Review – Grand Tirolia

I’ve just returned from a three night stay at Grand Tirolia, Kitzbuhel, as part of a ski trip and thought I’d run a quick review. This was my first visit to Kitzbuhel and it was an impressive stay. Regular readers will know that one of my favourite Hilton brand hotels in Europe is the Conrad Algarve in Portugal (see my review here) – elements of Grand Tirolia definitely come close to that level of quality.

For the most part; in winter this hotel serves visits to the fantastic Kitzbuhel ski resorts, in summer it provides access to golfing resorts. If neither of those things interest you, it has a beautiful spa and spectacular views! There are also local hiking trails. We accessed it by flying into Innsbruck, where we stayed one night we then took the efficient, scenic, and very affordable, direct train to Kitzbuhel.

Points Cost

I booked three nights for myself and my two sons using Hilton Honors points. I booked almost a year ahead, not long after this hotel joined the Hilton brand and somehow managed to get 3 nights for just 144,000 points. Points prices initially seemed very good value,before later increasing. I originally booked a standard double and was advised I could pay cash to upgrade to a bigger room. After some technical issues with upgrading, I was given a complimentary upgrade to a Premium Alpine View room.

For comparison the Premium room appears to be at least 107,000 points or €305 per night for the remaining ski season bookings in February and March 2020, whilst a standard room is 75,000 or €215. The lowest price throughout the year for a standard double room seems to be about 36,000 or €131 – there are limited April dates available at this rate, although many are 43,000+. Clearly room prices will be quite seasonal here. I felt 48,000 points per night for a Premium Room in February half term was a very good deal.

Service

The level of service during our stay was very good. This is clearly a hotel which is used to dealing with demanding clients and lives by Hilton’s ‘Make it Right’ promise. The team couldn’t do enough to ensure we enjoyed our stay. This included sending a complimentary shuttle to collect us from the station, providing a welcome gift for the children and delivering luggage to our rooms.

The Room

The standard of the Premium Alpine View room was again very good. A very large hotel room finished to a very high standards. These rooms include a balcony with views of the surrounding mountains and the outdoor pool.

They are decorated in a tasteful alpine style, with pine cladding and red plaid fabric. For three guests the rooms are set up with a King sized bed plus a sofa bed. Even with the sofa bed out there was still plenty of space in the room.

Premium Rooms include a sofa/sofabed, chair and desk, coffee machine (a kettle was provided on request) and large wardrobe space. The bathrooms are enormous, with a shower room, two sinks and large bath.

The one area where the rooms could be improved is lighting. There are multiple stylish low lighting options in the room, but no brighter main lighting. This meant that there were times where I had to use my phone torch to find items in cupboards after dark!

Hotel Facilities

Firstly, the hotel was great for a ski trip. It has an on site ski rental shop, which includes a ski storage room, and provides a complimentary shuttle bus to Hahnenkamm ski lifts every 30 minutes 8.30-11 a.m., returning every 30 minutes 2.30-5 p.m. When we stayed the hotel was at 100% occupancy, at times the shuttle was busy, but we never waited longer than 30 minutes.

The hotel spa is a fantastic space. The highlight being a large pool which connects inside and outside. Heated to 32 degrees Celsius outside it was very comfortable – and quite an experience to swim outdoors in heavy snow! The spa also included a steam room, lounge space and treatment spaces. Again, despite the hotel being full, it rarely felt too busy – even at the peak period where people were returning from a days skiing and heading for the spa.

The hotel has 2 on site restaurants and a bar. These looked great, however, for us, the menus weren’t the most child friendly, so we generally opted for other local options. There is also a fitness room which overlooks the pool, and a golf course.

Note that the hotel is just outside of the main Kitzbuhel area. The route into Kitzbuhel isn’t easily walkable due to a lack of pavements in places, therefore a taxi or car may be required.

Breakfast

Breakfast was complimentary with Hilton Gold status. There was a wide selection of good quality options. Eggs were cooked to order and service provided for drinks. Service was attentive and friendly – the children were particularly impressed with the offer of hot chocolate.

The breakfast room is a large and attractive space, which again rarely felt too busy. On day one we arrived at 7.30 to have breakfast before catching the first ski shuttle at 8.30 – there were only a handful of other people around. On day 3, we arrived a little later and the room was a bit busier, but still ample space and provision.

Summary

This is a fantastic option for a luxury ski (or golf) break using points. By booking early we were able to secure British Airways flights to Innsbruck with Avios and get a good Hilton Honors points rate, despite it being the February half term holidays. This meant that what should have been a £3000+ ski break, was relatively affordable.

A well presented, high end hotel with very good service. Definitely one I’d recommend visiting – especially if you can find a decent rate. I’d consider returning for a summer weekend or another ski trip, without hesitation!

Link: Grand Tirolia Kitzbuhel Website

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