20 December: site visits of our apartments this Winter

If you are travelling to Tirol this Winter season, then please get in contact so we can arrange a site visit of our finished apartments or future project locations.

Site visits are normally easier to arrange between 1000 and 1600 when apartments are being cleaned for new guests.

Otherwise, we can usually arrange access to the apartments during the week when the guests are skiing between 1000 and 1200 or 1400 and 1600.

Property for sale in Fieberbrunn – 4 unsold, completed apartments and we are offering a 3% fixed return in first year.

Property for sale in Ischgl – 5 unsold, completed apartments.  Spectacular views.   Outdoor panorama pool, spa and restaurant onsite.

Property for sale in St Anton – 2 completed apartments for resale.  Award-winning ski-out apartments.   Some of the best views in the valley.

Property for sale in Zell am See – 1 completed apartment for resale. In the centre of Zell am See. 150 metres to the City Express gondola.

Ötztal – 1 apartment for resale. Dual season apartments with 2 swimming pools. 100 metres to the ski lift.   25 minutes from Innsbruck airport.

We look forward to hearing from you over the Holidays!

Demand for holiday hotels in Alps unbroken

English summary of an article on the hotel and serviced apartments buiness in Austria.

https://www.tourismuspresse.at/presseaussendung/TPT_20220913_TPT0001/investoren-setzen-weiter-auf-berghotels

 Vienna (OTS) – The demand for holiday hotels in the Alps is unbroken (Die Nachfrage nach Ferienhotels in den Alpen ist ungebrochen)

Many conversion and new construction projects are in the pipeline. At the same time, the industry is confronted with new challenges.

Despite difficult conditions (energy crisis, corona) and other adversities (high construction costs, rising interest rates), domestic hoteliers and hotel developers remain optimistic for 2023.

New concepts and developments are being planned and implemented.   Project developers expect only modest growth for urban areas, which is why they are increasingly looking for favourable opportunities in the Alps.

Experts from the Prodinger company, who look after around 500 hotel businesses in the areas of tax advice, tourism advice and business advice, can confirm that the holiday hotel industry is doing relatively well despite the difficult starting position before the 2022/23 winter season.

However, businesses in top locations that are suitable for new developments are few and far between in the leading holiday regions.  Building permits and ongoing changes make new construction projects difficult.  The space efficiency suffers from high construction costs and a lack of employees.  Another challenge is the fact that financing and subsidies will be based on real estate efficiency in the future.  There will be a change in restaurants and food concepts in the holiday hotel industry. The good old 4-course half-board has an expiry date.  This makes new restaurants necessary.

In many classic holiday hotels, people are considering reducing the service and switching to serviced apartments. 

Investment and capital intensive

 A twenty-year comparison shows that hotels made large investments by the end of 2020.   Operating performance (GOP) lagged over the same period.  The new buildings and conversions, which continued during the Corona period, can be explained on the one hand by the investment bonus and on the other hand by the long project lead time.

Hotel revitalization

 A trend that is likely to intensify next year is the revitalization and reorientation of existing properties in the holiday hotel industry.

A good example of one of these concepts is the TRIFORÊT alpin.resort in Hinterstoder, which will open on December 1, 2023 and will be managed by the hotel operator arcona Hotels & Resorts. It is based on a 365-day concept.

The old stock comes from the Berghotel Hinterstoder from the 1960s.

Due to an investment backlog, this had reached the end of its product life cycle, so that a complete revitalization became unavoidable.

“Use instead of possession”

 There will be further exciting project developments in 2023 under the motto ” use instead of ownership “.   The well-known problem of leisure and second home ownership is leading to a boom in the temporary use of alpine real estate. ” The hospitality sector will play a bigger role here, “ says Thomas Reisenzahn, MD of the Prodinger consulting group.

New forms such as “Best Ager Hotels” for the young at heart in the third phase of life are also taking hold in holiday regions.  New forms associated with investment opportunities.

Alternative forms of accommodation such as tiny houses, glamping, tree houses or chalets will continue to gain in importance in 2023 and expand the tourist offer in holiday regions.

14 May opening of the Katzenkopf lift and bike trail in Leutasch

The Summer season starts on 14 May in with the opening of the Katzenkopf lift starting at 1130m taking you up to the Katzenkopfhütte at 1380m and Leutasch Bike park.

Alternatively, there is a cycle path which is 2.6km long to reach the top (it normally takes 50minutes on foot to walk).

There are 5 trails to explore from the top of the lift ranging from very easy to medium for advanced bikers who like jumps.

Bike park day tickets prices start at 19Euros per day for a child, 24Euros for teenagers and 29Euros for adults.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHHBKmt7-AY

https://www.katzenkopf-leutasch.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/KatzenkopfLeutasch-Trailmap-D.pdf

More blog updates on Leutasch to follow.

Serviced apartments 20% higher occupancy than hotels

The serviced apartment segment proved its resilience during the pandemic according to a recently published market report “Serviced Apartments 2021” (Source: https://www.ahgz.de/).

The 2020 occupancy rates for serviced apartments were at least 19% higher than the hotel sector and 28% higher in April 2020.

According to the current planning status, the serviced apartment segment will grow by 48% by the end of 2023.

Other news:

Our operator all-suite.com is getting lots of bookings for July and August and even into September as the number of new infections has fallen in Germany (19.9 per 100,000) and Austria (24 per 100,000).

There has also been another lifting of restrictions in Austria:

  • The curfew has moved from 2200 to midnight
  • 8 adults can meet indoors and 16 outdoors
  • Social distancing is now 1 metre instead of 2 metres
  • Cultural venues can now allow 75% occupancy instead of 50%
  • You no longer have to wear a mask outdoors

Austria and the rest of the EU are working on producing a Digital Covid Certificate which will become valid from 1 July.

Tirol is one the least densely populated areas in Europe with 59 people per square kilometre versus Germany 232, Netherlands 521, England (UK) 424, Belgium 376, Czech Republic 135.

And our serviced apartment model provides extra safety during these times.

Come and stay in a well-spaced, self-contained apartment where you can arrive in your own car, you have the flexibility to cook for yourself and there are fewer communal areas compared to the old-fashioned 3 and 4-star family-run hotels.

Austria to vaccinate every adult in next 100 days

Austria is performing well in its vaccination programme when compared to other European states.

According to the Statista website https://www.statista.com/statistics/1196071/covid-19-vaccination-rate-in-europe-by-country/ , Austria is in 9th place in Europe with 19.5 percent of its population having been given at least one dose, just behind Denmark which is at 20 percent.

One reason is probably that it has not stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine for certain age groups.

Last week Chancellor Sebastian Kurz promised every adult in Austria who wants to be vaccinated against the coronavirus will be given the opportunity in the next 100 days.

Kurz also said sport, restaurants and hotels will be able to open again in May, after over 65s are vaccinated.

In May all over 50-year-olds should be jabbed, and in June vaccination is to be opened to all age groups. (source: thelocal.at).

Welcome news for the tourism industry and the forthcoming Summer season.

Our operator all-suite.com is expecting a very busy July, August and September.

June could also start to get busy and in October they are expecting good business from the hiking tourists in Oetz and Fieberbrunn where the lifts run from 13 May to 26 October.

More and more tourists now prefer to stay in a well-spaced, self-contained apartment where they have the flexibility to cook instead of the old-fashioned 3 and 4-star family-run hotels which run the standard half-board service model in a riskier environment with more communal areas.

At Kristall Spaces, we are arranging meetings next week with property buyers from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK who are travelling for business purposes right now to invest in a property that supports tourism.

Please contact us today to arrange your property viewing in person or remotely via video.

27 November: visiting Tirol & site visits

There is currently a lockdown in place in Tirol until 6 December.  Hotels are closed to leisure travellers/tourists; only business travellers are allowed to stay in hotels.

Some of our buyers have legitimate excuses to travel for business or for the purpose of making an investment in a “gewerbliche Ferienwohnung” which supports Austria’s tourism industry.

The Federal Government has ordered over 7 million tests to try and screen the entire population at 100 testing stations across the country before Christmas.

SITE VISITS – REAL & VIRTUAL

  • Kristall Spaces is still planning site visits in-person for buyers who are able to travel – observing all safety protocols
  • It is easier for buyers based in Austria to do site visits right now but some buyers are able to cross from Germany for 24hours to do the site visit and then they go home
  • Buyers from further afield can even fly into Munich airport to make a quick visit over the border before returning
  • Virtual visits: we are also doing visits over video with our customers – we can make a video call from the finished apartments or the shell of the apartments in Fieberbrunn for example
  • 3D tours: for finished apartments in Oetz, Sölden and St. Anton customers can walk around the last few apartments for sale (we have sold several apartments this way) e.g. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=CnyP9pwmAEi

TESTING & SAFETY

  • The total number of infections in Tirol is falling
  • Most of the infections are in densely populated areas like Innsbruck – the valleys and ski resorts are not affected and, for example, there are 164 infections in the Bezirk of Landeck, the district which covers Ischgl and St. Anton
  • Our hotel operating company can arrange COVID tests with local doctors and have the cost charged to the bill for the stay in our apartments https://www.apartments-oetztal.com/en/latest/
  • The national testing programme will enable all the authorities to isolate infected people before Christmas
  • Andreas Steibl, the Director of Tourism in Ischgl says more than €700,000 had been invested in their hygiene and protection plan which “goes far beyond the government’s measures”
  • The Tirol state government and University of Innsbruck are monitoring Ischgl’s sewage works to identify any presence of the virus
  • Disinfection of all cable cars takes place several times a day using special cold fogging devices: within 1 minute 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and spores are eliminated (the active ingredient does not leave behind residue and is 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, pH-neutral as well as skin- and eye-friendly)
  • And a multifunctional scarf with a filtering face-piece comes free with the lift pass

WHERE TO SKI

  • The ski slopes in Austria will not be closing
  • Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) makes the point that the virus does not spread on the ski slopes but mainly in closed indoor areas: “Das Virus verbreitet sich nicht auf den Skipisten, sondern vor allem auch in geschlossenen Innenräumen”
  • Ski lift openings: Oetz (11 Dec), Fieberbrunn (7 Dec), Ischgl (17 Dec), Leutasch cross-country started 20 November,  Sölden (11 Dec) and St Anton (18 Dec)

Please contact us today to discuss your visit to Tirol.

Austrian border opens from Germany on 15 June

From 15 June, Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed to open the border from Germany to Austria allowing other nationalities to pass more freely through Germany into Austria.

https://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/article207962143/Erste-Grenzen-oeffnen-sich.html

Currently, there are 53 people reported with the virus in Tirol.  3,370 people have recovered and sadly 107 people have died.

Restaurants in Tirol open today (15 May) and hotels open 29 May.

Site visits for Austrian property investors have already begun and we are making appointments for German and Swiss buyers.

Current water temperature in the Piburger See is 20°c  https://www.bergfex.at/sommer/oetz/webcams/c17119/

Area 47 opens fully on 26 June; the wakeboard area is already open at the weekends.

Rising number of cross-country skiers

Surveys and statistics show that Germans (the largest tourist demographic to Austria) are developing a growing interest in and passion for cross-country skiing.

This statement is particularly supported by a trend study carried out by the market research company Kantar TNS and the Olympiaregion Seefeld “Winter Sports in Germany 2018”. The managing director of the Olympiaregion Seefeld, Elias Walser, confirms the results of the survey based on his own observations in everyday working life as well as the interaction with visitors: “We have been observing the growing popularity of cross-country skiing for several years and meet our guests’ needs comprehensively. We start the new cross-country season around the 11th November as one of the first winter sport destinations and most traditional cross-country skiing locations in the Alps. ”

At the ISPO Munich, the world’s largest multi-segment fair for sports, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ralf Roth from the German Sport University Cologne summarised the study “Winter Sports Germany 2018” and gave a presentation at the symposium of “Your Winter. Your Sport.”

The sponsors of “Your Winter. Your Sport. ” discussed the results together with other presidents of ski and sports associations in Germany (including the German Ski Instructor Association DSLV, the Federal Association of the German Sporting Goods Industry & Managing Director Marmot Europe) and CEOs of international sports retailers (including the Uvex sports group).

Furthermore, the experts addressed questions about future procedures, methods and campaigns of all sectors involved, in order to guarantee the practice of winter sports and to increase the enthusiasm for an active, healthy lifestyle among the population.

Cross-country skiing: More than just a trend

The study shows that more than half of the German population above the age of 18 (51% = approx. 35 million) expressed a general interest in cross-country skiing. It demonstrates that actually 10% more people who are actively into winter sports would prefer to start or resume cross-country skiing rather than alpine skiing or snowboarding.

Even those who had only tried cross-country skiing once before in their life emphasised their wish to pick it up again, according to the survey (7%).

In 2017, around 5.7 million cross-country skiers were active on the trails. Although alpine skiing is still at the top with a total of 8 million skiers in 2018, general developments show that alpine skiing could be overtaken soon, especially since cross-country skiing is cheaper than skiing. Another result of the study shows that snowboarding is practiced almost exclusively by younger generations as their main choice of sport and is generally recessive. 30% of those Germans who are sporty in principal but who have not yet done any regular exercise in the winter can imagine starting to do a specific winter sport.

“Winter sports are as popular as ever before,” assures Dr. Roth from the Cologne Sports University. Based on the study it’s evident that sports enthusiasts try and carry out several different winter sport activities over many years of their life. However, this is dependent on subjective tendencies and preferences as well as external circumstances.

On average, German citizens practice about 2.2 snow sports. Around 5.82 million prefer, in addition to other well-known winter sports (alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ski tours, tobogganing or sledding), above all cross-country skiing as their main sport. To underline these statistics, Prof. Dr. Roth and his team introduced the “Winter Sports Days” (“Wintersport-Tage”) as a new numerical value. The main sport of the Germans was also taken into account in order to collect more data for the study. According to this, German citizens spend a total of 300 million days a year doing different winter sports.

When it comes to winter holidays, factors such as relaxation, family time and extensive outdoor activities play a very big part in the decision making process for Germans. German winter sports enthusiasts spend an average of 14.6 days actively in the fresh air in order to escape everyday stress and to relax. 77% usually try to focus on those things that are neglected in everyday life and for 76% being active with family, partners or friends is very important. The focus lies on spending time in nature, exercising in the fresh air as well as a low risk of danger (e.g. terrorist attacks). According to the Kantar TNS study, cross-country skiing falls under extensive trend categories and can meet the multifaceted needs of visitors. Promoting health including endurance and fitness (67%) is the greatest motivating factor for practising cross-country skiing. A report by the AWA (Allensbach market and advertising media analysis), which determines the habits of consumption and media usage of the German population based on a wide range of sources and statistics, stated that in 2019 around 710,000 Germans (from the age of 14) did cross-country skiing in their leisure time.

Seefeld-Leutasch: a Mecca for Cross-country skiing

The Olympiaregion Seefeld-Leutasch in Tyrol with its municipalities of Seefeld, Leutasch, Scharnitz, Reith bei Seefeld and Mösern is and remains one of the most popular cross-country skiing destinations in the Alps. The Seefeld-Leutasch region has 280 km of perfectly prepared cross-country trails for all levels of difficulty and a Nordic competence center (Nordisches Kompetenzzentrum) including a World Cup arena with ski jumps, biathlon and snow-making facilities. Cross-country skiing in Austria is particularly popular among Germans with a percentage of over 60%.

Compared to Seefeld-Leutasch there aren’t many other regions which are as popular in the summer as well as in the winter. As a cycling and hiking center (460 km) and a hotspot in the golf region center with 6 golf courses (including an 18-hole golf course in Leutasch), more and more holidaymakers choose Seefeld-Leutasch for their summer holiday destination in the Austrian Alps. With 30 ski lifts at 1,200 to 2,064m and  Seefeld-Leutasch has a lot to offer for skiers and snowboarders.

Everyone is talking about Seefeld-Leutasch

The snow-sure Olympiaregion Seefeld-Leutasch isn’t just famous for its cross-country skiing among holidaymakers. In the winter and summer high seasons of 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/2017, there was a general increase in arrivals and overnight stays. The number of arrivals increased especially in the summer between 2014/15 and 2016/17. In the summer of 2014/15, 221,000 arrivals and in the following summer season 2016/17 a total of 278,000 (plus 57.000) arrivals were recorded. In winter 2015/16 there were significantly more arrivals than in the previous year. According to records from the Seefeld Tourism Association, there were a total of 235,333 arrivals and 991,719 overnight stays in the 2018/19 winter season.

On the list of most important tourism communities in Tyrol, Seefeld came in 10th place with the following key figures in the winter season of 2018/19: 127,264 arrivals, 526,457 overnight stays, 77 commercial occupancy days and 153 overnight stays per inhabitant. (Source: www.tirol.gv.at/fileadmin/themen/statistik-budget/statistik/downloads/Tourismus/Der_Tourismus_im_Winter_18_19.pdf ).

All-Suite Resort Leutasch

Kristall Spaces is delighted to introduce the marketing phase of our latest aparthotel project, All-Suite Resort Leutasch, near Seefeld.

These 86 new apartments are being built in a dream location with a breathtaking 360 degree view and a 500 m² spa including a heated outdoor pool, gym, restaurant and bar. A professional operator will rent and market the apartments for you and thanks to the strong year-round tourism in the Olympiaregion Seefeld high returns can be achieved.

Contact us today so that we can register your interest in this project and keep you up to date. We will be happy to send you floor plans and pricing as soon as they are available.