• Backroads Drives • 50% Off Hotel Deal • Zell am See GEMüTLICHKEIT The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe THIS ISSUE: • Driving the Autobahn DEAR DRIVING IN EUROPE SUBSCRIBER This month Gemütlichkeit offers advice on renting and driving a car in Europe, wrapping it all up with five of our favorite backroads routes. May 31, 1995 n these weak- person/per day. Even the Getting the Best Hotel Rate land — dropped. Two dollar days, Major hotel chains behave like weeks in a snazzy little Opel second-class German Rail airlines. An unoccupied hotel room, I economics dictate, Corsa — perfectly comfort- Twinpass (five days travel like an empty airplane seat, is rev- among other able for two persons — in in one month for two enue forever lost. And like airlines, things, our mode of travel Germany is slightly less adults traveling together) hotels use advance bookings to in Europe. Most of us go than $275, including tax. costs two persons a total of determine future occupancy rates. there in twos, threes and Figure another $160 for $267. That’s still $26.70 per As soon as the crystal ball predicts fours and the cost of two, enough fuel to go 1400 miles day/per person and travel empty beds, the discount programs three or four rail passes is (more than 100 miles a day is limited to Germany. are trotted out. That’s why, for usually more expensive and you’re spending too So, let's say you’ve example, one can book a double than one rental car. The much time in the car) and room at the Hotel Sofitel in Zürich done all the math and countryside is cheaper than the per person/per day reluctantly decided this summer for $138 when the the city and the way to get lowest “rack” or published rate for transportation cost is a little against those splendid deep into it is by car. the cheapest double room is about over $15. The per person/ European trains. Now (Europe’s network of trains $215. per day cost of a Eurailpass you want to know what is indeed remarkable but is $33. The Flexipass, at kind of car to rent and These larger chain hotels have many villages and country $398 per person, is cheaper what to expect on the a variety of discount programs ready hotels aren’t served by overall, but it only allows highways of Germany, to dust off anytime the house isn’t rail.) five days travel in two Austria and Switzerland. full. They are so numerous it be- In 1995, rail passes in- months’ time. That’s nearly Here are our thoughts on comes difficult for in-house and creased in price while rates $80 per day. A better deal is these matters as well as a outside reservations services to be the Europass which limits consistent in their price quotes. for the most popular catego- look at of some of our ries of rental cars — at least travel to five days in three favorite backroads drives. A San Francisco television sta- in Germany and Switzer- countries for $280 or $56 per Continued on page 3... tion recently performed a hotel booking experiment. Though lim- Gemütlichkeit Destination Special Business ited to large, chain hotels in San Class Fares Francisco — Hiltons, Marriotts, ZELL AM SEE Hyatts, etc. — the results are in- on Swissair structive to anyone reserving a ho- ell am See is a pensionen (bed & breakfast) his summer, in ad- tel room anywhere in the world. pleasant, though and vacation apartments. T dition to the price reduc- busy resort, well- In fact, a booklet published Z tions already exclusively The survey first called each situated as a base by the Zell am See tourist available to Gemütlichkeit hotel’s 800 toll-free booking num- location for exploring office lists nearly 100 ber to ask the double room rate on subscribers, Swissair now Austria’s lovely Pinzgau apartments for rent. a specific date. The next call was to region or as a stopover for offers subscribers even the hotel directly, again requesting north-south and east-west In winter, Zell am See is greater reduced rates in a double room on the same date. travelers. And, since it is the center of a highly Business Class on select- The third call, like the second, direct popular ski region. In ed flights from Chicago to the hotel, differed in that the on the main line between Salzburg and Innsbruck, summer the town still and Los Angeles. In or- caller aggressively sought the best bustles, but the pace slows der to qualify, you must possible price, such as AAA or AARP there is frequent rail ser- somewhat and hotel prices purchase an economy membership discounts, corporate vice. discounts or any other special rates are lower. class excursion fare. This The region has a multi- fare has no advance pur- that might lower the price. Four Though the town itself tude of hotels from which chase requirement, no hotels were surveyed. The results? has no special charm and to choose as well as a minimum or maximum substantial list of Frühstück- can be seen in no more than Continued on page 2… Continued on page 6… Continued on page 8… May, 1995 chain hotels. We suggest a fax inquiry seeking the Europe. We recommend their convenience and DEAR SUBSCRIBER lowest rate for the type of room desired. Ask about the favorable exchange rate. On our April trip we Continued from page 1 special rates: weekend rates, senior citizens rates took a few traveler’s checks but didn’t cash a single • Except in one instance, where the 800 quote or any other discounts that might be available. (A one; our sole source of local currency was ATMs. and the quote direct from the hotel were exactly the word of caution: this could not only get you the Use a debit card instead of a credit card; you won’t same, no two calls to the same hotel yielded the cheapest room but the least desirable one as well. pay interest and the transaction fee will likely be same price quote (though even in this case the If you need a quiet room, a view room, a balcony, less (make sure your credit card doesn't charge a aggressive, discount-seeking caller later got a etc., be sure to specify that in your inquiry.). conversion fee). lower price). Smaller, family-operated European hotels Traveler's checks are not yet extinct and you • In all cases the lowest price was obtained by don’t offer the variety of discounts one finds at a will still want to carry some. If you buy them in a the discount-seeker. In one instance, the 800 toll- Sofitel, a Steigenberger or a Hilton, but still they foreign denomination, be sure to shop the ex- free service quoted a $185 rate, the hotel slightly are often open to negotiation. In April, we were at change rate. Traveler's checks from American less and the discount seeker was offered a rate of the Hotel Landhaus in Saanen, Switzerland, about Express or Thomas Cook may be free but a bank is $69. three kilometers down the road from chic and almost certain to offer a better exchange rate. expensive Gstaad. The hotel was virtually empty, • In every case but the one mentioned above, the manager complained, because certain affilia- Odds & Ends the price quoted by the hotel was lower than that tions with other hotels in the region — including The May issue of the excellent Consumer quoted by the 800 toll-free service. Gstaad — forced her to agree to rates higher than Reports Travel Letter (subscriptions $39, phone she felt necessary. She strongly indicated a will- orders 800-234-1970) evaluates hotel voucher • Here’s how it played at one hotel. The 800 ingness to cut room prices on a case-by-case programs. Among those in which the average toll-free service said the hotel was fully booked. basis in times of low occupancy. voucher costs more than the hotel's rack rate are: The “non-discount” direct-to-the-hotel caller was MinOtel (11% higher), German Hotels' told rooms were available and given a quote. The moral of all this is: ask for the room you Wundercheck (2%); Best Western's Euro- Finally, the discount-seeker was not only told want, then ask for the lowest price. Guestcheque (1%). Not all vouchers were above rooms were available but was quoted a substan- rack rate. CRTL noted these good deals: Best tially lower rate than the second caller. Easy Money In Europe Western-Darmstadt, Germany $91 and Nürnberg We had just been presented with the bill $104; Holiday Inn-Frankfurt $135, Hamburg $135, One thing seems crystal clear: in order to following dinner in a Lausanne restaurant. There Munich $107; Geneva $135; Wundercheck-Baden- obtain a discount you must ask for it. Last month, were six of us. Foolishly I had assumed the Baden, $112. for example, we called to book a room at a Hilton restaurant would accept one of my credit cards. I Hotel in San Diego. “Yes sir,” said the toll-free was mistaken, the bill required more cash than I Vienna's Kursalon im Stadtpark has reopened booking service, “we can offer you a queen-size had. So what now? Not surprisingly — remember and concerts will again take place each day, April- room for $139.” We next asked this simple ques- we were in Switzerland — only a few steps up the October, at 4-6 p.m.