Dollinger Hotel, Salzburg

The Dollinger is a family run traditional Austrian Inn. Located close to the town centre on Hallerstrasse, at the foot of one of the surrounding ranges, the Nordkette, the hotel is ideally located for your time in Innsbruck.

The hotel is set against a breathtaking mountain forest background and looks inviting from the outside. The quaint looking and flower covered exterior adding to the charm.

Inside, the reception was ...
...minute bus journey to the Dollinger from the train station - you can take buses on line 4, A, E, C. The hotel is a fifteen minute journey from Innsbruck airport. The fact that the hotel is outwith the centre did not bother us in the least, it was worth it to be at the foot of the mountain with such an amazing view. There are no restaurants or bars located near the hotel, for this you would have to go into the centre; again the above buses will deliver ... more

The Dollinger is a family run traditional Austrian Inn. Located close to the town centre on Hallerstrasse, at the foot of one of the surrounding ranges, the Nordkette, the hotel is ideally located for your time in Innsbruck.

The hotel is set against a breathtaking mountain forest background and looks inviting from the outside. The quaint looking and flower covered exterior adding to the charm.

Inside, the reception was pleasant and comfortable, with a real homely feel and after approximately 7 hours on a train from Vienna and a rather unfortunate incident involving a lost camera and photos, we were most than ready for a nap in a comfortable hotel. The welcome was lovely. We were asked how our journey was and how we were, which is basic manners but, lets face it, most reception staff wouldn't bother their behinds would they? All of this was delivered with a smile, which certainly made us feel welcome. We were checked in quickly and without fuss, given local area maps and all the hotel information we required.

Our room was comfortably furnished and had the basics that you would require from a hotel. As Innsbruck is surrounded by mountains we had an amazing view from the window which ran the full length of one wall. The décor was mostly pinks/mauves and added to the homely feel. The room was surprisingly big and had a large double bed, dressing table and mirror, soft chair; which I think folded down into a bed. The bathroom was clean and tidy, and was your basic tiled hotel bathroom.

Thankfully the heating worked in our room - I'll never understand hotels that turn off their guests access to controlling the heating! Although we travelled in August, it was still rather cold in Innsbruck - the heating control was welcome. I think it even snowed one of the nights!

I had badly hurt my foot from sightseeing in Vienna (10 miles in flip flops isn't big and it isn't clever). So while the other half went out and explored the surroundings, I took the opportunity to make the most of the room. I had a lovely shower and had a read next to the gorgeous panoramic window. I was extremely contented in my surroundings!

Facilities within the hotel include wireless Lan, guest-washing-machine and dryer, internet, snack-machine, restaurant, bar, lift, hairdryer in room, non smoking rooms, terrace for eating, drinking or relaxing, childrens playroom, ski storage, laundry and ironing service & currency exchange.

Although outwith the town centre, it's only a ten minute bus journey to the Dollinger from the train station - you can take buses on line 4, A, E, C. The hotel is a fifteen minute journey from Innsbruck airport. The fact that the hotel is outwith the centre did not bother us in the least, it was worth it to be at the foot of the mountain with such an amazing view. There are no restaurants or bars located near the hotel, for this you would have to go into the centre; again the above buses will deliver you there in about ten minutes.

Now to the part I wasn't over enamoured about. We ate dinner in the hotel on the first night (saving me having to hobble about the centre of the town) planning to go to the hotel bar afterwards. The restaurant look quiet when we walked in but it was early so this didn't bother us. It was a pleasant enough restaurant, quite rustic looking with wood columns and checked table cloths; very in-keeping with the hotel.

We sat down and the woman who was serving took our drink order straight away, a pint of beer for the other half and a glass of "house" white wine for me. Unfortunately, the wine was more like cider. You would be better asking for a wine list or asking what bottles they have - just stay away from the house wine! Our menu was brought and straight away I knew I was in trouble. The menu had very little choice and seemed to be fairly traditional. We're by no means unadventurous but when faced with Austrian named dishes which didn't translate well at all in English, we certainly struggled a little.

I explained to the woman who was serving that I was a vegetarian and she pointed out two dishes - one a salad. Now, I'm fond of my tucka so straight away the salad was ruled out. By this time we felt that it was impossible to leave as it would have appeared rude (passive, I know!). This left me the other choice which, when basically translated, was boiled plain pasta stuffed with potatoes, there was no mention of sauce or any side accompaniments. I tried to look on the bright side but unfortunately, my meal was awful - rubbery, slimy pasta stuffed with something resembling mashed potato. Fortunately, the other halfs meal, which was some sort of pork dish, was passable. As he had ordered fries, I ate most of these….and his veg. I didn't want to appear rude, so tried to force down some of my disgusting meal. Needless to say, we ate out the next night and gave the hotel restaurant a wide berth.

The bar was much better! I asked for a wine list and found one I liked. Just behind the bar is where the terrace is, unfortunately, it was too cold to take our drink out but it looked lovely from the window. On that first night, a busload of young Americans came to the hotel for dinner in a private function room and then came into the bar - that certainly livened the place up! The bar was reasonably priced and well stocked with plenty of seats for all.

Breakfast the next morning was your normal continental style buffet with some hot eggs and sausages. I managed fine with toast and cheese and plenty of strong coffee!

Nearby attractions include the centre of Innsbruck itself with its places of interest including Helblinghaus, the Hofburg, the city-tower, the Ottoburg, The Swarovski Museum and shops, the dome of St. Jacob, the Landestheater and the Royal Church. Attractions within reach of Innsbruck itself include the Swarovski Crystalworld. We visited the Crystalworld and can thoroughly recommend it, its about 1 hours bus drive from the train station pickup and well worth it! There are shops within for all your presents to take back home. The newly built Olympic building is also close to the town centre. In addition to all above there are a multitude more museums and shopping areas. There is a funicular and cable car within 10 minutes walk of the hotel and these are well worth a visit.

Hotel policies include: Check In -11:00 - 23:00 hours. Check Out 07:00 - 11:00 hours. Cancellation must be made before 18.00 hours on the date of arrival (The cancellation policy may vary per room type; so check the room description). Accepted credit cards are American Express, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB, Maestro and the hotel can pre-authorise bookings made on credit cards if they wish.
Rooms can be booked in the Dollinger on many European hotel websites. You can book direct with the hotel by going to their own site which is http://www.dollinger.at/

Current prices, which are winter prices are: £62 approximately for a double room, £40 for a single room, £80 for a triple room and £102 for a quad room. The hotel also offers packages and you can check the website for current offers.

As it's a family run hotel, the staff really are fantastic. The receptionist, waitress in the restaurant and barman are all part of the family and, as such, have a personal investment in making sure that their customers have a good time and are well taken care off. In particular, the barman was great; he was extremely helpful and polite. The woman who works on the reception spent quite a lot of time on the first day showing us where various things where on local maps and answering our questions on attractions and this was much appreciated.

I would definitely say that this hotel is value for money, at approximately £62 a night for a room it's not to be sniffed at and is probably a lot more reasonable than many of the other hotels in the area. A definitely recommendation from me! It's comfortable, friendly and, with the exception of the restaurant, great in every way!
 

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