Geschichte des Hauses

Pension Elisabeth has a colourful history.

The name „Pension Elisabeth“ was given in memory of Elisabeth Thallmayer, née Weickl (1890 to 1944), at one time the owner of the plot of land on which Pension Elisabeth was later built. Harald Thallmayer, Elisabeth’s son, intended to build the house for their devoted house-keeper, Miss Ihme, since she did not have a source of income anymore, as all members of the family, except him, had died. However, because of her early death in the very same year the house was finished, he leased it to the Grims family who kept it for three generations.

In the early years, from 1949, the house – originally conceived as a home for unmarried railway workers – was run with the emphasis on the long-term rental of the rooms. In the years of the American garrison, there arose also the business of “very short term rental”, till the Americans declared the house “off limits”.

With tourism only increasing slowly, Pension Elisabeth got through the following years modestly, having tourists as guests in the summer months and long term rentals in the winter months. It was only when the price of flights went down, and international tourism increased, that the house had an upturn in fortune.

Starting from 1994, when Sibylle Thallmayer, granddaughter of Elisabeth, took over the business, Pension Elisabeth became more profitable. Continuously the house was made to toe the line and has now a very good reputation among the budget hotels and pensions in Salzburg. Part of the new image was the construction of a new floor and a new round roof in 2000, providing space for seven new rooms – for the first time ensuite.

2003/2004 the reception area was completely redesigned, the breakfast room was furnished in modern style and now also serves as a gallery with paintings from young artists from Salzburg. The “old” rooms were renovated and furnished in the same plain modern style as the others. Also the public shower rooms were remade.

2005 all renovations were completed and three new rooms were built: Our “Garden Appartement” and two “Motel Rooms”.

2006 all rooms were equipped with satellite TV.

2007 and 2008 all room doors were replaced and adapted with an electronic locking system with key cards.

Since 2010 we offer free WIFI access for our guests in the common areas, since 2012 the free WIFI connection has been extended to (almost) every room.

Since 2010 we have several non-smoking rooms, and since 2015 finally all rooms are non-smoking!

In 2012 the facade of the building has been renewed.

2015: New flatscreen TV-Sets for all rooms!

2016: Air conditioning was added to many rooms

2016, in the late autumn: In the annex building, three new apartments and one studio were added – complete with cooking facilities – ideal for self-catering! Details can be found at https://www.cityvilla-salzburg.at/en/

2019: Complete and total renovation and new furnishing of all guest rooms, bathrooms and public areas. Press release

2020-spring 2022: Like everywhere else in the world, the years of the pandemic become a test of endurance. With a great deal of personal commitment, Sibylle and all the staff strive to meet the regulatory requirements and provide a safe environment for the remaining guests. Some of the necessary restructuring – e.g. at breakfast – is very well received by the guests and will be maintained permanently.

Autumn 2022: Pension Elisabeth becomes Pension Elisabeth OG. Sibylle and her son Luigi now manage the business together. Many new ideas continue to improve our service.

Spring 2023: Our new key card system is more user-friendly than ever before. Automatic sliding doors bring more light into the hallway on the ground floor, and more tranquility for the adjacent guest rooms.

Spring 2024: Reconstruction and redesign of reception and breakfast room: doors are relocated and replaced by additional sliding doors, the ambience becomes even friendlier and brighter, and there is also a little more space. An additional workstation in reception means that check-ins can be processed more quickly and questions can be answered in more detail. A practical luggage rack makes it easier to store luggage before or after your stay.

May 2024: We are delighted to receive the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award 2024 and would like to thank all our guests for the many positive reviews!
Tripdvisor Traveller's Choice Awards 2024