To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Gemütlichkeit identifies 100 top hotels in Europe.

News Release

Germany, Austria, Switzerland 1987-2007:
Europe Travel Letter Announces Top European Hotels and Restaurants  

In their publication’s 20th anniversary issue, the editors and writers of Gemütlichkeit: The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland (www.gemut.com), have identified their 100 favorite hotels, including the 10 most gemütlich. Also listed in the milestone issue are 65 hotels that offer the outstanding value, as well as 65 favorite restaurants—all located in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

“Like Gemütlichkeit itself, these special European hotels have stood the test of time, providing charming accommodations and exceptional value,” said publisher, Robert Bestor. ”And they are not just the most expensive; our goal has always been to not only find the best, but also the best deals, and these are the cream of the crop from the last 20 years. Another plus is that many are well off the beaten path.”

The monthly newsletter, which focuses on both popular and lesser-known destinations within its three-country area of coverage, features hotel and restaurant reviews based on the in-person experiences of Gemütlichkeit writers and editors, backroads driving routes, scenic rail trips, advice for walkers and hikers, shopping suggestions, and consumer-related stories such as where to find the best deals on hotels, car rentals, rail passes, and airline tickets.

The German word gemütlichkeit has no direct English equivalent but roughly translates to friendliness, coziness, and warmth of welcome.

The 10 European hotels the publication has determined as most “gemütlich” are:

• Hotel Abtei – Hamburg, Germany
• Hotel Altstadt – Vienna, Austria
• Hotel Anker – Marktheidenfeld, Germany
• Hotel Art Nouveau – Berlin, Germany
• Gasthof Fraundorfer – Garmisch-Partenkirchen,Germany
• Hotel Neu Meran – Bad Reichenhall,Germany
• Hotel Petrisberg – Trier, Germany
• Schloss Haunsperg – Oberalm bei Salzburg, Austria
• Waldhotel Doldenhorn – Kandersteg, Switzerland
• Hotel Zum Löwen – Worb, Switzerland

One-year subscriptions to the newsletter cost $59 and are available at www.gemut.com (a free, sample issue can be downloaded at the site). In addition to the monthly issues received via regular mail, subscribers have exclusive access to Gemütlichkeit’s online archive of back issues that dates back to 1993. Bestor says all new subscribers in 2007 will receive a free copy of the 20th anniversary issue.

Contact: Robert Bestor, Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, tel. 541-488-8462, 800-521-6722, fax 541-488-8468, email: info@gemut.com, web: www.gemut.com