Hotel Panther'a

Recently returned from two enjoyable weeks at this hotel which we booked, half board, through Tui. The hotel has good facilities and lovely rooms. The breakfast buffet was good too with lots of choice. The evening meal was disappointing. The portions were generous and the food well cooked but, to quote another reviewer, it just wasnt four star food. For example one main course was a portion of chicken in curry sauce on a mountain of boiled rice, another, thin chilli con carne in a bowl with nothing else. There were two choices of mains each night plus good pizza. The starter was a very basic salad bar and the soup mainly consome. The desserts were mostly cakes which I think were bought in, usually served dry with no sauces or cream ( strudel had vanilla sauce). And when we asked if we could have ice cream we were told that was dessert on another night. The menu was on a one week rotation so was the same both weeks. It was such a shame on an otherwise lovely stay.

Excellent hotel, went with my family had a super ski trip. Awesome staff very helpful and attentive at all times . Lovely room high standards very clean everywhere around the hotel. Excellent breakfast good choice, evening meal every Night we all enjoyed also bar area was such fun. Perfect location cannot wait to go again .

The hotel is very clean and modern, rather lacking any traditional Austrian charm. I should add that this wasn’t our original choice but was provided at relatively short notice by Crystal/TUI as our chosen hotel became unavailable. Bedrooms were a good size with enough storage, very modern and with good bathrooms. Unfortunately there weren’t any tea/coffee making facilities in the room. The Wellness centre was a little disappointing, the outside pool (with access from inside) is a nice idea but is not as pleasant as an indoor pool after skiing. The Wellness centre was otherwise fine but rather strangely, you only had one sauna towel for the whole week (none provided in the Wellness area, just one supplied at the beginning of the week) while they changed the bathroom towels daily! The ski/boot room was rather inadequate for the number of guests, too many skis just left on top of others. The dining room seemed to be always busy, another symptom of what seemed like too many guests for the facilities. Breakfast was good, with plenty of hot options, bread, meats cheese, cereals and fruit but became very crowded from about 7.40am. We were always first in as soon as it opened, with snow conditions being less than perfect we wanted to hit the slopes early and would have liked breakfast to have started at 7 rather than 7.30am. The dinners were a little disappointing, the waitress took your dinner order at breakfast (from a choice of 3 mains, meat, fish or vegetarian) however further details were always available by scanning the menu card. Portions were quite small so we had to have plenty of the salads, meanwhile the broth was worth avoiding. The real problem was not being allowed tap water, and being charged €6 for a bottle of still water. This seemed extortionate. Many Austrian hotels allow you to have jugs of tap water, especially if you are having wine/beer with the meal. The staff in the restaurant were good humoured and friendly, however, we found that the reception staff were far less so, not being at all welcoming or particularly helpful. The location of the hotel is perfect, the three main base lifts are all within a very short walk ranging from 90 seconds to about 5 minutes which meant that it was possible to choose which area you wanted to ski even at short notice , and this is a good skiing area. The hotel is kept very warm, too much for us, we needed to have a window open at night but this meant that we were subjected to quite a lot of noise from people exiting a nightclub next door in the early hours!

we booked this hotel through Inghams as it was rated 4 star and had a spa/wellness area. One of our party wasn't planning to ski all day or everyday so having a spa was ideal to relax during the day. However the Spa didn't open until 4pm, and when we asked the hotel we were told it wasn't possible to open earlier, no where in Ingham's information did it say that it was only open between 4pm and 7pm. When we asked the rep, he said it was probably due to the high cost of energy that the spa was open for a shorter period! Robes or towels weren't available unless you left a €50 and €20 deposit, fortunately we had a sauna in our bathroom so we used that, but the hot tub outside had no water supply! Dinner; was build as a 4 course dinner. Course 1 was salad from the salad bar, little variation during the week. Course 2 was soap, broth every night and with a variant each night. Course 3: you were given a choice at breakfast to chose our main course based on a description by the staff, no printed information and a limited knowledge of what it was, so one morning when asked what fish, we got the reply fish. We later found out there was a QR code on the table we could look at but again descriptions where short with no detail Course 4 was desert, no choice, or the other choice was ice cream. This included cold apple strudel, something called sponge cake, which was actually panacotta with bit of sponge cake on top. No cheese. Wine selection was poor and expensive for bang average wines,€37 for a Pinot Grigio. Bar drinks were expensive with a single gin or bacardi with mixer for 13.90 Ski room was small with no lockers and no real security, seating for putting on ski boots was 5 garden chairs, situated in front of the ski boots, so better to grab your boots and put on in the corridor We had 2 males sharing a room and it took 2 days for the hotel to make 2 single beds, they said it was too difficult to do! Overall a nice room was let down by the things above. We were told by the rep that the hotel did want to speak with us but they could never find us! Considering we were eating in the hotel and often on the bar before and after dinner, and at breakfast I would say they didn't try, and that is the issue, they don't have to try. When we checked out and paid our £850 drinks bill we weren't even asked if we had a nice stay or even said thank you too!! We wont be going back and not booking through Inghams as their descriptions are both short and misleading. This hotel things having some room renovations and some flash decorations can hide it's inadequacies

This hotel is in a brilliant location for 2 of the main lifts. The pool and sauna area are really good, free towels supplied and you have to wear swimwear. Nice pool that goes from inside to outdoors. The rooms have recently been renovated but although you pay the same amount with Crystal, double rooms vary greatly. The biggest issue is the lighting. All the cupboards and wardrobes are in black, inside and out. There is one led light ***** in the ceiling and 2 bedside lights. It's almost impossible to see your clothing, even in daylight. There wasn't a dressing table in the room, just a huge cupboard housing 2 wine glasses, a tray, and a safe! The wardrobes overhang the sides of the bed, so you hit your head on it. There is a night club next door, so expect noise between 3-4 am. We've been to many hotels in Austria, 3 and 4 star and food has always been of a very high standard, so imagine our disappointment when we were served evening meals akin to school dinners. In 7 days we didn't see a single piece of chicken. Either pork, beef or fish. No sides, just the cold salad buffet which was repetitive and uninspiring. Sonetimes there randon hot things that didnt seem to compliment anything. Soup was always beef broth, with an occasional different one and it was always luke warm. I wondered if the poor quality was due to price restrictions by our tour operator but everyone was served the same. The deserts were impossible to identify. No after dinner cheese board, which is very unusual. Breakfast, the one meal it's hard to get wrong, was acceptable but once again, nothing like we've grown accustomed to in Austria. No selection of teas or coffees, scrambled egg looked as though it was made from powder and it all looked as though pennies were being pinched! The staff are lovely and the place is well kept but far too warm! Maybe we've been spoilt in the past, but this was definitely a let down for a 4 star hotel, as far as food is concerned. The location sells this place but not much else!

Great hotel visited in January 2023 in the center of Saalbach rooms are comfortable with ample storage. Located close to lift system to get you out of the village. Breakfast self service and a good variety from cereal to bacon sausage beans,boiled eggs etc, selection of evening meals available which you choose at breakfast vegetarian option also catered for Staff are very friendly (thank you Elisabeth) and helpful, bar area with a good selection of drink’s available. Definitely recommend for your ski stay.

The hotel is modern and clean. Beautiful and tastefully decorated. Lovely rooms, comfortable beds and a lovely view. The spa and heated outdoor pool was fabulous and we really enjoyed this after a day out skiing. The majority of staff were really pleasant and helpful. We enjoyed a laugh with Stavros, who always had a smile on his face. The ladies who cleaned the rooms were really helpful too. The food was not good. Breakfast was fine and plentiful with choice, albeit always the same. Dinner was a disappointment. The food gradually got worse as the week progressed. Cheap fatty cuts of meat, I didn’t see a vegetable all week. There was no menu and at breakfast you were asked if you wanted a meat, fish or vegetarian option. No mention of accompaniments. Desert was a guess and not very tasteful. No cheese boards or choice of sweet. The last night we were looking forward to Cock au Vin, not a lot to get wrong there we thought! Wrong, it was basically a chicken leg in some powdered gravy on pasta. We were shocked and asked to speak to the manager, who was totally uninterested in our concerns. I had a knee injury and had to stay in the hotel one day and I asked at lunchtime if I could get a coffee and was told the bar was closed as guests do not stay in the hotel during the day. The following day the bar was open as it was a snowy day. So no consistency, it would not have been so hard to make a coffee for me. Overall the quality of the food was a disappointment for a 4 star hotel and in my opinion it does not deserve a 4 * rating.

I have been skiing almost every year since my early twenties and have usually stayed in a 3 star hotel or catered chalet hotel. As we are now in our mid 60’s we decided to go for something more luxurios and opted for the Panthera. The hotel is superbly situated just a few yards from the two main lifts in the resort, it is on a busy street and as a result does suffer some noise at night. We loved the spa and the outdoor heated pool, which were ideal for relaxing in after a hard day on the piste. The hotel has been totally refurbished in the last couple of years and the public rooms, spa and bedrooms are beautifully furnised, modern and spotlessly clean. Breakfast was good, a buffet of meats,cheese, cereals, fruit, yoghurt and hot options of bacon,scrambled eggs, sausage and beans. At breakfast they asked you what you would like for dinner. Each night there were 3 options meat, fish or vegetarian, they gave you no idea of the starter or sweet and didn’t produce a written menu which i found very strange. Dinner was a disaster, I opted for the meat option each night. For starters there was a choice of two soups, beef broth every night and one other which was different each night plus a warm starter like a small piece of quiche. The main course was a small poor cut of meat with a bit of sauce, virtually no vegetables or potatoes and was followed by a small sweet, which was difficult to identify. Cheese was not offered at all, very strange for Austria. The main course one night was meat balls and spagetti which was also the warm starter the following day. On the last night the meat option was described as Coq au Vin which turned out to be a small chicken leg with a bit of pasta and a small amount of sauce. I have attached a photo so you can make up your own mind about it, it was awful, so bad I complained to the manager who couldn’t care less. They also flatley refuse to serve you tap water with your meal, despite the fact we purchased pre dinner drinks and had wine and beer with our meal each night. They would only serve mineral water at a staggering €6 per bottle which was dearer than the beer. This could have an excellent stay which was ruined by the simply awful food,the quality and size of the portions was simply not good enough for. 4 star ski hotel. Despite it’s good points and excellent position I would not stay here again

I have just returned from a ski holiday staying at the 4* Panthera Hotel in Saalbach. This was a special trip with my sister & we chose this hotel for its location, spa & star rating. On arrival we were suitably impressed with the plush decor & room & friendly staff. The hotel also has a beautiful spa & heated outdoor pool which was perfect after a day on the slopes. Then came the breakfast which although exactly the same every day was tasty & generous. However we have been left extremely disappointed with the evening meals, which massively let this establishment down. The quality was on a slide from the first night and the final night was absolutely revolting, supposed to be ‘Coq au Vin’ but came out as a chicken drumstick with pasta & chicken stock cube congealed sauce. Every desert was poor, with no choice at all & no cheese board to follow. When we complained to the manager about how disappointing the evening meals at the hotel had been he was extremely rude & made no effort to improve the situation. The final straw was being given an early transfer breakfast sandwich that literally was two slices of bread without butter and a slice of ham slammed in! ( see photos below) This is officially the worst food I have ever had to experience on a ski holiday and probably the most expensive! If you are a foodie like me & a ski holiday is probably the only trip I will take this year, look elsewhere for a tasty gourmet experience, the Hotel Panthera has really spoilt our ski holiday with such a poor excuse for an evening meal, something that is usually a highlight for my ski holiday. On top of the poor food you are also refused tap water at dinner! We were left flabbergasted you either pay for bottled water or go without! This is not how you treat guests & has left our whole group extremely disappointed.