Skiers, hikers and spa lovers have long headed to Austria. One of its most popular regions is Salzburgerland where there are many quality hotels in Zell am See and other nearby towns.
Though tour operators like Neilson, Ingrams and Thomson can take you to Austria, it is generally not a cheap package holiday destination. However one of the hotels in Zell am See is offering guests the chance to take half-board family holidays for a discount of €875 a week.
The four-star Hotel Neue Post is one of the most popular hotels in Zell am See, around an hour and a half from Salzburg.
Eighteen months ago, it developed a unique holiday club where guests can become shareholders in the hotel itself. A minimum €10,000, seven-year investment allows guests to visit the hotel for one week a year and enjoy €875 of food, drink, entertainment and spa treatments. Any additional costs can be paid for or deducted from future holidays.
With your investment of €10,000 you can look for one of two types of return:
- Take a taxable cash interest of 3% per year, for as long as you remain an investor in the hotel. After a minimum of seven years you can leave the club and your €10,000 will be reimbursed.
- Take a tax-free one week holiday per year, worth up to €875 (an 8.75% return), for as long as you remain an investor in the hotel. After a minimum of seven years you can leave the club and your €10,000 will be reimbursed.
The hotel’s owner, Harald Bruckner, calls this new holiday product, HNP Club (for Hotel Neue Post) and it has already attracted more than 100 investors. He explained: “The Club makes our guests owners in the hotel – they’re effectively investing in it. But after the minimum term of seven years they can request their original investment of €10,000 back and leave HNP Club. Alternatively, if they enjoy their holidays here as much as we hope they will, they can keep coming back and enjoying a discount of €875 on hospitality per year.
“It’s a unique holiday offer – investors become shareholders of the hotel. It’s less suited to people wanting cheap holidays, but to those with €10,000 that are happy to invest in one of the best hotels in Zell am See.
“It is not a risk-free proposition – money is not secured by banks or trustees – but it does provide a tax free investment option. But with risk comes opportunity and our guests have the opportunity to holiday with the family in a great destination, staying at a hotel with excellent facilities for no more than the price you paid today. For the hotel meanwhile, there’s the opportunity to use the interest from monies paid by HNP Club members to finance projects here.”
Why invest in hotels in Zell am See?
Each year over 500,000 people visit Zell am See and though its first-class skiing means it’s largely seen as a winter destination for, it’s also popular in summer months for hiking, biking, and hot, sunny days spent on the beaches of Lake Zell.
Hotels in Zell am See cater for those seeking the mountain peaks of Schmitten and nearby Kitzsteinhorn with skiing at 3,000m. The high peaks and glaciers create a long ski season – from as early as September to the end of April and sometimes longer. But you can also go skiing in the morning and swim in the afternoon at pristine Lake Zell in the summer months.
Officially a city, but with a population of just 10,000, holidays in Zell am See allow for relaxed days wandering the town’s shops and cafes, or taking in its dramatic scenery.
Hotel Neue Post is located in the heart of the town – 150m from the CityXpress cable car station racing skiers and sightseers up to the slopes. It is also five minutes to the unspoiled expanse of Lake Zell.
The hotel’s rooms include a handful of studios with kitchen facilities, but most are large double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, balconies with tables and chairs, free WI-FI and flatscreen TVs.
Other facilities include an expansive spa with two saunas, steam room, a large Jacuzzi, infra-red cabin and relaxation areas; a covered, heated outdoor pool, large gardens, a bar, and restaurant serving local and international dishes.
HNP Club is not a timeshare product but the hotel has teamed up with holiday exchange providers like RCI and Dial an Exchange to offer stays at holiday destinations around the world. Each year you can use your €875 cash allowance towards a holiday with one of these providers, which would allow for a stay at an equally good quality resort.
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