Location
The House Zell am See is about a 2-minute walk from Postplatz, the centre of the alpine town of Zell am See. The apartment was also close to the main transportation system, about a 4-minute walk from Zell am See Bahnhof. There are numerous restaurants and three supermarkets within a stone’s throw from the serviced apartment. As the town of Zell am See is relatively small, the shops and attractions are no more than a 15-minute walk from the apartment.
The Suite
The House Zell am See has a good variety of apartment types, ranging from Studio to 4-bedroom suites. We stayed in the 60㎡ 2-bedroom suite that is fitted with the amenities of an apartment.
Entryway
The entryway to the 2-bedroom Suite at The House Zell am See immediately shows its alpine interior design through the use of natural wood seen throughout the entire suite, from the flooring to some of the furniture in the bedroom. The House Zell am See has incorporated industrial design into the apartment decor, mainly seen in the interesting choice of lighting. The entire apartment exudes a cosy vibe, which is especially pronounced in this cold winter. The entryway is furnished with a shoe bench with racks to place our shoes at its bottom. Here, we find two sets of hooks mounted onto the wall to hang our winter jackets. The bedrooms are immediately in sight at the end of the entryway.
Bedroom 1
The bedrooms are a little confusing, but I would consider Bedroom 1 as the master bedroom as it comes with an ensuite bathroom. The nature-themed interior decor flows into Bedroom 1. This bedroom is furnished with two single beds pushed together to form a king bed with a black velvet headboard. The bed provides us with great sleep quality, and surprisingly, despite the soft pillows, I slept pretty well on them. On both sides of the bed are a couple of bedside tables furnished with an industrial-designed bedside lamp. The space on the bedside tables is a little tight, but we find sufficient space to place our lifestyle devices for charging. The lower open tier on the bedside table gave us additional space to stow our stuff. I like that The House Zell am See installed two power outlets on each side of the bedside tables, although one is meant to power up the bedside lamp.
The rest of the furnishings in Bedroom 1 are rather simple. A large wooden wardrobe sits in one corner of the bedroom next to the floor-to-ceiling window panels that can be opened into a French balcony. The wardrobe has sufficient space (and hangers) for us to hang our clothing on one side, and the other side is fitted with shelves to place our smaller items on. Sandwiched between the wardrobe and the door to Bedroom 1 is a dresser fitted with two shallow but long drawers. It seems like this dresser was supposed to be a TV cabinet, as we found some TV cable ports mounted onto the wall at the dresser. However, there is no TV installed in this bedroom.
Ensuite Bathroom
The ensuite bathroom in Bedroom 1 is laid with sand-coloured tiles on the floor and part of the walls, which does not seem to contrast the nature theme in the suite. A sink with limited countertop space was the first thing we saw upon entering the bathroom. The ledge above the sink expanded the countertop space where we could stow our toiletries. A walk-in shower stall is tucked in a bathroom corner next to the sink. The shower is fitted with both regular and rain shower heads. I find the space in the walk-in shower a little tight. I like how The House Zell am See fitted a soap dish at the shower head, which we mainly used to stow our facial wash. The toilet is fitted next to the walk-in shower. The only thing I dislike about the ensuite bathroom is the lack of hooks to hang our clothing. Other than the shower gel cum shampoo, hand soap and body lotion, The House Zell am See did not provide any other bathroom amenities.
Bedroom 2
Bedroom 2 has the same design and layout as Bedroom 1, except for the missing ensuite bathroom. Similar to Bedroom 1, in the centre of this bedroom is a king bed, which is also two single beds pushed together to form a king bed. The sleep quality is also great on this bed, but the gap between the two beds can be felt when occupied by a single person. On either side of the bed are a couple of bedside tables, identical to those in Bedroom 1. Similar to that in Bedroom 1, we found two power outlets on each side of the bedside table.
Opposite the bed is a wooden table with a single long drawer, which also seemed to be a TV console, as the TV ports are also visible on the walls at this table. A wardrobe sits in the corner of the bedroom next to the wooden table by the floor-to-ceiling window. For single occupants, this wardrobe has generous space to hang up at least one week of clothing on the right side of the wardrobe. We found the only in-room safe on the bottom of the wardrobe of this bedroom. On the left portion of the wardrobe is a set of five shelving spaces for guests to stow small clothing items.
Bathroom
The bathroom is situated opposite Bedroom 2. This bathroom also uses sand-coloured tiling, creating consistency with the natural vibe seen throughout the suite. I thought the size of the bathroom was quite large. On the left side of the bathroom sits a shower/tub combination. Only a regular shower head is installed in this tub/shower combination. The sink sits next to the bathtub, directly facing the entrance to the bathroom, with limited countertop space. The toilet is situated next to the sink. The right side of the bathroom is a large unused space. Like the ensuite bathroom in Bedroom 1, we did not find any bathroom amenities other than the shower gel cum shampoo, hand soap and body lotion in the bathroom.
Living Room
The living room, which comprises a lounging area and a kitchenette, occupies the most real estate in the 2-bedroom suite.
Lounging Area
The lounging area has a cosy feel, mainly due to a combination of the lighting and the natural wood theme throughout the entire suite. There are two sofas furnished in the lounging area. A grey leather sofa was placed by the wall facing the TV and the floor-to-ceiling window panels. This sofa is large enough to accommodate three adults and can convert into a bed, which explains why we found extra bedding in the wardrobe in Bedroom 2. Another blue velvet sofa sits in front of the floor-to-ceiling window panels that can also be opened into a French balcony. This sofa is slightly smaller and can seat only two adults comfortably. The velvet material of this sofa is especially cosy in the cold winter. I was delighted to find a rocking chair in the corner of the lounging area next to the blue sofa. Another single-seater armchair is in the lounging area opposite the grey sofa, which increases the sitting capacity. A couple of metallic coffee tables are in the middle of the lounging area. The TV sits in a corner tilted to face the two sofas, resting on a blue wooden cabinet that has numerous small drawers designed into it. Despite being able to use these drawers, I felt they were more for decorative purposes. Besides the local Austrian channels (in German), we also found many more English channels playing on the TV.
Dining Area and Kitchenette
The dining area is sandwiched between the lounging area and the kitchenette in the 2-bedroom suite at The House Zell am See. It is furnished with a large black glass-topped round table and five dining chairs. I find the table a little too large for the size of the dining area, as we always bump into it when we open the door to the balcony.
The 2-bedroom suite at The House Zell am See is fitted with full kitchen facilities, housed in a natural wood set of cabinets sitting on the wall in this part of the living room. We found an oven cum microwave sitting on the open shelf above a full-size fridge hidden inside the wooden finished cabinet. The fridge is large enough for the suite’s occupants to store one week’s food. A large sink, electric hub, and hood can be found on the kitchen countertop. The House Zell am See also furnished the kitchenette with a Nespresso coffee machine, toaster and kettle on the kitchen countertop. I was surprised to find a dishwasher in the kitchenette, which The House Zell am See has thoughtfully provided dishwashing detergent and capsules for its occupants to use with the dishwasher. We also found a full set of china and cutlery for six and some cookware in the kitchenette cabinets.
Balcony
Other than the French balconies in the bedrooms and the lounge area, the 2-bedroom suite has a balcony next to the dining area. The balcony is furnished with a metal table and four chairs, allowing the suite’s occupants to enjoy the fresh alpine air from the comfort of the suite. From the balcony, we can see the ski slopes behind the service apartment.
Service
Our interaction with the staff was rather minimal at The House Zell am See. We only met staff at The House during check-in and check-out, and in the mornings, we headed out to explore Zell am See. The reception is only manned from 8 am to 8 pm daily. The staff we interacted with during check-in and check-out were welcoming and warm. The staff who checked us in gave us a very detailed brief of the facilities, how things work around the accommodation, and the cost of things like the self-served drinks, breakfast and laundry pods. He also briefed us on the ski shops and restaurants around town and the discounts we could receive by showing the accommodation card. I was surprised to receive an email about registering the Zell am See guest card, which offered us some discounts in Zell am See, thanks to the diligent staff at the accommodation who registered our arrival with the town’s app. However, I find it weird that the House charges €30 per housekeeping service during our stay.
Overall
The House Zell am See is situated in a very good location in Zell am See. It is close to Zell am See Bahnhof and Zell am See Postplatz, where we can catch buses to the sights outside Zell am See. The House is also very close to the sights and amenities in the town and town centre. The accommodation felt very cosy, comfortable, and very well-equipped. The sleep quality on the beds was excellent.