels seem to be going their own way.

Leaving starwood earlier...

As of November 30th

http://www.arabellasheratonalpenhotel.com/en

Sheaton Maldives blocks all the "standard rooms". Tried to use my free night vouchers now at the Alpenhotel and learn that this hotel is no longer part of SPG! :mad:

Now official
 

Dear Forstbetrieb,



As a valued Starwood Preferred Guest member, we are contacting you to inform you of a change in the status of the ArabellaSheraton Alpenhotel. As of November 30th, the ArabellaSheraton Alpenhotel is no longer part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide or Sheraton and will no longer participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program.



We see you are currently holding multiple upcoming reservations, the next one being confirmation number xxxxxxxxx, arriving on [ ... ] and departing on [ ... ]. We are pleased to advise you that the hotel will honor your reservations and room rates as originally confirmed. However, since the hotel will no longer be affiliated with the Starwood system, you will not earn Starpoints at this hotel for any eligible charges incurred, nor will you receive any of your Starwood Preferred Guest membership amenities or benefits.



Should you have any queries regarding your reservations, please contact our customer contact center on one of the following relevant national toll free numbers:



International: ++800-325-xxxxx

US: 1-888-625-xxxx



We appreciate your continued patronage of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and we apologize for this unforeseen change and any inconvenience it may cause for you. We look forward to welcoming you to a Starwood Preferred Guest participating property in the near future.



Sincerely,

Aidan Murphy



Starwood Preferred Guest



**Please note that this e-mail has been sent from a non-response outbox. Any replies to this e-mail will not receive a response. For further information regarding your booking, please contact the relevant number listed above**

This hotel has now rejoined as a Tribute Portfolio hotel.

Should we update this thread or start a new one and link the new one to this thread? I am not sure what the forum rules are for this.

I did note that so far they do not have any points redemption rates loaded, which made me wonder if the Tribute Portfolio has an exclusion for redemptions.