Hotel Auersperg

Snapshot

A boutique hotel in a late 19th-century villa on Auerspergstraße, run by the same family since 1959 and now in its third generation of Wiesinger management. The garden is genuinely secluded for a city-centre address, the breakfast uses organic produce including honey from the hotel’s own beehives, and the rooftop spa adds a wellness dimension that distinguishes it from comparable properties at a similar price.

The Story

The Hotel Auersperg began as a private villa built in 1870 on what was then a residential street in the Neustadt. A family named Nowak reportedly acquired it in 1893, kept it as a private residence through the early 20th century, and opened it as a guesthouse in 1959 under Maria Nowak, who preserved the villa’s original oak floors and marble fireplaces even as she updated the plumbing and electrics. The hotel has remained a family property ever since, passing to Bettina and Mark Wiesinger in 1996.

The Wiesingers have run the property as a genuine boutique rather than a managed hotel. Bettina oversees the guest experience: the organic breakfast buffet, sourced from nearby farms and including honey from beehives kept in the garden; yoga on the lawn on Wednesday and Friday mornings; and a personal approach to service that guests consistently describe as unhurried and attentive. Mark has focused on the physical renovation, notably a glass wall in the lobby opening onto the garden, and the rooftop spa with sauna and Turkish steam bath, completed over successive renovation rounds.

The 55 rooms occupy the main villa and a smaller adjacent building. Original wood panelling, Austrian larch floors, and marble fireplaces coexist with smart thermostats, flat-screen TVs, and high-quality linens. The hotel holds BioAustria certification, reportedly since 2012, covering lighting, fixtures, and toiletries. Electric vehicle chargers sit in the underground garage, and the hotel has funded its sustainability investments from cash flow rather than grants.

The garden is the Auersperg’s most immediately distinctive feature. Enclosed behind the villa facade, it offers a quality of quiet that most city-centre hotels simply cannot provide. In summer, breakfast on the terrace is one of the better ways to start a morning in Salzburg.

Visiting

Auerspergstraße 61, in the Neustadt. About 5 minutes on foot from Mirabell Gardens, around 450 metres from the Altstadt edge. Mid-range to upscale pricing; around €150 per night for the main suite, breakfast included. Rooftop spa open from 17:00 to 22:00. Organic breakfast buffet. Yoga on the garden lawn on scheduled mornings. A good choice for visitors who want personal service, outdoor space, and a genuine historic building without paying five-star rates.