Holidays in Salzburg province
Hotel Sonngastein in Bad Gastein
The 4-star family hotel Sonngastein in Bad Gastein combines spacious resort facilities with something larger hotels often lack: a personal atmosphere and genuine host spirit. At Sonngastein, you are known personally by the first dinner at the latest. Families choose our hotel in Bad Gastein, Austria, for the Adventure Hall, award-winning cuisine and comprehensive childcare. Couples come for time together, thermal water and mountain air – to a house that feels wonderfully calm outside the school holidays. Different guests, different needs – and all are happy to return.
Our holiday worlds
Discover Sonngastein
Inside the hotel
Take a look inside
Family Zitka & team
Your hosts
Over 45 years of Hotel Sonngastein – and the host family is still present in the hotel every day. Axel and Renate Zitka have shaped the hotel over decades; today, their son Florian runs it in the third generation, together with his wife Rui. On guided hikes, on the tennis court or in conversation over dinner: the Zitkas are right at the heart of hotel life, always approachable and personally there for their guests. Many team members at Hotel Sonngastein Bad Gastein have also been part of the hotel for many years. This continuity can be felt in the smooth routines and warm family atmosphere throughout the house.
Host family Zitka
Wholeheartedly here for you
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Three Generations of the Zitka Host Family
What is now Hotel Sonngastein began with a dream in the late 1970s: Liselott and Dr Hans-Roland Zitka wanted to return to Austria and build a hotel there. Together, they searched for a long time for the right place – and eventually found it in the beautiful Gastein Valley. To pursue this dream, the entire family moved from Munich to Bad Gastein. With great courage, passion and pioneering spirit, our grandparents opened the Tennishotel Sonngastein, laying the foundations for a hotel that continues to be shaped by families, sport, hospitality and personal warmth to this day.
In 1993, Dr Frank-Alexander Zitka and Renate Zitka took over the hotel. They continued to run Sonngastein with great passion and, in 1999, developed it into a family hotel where children, parents and grandparents alike can feel at home. Since 2025, we, Mag. Florian Zitka and Rui Zitka, MSc, have had the privilege of continuing to run the hotel as the third generation.
Holidays with your dog in Salzburg province
Four-legged friends welcome
Two Bobtails live at Sonngastein – Wolly and Schnuffel. That says everything about how we feel about dogs. As a dog friendly hotel in the Austrian Alps, we warmly welcome guests who want to bring their four-legged companion on holiday. The Gastein Valley provides the perfect backdrop: walking paths along the Ache river, hiking routes and meadows right on our doorstep – perfect for leisurely walks and hiking holidays with your dog in Austria.
Is Hotel Sonngastein a family-run hotel?
Yes. Sonngastein has been a personally managed family hotel for more than 45 years. Today, the hotel is run by third-generation host Florian Zitka together with his wife Rui.
Axel and Renate Zitka also remain closely involved in the hotel. The host family is present throughout daily hotel life, during shared activities, on the tennis court and in personal conversations with guests.
Many members of the team have worked at Sonngastein for years. This continuity plays an important role in the hotel's warm and personal atmosphere.
Is Sonngastein exclusively a children's hotel?
No. Although Sonngastein provides particularly extensive facilities for families, it welcomes different generations and types of holidaymaker.
During the school holidays, families, childcare and the teen programme are central to hotel life. Outside the school holidays, the atmosphere is often considerably quieter and particularly suitable for couples, wellness guests, tennis players, golfers and active holidaymakers.
The generous layout of the hotel provides opportunities for shared experiences as well as peaceful spaces for adults.
Which facilities are available directly at the hotel?
A wide range of leisure, sports and relaxation facilities is available in and around the hotel:
- the 1,700 m² Adventure Hall with 38 attractions
- five outdoor and two indoor tennis courts
- an approximately 1,000 m² wellness area
- indoor and outdoor pools with Gastein thermal water
- saunas, relaxation areas and treatment rooms
- an approximately 110 m² fitness area
- a hotel cinema, playrooms and supervised programmes
- a restaurant, hotel bar and comfortable lounge areas
Many facilities can be used by overnight guests without an additional charge during the applicable opening and usage times.
Are dogs welcome at Hotel Sonngastein?
Yes. Dogs are welcome by prior arrangement. The host family also has two Bobtails of its own, Wolly and Schnuffel.
Walking paths, meadows and hiking routes begin close to the hotel, making the location particularly suitable for a holiday with a dog in the Gastein Valley.
An additional fee is charged for dogs. Please provide the breed, size and number of dogs when making your enquiry. Restrictions may apply in certain areas of the hotel.
What does personal hospitality mean at Sonngastein?
Despite its extensive resort facilities, Sonngastein remains a hotel with personal contact and approachable hosts.
The host family and long-standing team are present throughout daily hotel life and assist guests with excursions, sports activities, ski lessons, treatments and special holiday requests.
The aim is not an anonymous resort stay, but a holiday in which guests enjoy plenty of freedom while always having a personal point of contact.