My husband and I stayed here in September, 2011 in the middle of a tour of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Overall, my feelings about this hotel are mixed. There was no part of it that I would say was absolutely horrible, but nothing that was exceptional either. Probably the best aspect of this hotel is the location, right in the center of town in the middle of all the action. You just walk out the front door and you are on the busiest, quaintest street in town. Tons of shops and restaurants. This part of town may actually be too busy for some, so if you're not into the tourist scene and are looking for a more quiet, laid back stay in Salzburg, you may want to consider one of the grand hotels on the other side of the river.

We tend to prefer small, boutique style hotels and this one definitely fit the bill. It was decorated very nicely and contrast between the historic building and the ultramodern decor and art work was indeed intertesting. However, there were definitely things that were lacking in terms of service and maintenance. In general, aside from the person at the front desk, there seemed to be very few staff members around at all. There was no offer of help bringing the bags to the room which can be quite a feat considering the small hallways and numerous steps. There is a lift, but the hotel is built on several levels, so you will probably be able to take the lift up to your floor, but still have to haul your bags up several short flights of stairs. The room was ok. It was very modern but was on the small side. The bed was very hard and the room itself just seemed poorly thought out and not well maintained. We were facing the interior courtyard which was quiet, but not much to look at. The air conditioning did not work well so I tried to open some of the several casement windows. One actually fell right out of the frame and almost onto my foot. I lifted it back up and put it back in the frame locking it in place and making a mental note not to touch it again. The bathroom was nice but the shower enclosure was more form that function and we literally had a flood every time we took a shower because the shower door did not close properly. Storage was sparse and everything seemed just a bit tattered and worn.

Free internet was a welcome amenity, but the reception was very spotty and I kept getting thrown off and had to log back on continuously. Breakfast was good, but not enough was put out and if you got there on the later end of the time frame, you were probably going to miss most of the offeriings. One morning we were offered hot entrees like eggs, another morning we were not. We were only there two nights, so none of this was too much of problem because we really didnt spend much time in the room. Any more than two nights and I probably wouldnt have been happy.

Overall, the location worked for us and the hotel was decent for the price (but certainly not inexpensive). I may consider going back for another short visit, but there are probably nicer choices if you're looking for something more posh.

Right on the Gertreidegasse (with an exit at the back of the house too), a nice 20min walk from the station the Blaue Gans is a very welcoming hotel. The check in is competent and swift, the house itself a maze, with nice modern rooms thougha bit small - given the age of the house small wonder. Excellent breakfeast and a wonderful restaurant in the evening complete the picture.

Good location and very friendly staff but I had to change rooms as I was bitten badly all over my arms over two nights which led to a bad rash and blisters. Being a doctor the most likely reason was bedbugs. They did change my room and were very apologetic. Breakfast was also chaotic with the wrong items being brought to us, items not coming at all and the buffet would run out of food. Some of the art is in bad taste too-a stuffed cat with dead mice crawling over it, and plaques simply stating the names of psychiatric disorders were not appealing and probably were stigmatising. Each to their own opinion of course, it might appeal to some and art doesn't have to be appealing either.

I really liked the design of this hotel, it is super modern but you somehow never forget that you are in an old building. I have stayed in other places with a similar concept that have lost the feel of the old building. I particularly like the breakfast/dining room just off reception which has retained the shape of the old room with an arched ceiling and the old 'Blue Goose' paintings on the wall but with fresh and modern looking table settings. The breakfast was really good too! There are also nice touches that link different parts of the hotel - for example similar paintings appearing in different places or the use of lime green as an accent colour in our room and for the napkins in the breakfast room.

The service here was excellent - friendly and welcoming - which always makes the difference between good and great! They made a great dinner recommendation for us (St Peter) which exactly suited to what we were looking for - a bit traditional but with veggie options.

The location is brilliant too - easy walking distance from all the main sights in the centre of Salzburg. A tip if you are driving here - the postal address of the hotel is actually on a pedestrian street so you need to make sure you get advice from them ahead of time on where to drop off luggage and where to park as my navigation system got very confused, but it is not difficult when you know where to go.

Overall, I was charmed by this hotel and would definitely stay here on another trip to Salzburg.