Your weight in gold, so get fit

The Bioferienhotel Mandler's Landhaus hotel in Austrian Alps has quite a new idea about their pricing system – it charges per pound of flesh – literally. The rates at this all organic food hotel are determinated on arrival, when hotel guests are "weighted-in" at reception; the skinnier you are, the smaller a rate.

“It is not only encouraging health and weight awareness, it also stimulates people to do more fitness training,” a hotel spokesman said.

Source: Times Online

The ugliest hotel 5 - Bad Blumau , Austria

Straight from the Gaudi - Klimt nightmare comes out my next contender to the honourable name of the ugliest hotel in the world.

The designer spa Rogner Bad Blumau Hotel near Graz in Austria was designed by Austrian sculptor and painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who is famous for calling straight lines “the devil’s tools”.

The hotel claims to be the world's largest habitable work of art and offers 290 rooms, some underground in few differently themed areas. The spa is at the centre of the complex and provides a variety of saunas and health facilities and offers a number of wellness programmes. The hotel is also home to Europe's leading holistic health centre.

According to the hotel’s philosophy ‘The absence of kitsch makes our life unbearable, you can’t do without romance.’ Can someone explain to me how kitsch is related to romance?

It's got to be Austria, has it?

Austria tries to revamp its image in the newest branding campaign 'It's got to be Austria', which rolls out this February. The campaign is aimed at highlighting Austria’s distinctive characteristics and combining them with unexpected perspectives.

Dr. Petra Stolba, CEO of the Austrian National Tourist Office, said: "We aim to produce so called ‘decision triggers’, which tip the balance in Austria’s favour and provides potential visitors with reasons to travel and opportunities to experience. Overall the campaign is designed to inspire and convey Austria as an enriching holiday destination."

Maybe it is slightly too witty for me. Although the sarcasm of calling the Vienna Boys Choir the world’s oldest boy band does not escape me, I have trouble with understanding how that could affect my decision in any case.

The ugliest hotel 3 - Ottensheim, Austria

dasparkhotel in Ottensheim in Austria is my next candidate for The Ugliest Hotel.

The hotel offers three rooms (yes three, not three dozens nor three hundred), all detached (that’s not a phrase used often when talking about hotel rooms), weights 9.5 tons and is constructed from reclaimed drain pipes.

The dasparkhotel boasts an unexpectedly comfortable interior - full headroom, double bed, storage, light, power, woolly blanket and light cotton sleeping bag. All other facilities: toilets, showers, minibar, cafe, etc are supplied by the surrounding public space.

At a "pay as you wish" pricing system customers leave a Euro amount that they can afford and with which they wish to support dasparkhotel. It is probably the best value for money hotel in the world.

You know what I am going to say – the idea is down the drain - literally.