April 11, 2001
The Timeshare Beat
It's all in the way you look at things. Sometimes a disaster, viewed through the right eyes, can be turned into
a glorious opportunity.
Such was the case when, in the fall of 1993, a fire raced through the top floor of the historic Wührer’s Park Hotel Bellevue in Bad Gastein, Austria. With the flames and ensuing water damage leaving this classic remnant of the Kaiser era little more than a burned out hulk, more than 150 years of belle epoque romance came to an end. What had long been thought of as an irreplacable part of Bad Gastein's culture was left a solitary wreck on its promontory overlooking the steep gorge of this famous Austrian thermal bath town.
This epic hotel had, through the years, played host to kings and queens, movie stars, politicians and playboys,
artists and writers and the rich and famous from all over the world. What would become of this "heart"
of Bad Gastein now?
The answer came when the hotel was rebuilt through an investment by METRO Ferienclub AG and reopened as the new
MONDI Vacation Club Bellevue in 1996, affiliated with RCI as a Gold Crown Resort.
Though only two of the original five buildings were fit for renovation after the fire, the new hotel complex and courtyard have retained the ambience of the original, in both appearance and feel. With casual, understated elegance and an eye toward history, the 208 luxury apartments have been furnished in a modern Biedermeier style, with great attention to detail and comfort.
In fact, so successful has the resurrection of the hotel been that guests who hadn't heard about the fire were not aware that anything had changed.
In the main building you will find the Reception area, a lobby-bar, bistro, bike rental station, Eurobowling facilities (skittle alleys), indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, children's paddling pool, sauna, Turkish bath, spa and therapy facilities and guest service facilities. The Hotel Bellevue also features an outdoor climbing wall (with protection for sport climbing and top-roping) and a fitness center. Kids - both young and old - can enjoy a youth center, with pinball games, billiards and Ping Pong table.
In addition, there are always the famous baths for physical therapy, water cures and steam baths.
Nearly all of the apartments, respectively suited for two, four or six people, have a balcony or terrace. And all rooms include modern appliances like cable TV, radio, telephones and a kitchen area with a stove, microwave oven, sink and toaster. Bathrooms with either bathtubs or showers are a given, as well.
Now, guests at the hotel can once again enjoy everything that has been attracting folks from around the world of Bad Gastein for years: skiing at one of Austria’s biggest and most secure snow resorts, golf, tennis, swimming, hiking and walking, and of course the cure - 17 healthy thermal springs bubbling out from beneath the neighbouring Graukogel mountain that first caught the attention of Habsburg royalty two centuries ago and remain popular today.
With the landmark of this famed spa area its roaring waterfall, Bad Gastein has a flair all its own. Five million liters of water gush from 17 sources for thermal pools, physical therapy, water cures, steam baths, and inhalations. The therapeutic qualities of the Gastein caves have long been recognized for their own special healing benefits.
About MONDI-FERIENCLUB:
From 1983 to 1996 METRO established eight holiday clubs in the selected beautiful holiday regions of South Tyrol,
Austria and Bavaria. They are currently used by over 15,000 club members with their families. The holiday clubs
are either registered as owners free of encumbrances in the Land Register or possess a usufruct right with first-ranking
priority established in the Land Register. Initiator and investor was METRO Ferienclub AG and club membership was
originally reserved to the customers of the international METRO Handels- und Dienstleistungsgruppe (trading and
service group).
By transferring the sales rights to MONDI-FERIENCLUB GmbH & Co. KG the timeshare rights have been made accessible
to a larger group of potential owners since January 1999. By taking over the structures of the METRO-Ferienclub,
MONDI guarantees a consistent and professional further development of this holiday form.
Other resorts in Mondi's system include:
MONDI-Ferienclub GmbH & Co. KG is a member of Deutscher Bundesverband für Teilzeitwohnrechte e.V. DBTW
is also linked to the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe - Ote-. Ote unites renown companies on the European
time-share market and protects the "quality assurance" of time-share rights.
Exceeding the respective national legislation - in Germany the Teilzeit-Wohnrechte-Gesetz TzWrG - has been in force
since 1997, the members of the association for example commit themselves to offer comprehensive customer protection.
This includes consumer-friendly wording of purchase agreements with guaranteed rescession period and the authenticity
of advertising statements..
For more information, visit www.ferienclub.de