We had rented a Ford Mondeo for our ten-day driving tour of Germany and Austria last summer, but at only one other hotel in Germany (Best Western Plus Hotel St Raphael in Hamburg) did we have more trouble parking it. Before we even checked into the Best Western Imlauer in Salzburg, we turned into the parking lot to the left of the main building. There were a few vacant spaces, but it was so cramped that we had a hard time getting the proper turning radius to make it into the space without bumping into another parked car. I climbed out of the passenger's seat. My son climbed out of the back seat. We guided my husband into the space the way we used to guide him when he was parking our 22-foot Class C Motorhome back in the States. I complained to the hotel manager. They said that the parking lot was perfectly standard for Salzburg. I feel very sorry for the drivers in Salzburg if this is true.
Every time we drove in and out of the lot, a bar came down in front of us. We had to show our room key card to get through the gate. This is again not what I would expect of a hotel or motel in the USA.
This hotel pulled a swift one even before we got to Salzburg. We were supposed to have forty-eight hours to cancel the reservation. But three days ahead of time they put through a charge on our card for the entire amount of the stay. This is predatory. And for this reason alone I would never stay here again. No other hotel on our trip did this, and we were away from home for 76 nights in a row.
But despite all the problems there were redeeming features. It was within easy walking distance of the Mirabell Gardens and the Marionettentheater. Also there was lots of shopping and many outdoor cafes nearby. We patronized the restaurant every meal of the trip, including the lunch where I met a friend from college that we hadn't seen in years. The menu was varied enough that we could do this without getting bored. It was one of only two hotels in Germany that had rooms on the ground floor, which was very convenient.
Note: Pick a room on the ground floor. It’s closer to the restaurant.