Hospitality, unique experiences and individual service: the values of Relais & Châteauxthe well-known association of hotels and restaurants around the world are becoming increasingly important in the current crisis. Travellers can experience them on the three Routes du Bonheur through Austria and, at the same time, rediscover the grandeur of their own country. The hotels are pleased to show the true beauty of the country after the lockdown.

The vision behind Relais & Châteaux's Routes du Bonheur is hosts with the same passion for first-class hospitality and excellent cuisine joining forces and offering their guests a fantastic culinary itinerary.

Different times, same values

In times of the Corona crisis, a "new" trend is crystallizing in the travel industry: exclusive and spacious accommodations are preferred over big hotel chains. Travelling through the home country is also gaining popularity.In summer of 2020, Relais & Châteaux hotel members were recording a great demand by domestic tourists and are looking forward to the time after the lockdown. Due to their exclusive locations and the individual management of the individual hotels, they anticipate an influx in bookings. The values that Relais & Châteaux has always been representing have proven to be an important prerequisite for successfully overcoming the Corona crisis. The members are mostly located in the countryside, allow plenty of space and access to nature. This is exactly reflecting the current needs of guests.

The diversity of Austria on three routes

In times when privacy and close destinations are becoming more important, the Routes du Bonheur through Austria are a unique opportunity to discover the treasures of your own country in a culinary and exclusive way. Six nights on the Arlberg-Höhenstrasse, two nights in the heart of Austria between alpine skiing and water skiing or four nights around the areas of Vienna and Lower Austria combine the diversity of Austria, the personal character of the houses and unique experiences off the beaten track.

Discover Austria's peaks on the Arlberg Höhenstraße

It is no secret that Austria has an impressive mountain landscape to offer. The Route du Bonheur gives ski lovers a wonderful insight into all stages of alpine skiing. Nestled between Vorarlberg and Tyrol lies St. Anton - a place with a colourful history of skiing, with 86 ski lifts spread over an area of up to 2,650 metres in altitude. The Route du Bonheur starts in Post Lech am Arlberg, passes through the Hotel Singer in Berwang and finally ends at the Spa Hotel Jadghof, where the journey ends with exclusive wellness treatments.

On the water or in the snow: skiing highlights in the heart of Austria

The route stretches from the mountains to the valley and combines the most beautiful ski runs in the Alps with water skiing laps on Lake Wörth. Guests can practice their "Einkehrschwung" at the Tennerhof in Kitzbühel, which looks up to the famous Streif; or they enjoy the wonderful views off the terrace. 255 kilometres south, Hotel Schloss Seefels offers a completely different backdrop: Pure Alpe-Adria with a dreamlike view of Lake Wörth - Mediterranean joie de vivre!

Explore Lower Austria

Guests can get to know the cultural highlights of Vienna and the gorgeous landscapes, vineyards and castles of Lower Austria on the third Route du Bonheur. From the Hotel Taubenkobel to The Ring Hotel in Vienna, the Mörwald am Wagram to the Hotel Schloss Dürnstein - culture and culinary delights are spread out along with breathtaking landscapes, some of which are UNESCO natural heritage sites.

A farewell gift of a special kind

Hotel Schloss Seefels and Relais & Châteaux wish farewell to longtime hotel director Egon Haupt, who, after four decades, retires. As a farewell, the colleagues of the Relais & Châteaux Delegation Austria honour the long-standing friendship with a Route du Bonheur of a special kind. Guests of the Relais & Châteaux members will go hunting, fishing or grilling on the beach, on a bike tour, a personal guided ski tour or the hunter's ball at the Vienna Hofburg, partly accompanied by the hotel directors.

Egon Haupt particularly appreciated this gesture: "At Relais & Châteaux, the values that form the brand are not just written words, they are lived values - not only in the houses of the "Route du Bonheur", but also in everyday life. Convinced and enthusiastic about these values, the fire of Relais & Châteaux continues to burn within me. My wife, Klaudia, and I are delighted to be able to display this fire within the framework of the generous "Cadeau du Bonheur" and to continue to carry it in our hearts." He will be succeeded by Helena Ramsbacher.

Picture Credits: Relais & Châteaux, Leonhard Niederwimmer / Pixabay, Hans Braxmeier / Pixabay