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Mag. Bernhard Brandauer, Austrian attorney-at-law
BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte
Mag. Bernhard Brandauer assists with the legal assessment of tourism contracts, operating issues, levies and liability matters.
Package travel defect: price reduction and lost holiday enjoyment
Package travel defect: time-based price reduction, damages and lost holiday enjoyment under section 12 PRG explained for travellers.
Travel booking technically executed incorrectly: liability for input and system errors
Wrong travel date or service after booking: section 17 PRG separates technical booking errors from errors attributable to the traveller.
Legionnaires disease at a hotel: who must report illness or death
Legionnaires disease at a hotel: sections 1 and 3 of the Austrian Epidemics Act, reporting responsibility for illness or death and the subsidiary role of the hospitality operator.
Voluntary tip or service charge: separating tax exemption in hotels
Voluntary tips and mandatory service charges have to be separated in hotel operations. This overview explains the distinction under section 3(1)(16a) of the Austrian Income Tax Act.
Hotel stars in booking offers: proof of classification and misleading-advertising risk
Use hotel stars correctly online: classification, proof, validity and misleading-advertising risk under section 2 UWG for accommodation businesses.
Travel organiser outside the EEA: when the travel agency is responsible for performance
Travel organiser outside the EEA: when section 16 PRG extends performance duties to an Austrian travel agency and which records matter.
Hotel staff as city guides: when the tourist guide trade is required
Hotel staff as city guides: when section 108 GewO requires the tourist guide trade, which exceptions apply and what to document for staff used on the tour.
Hotel publicly discloses a room number: erasure and remedies
A hotel publishes a room number together with a guest’s name or stay period. This guide explains the legal basis, erasure request and first remedies.
Airport wheelchair assistance refused: notice, replacement and costs
Airport assistance for people with reduced mobility: advance notice, arrival times, responsibility, costs, replacement and complaints under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006.
Hotel sustainability advertising: evidence, misleading claims and injunctions
Prepare hotel sustainability advertising: evidence, scope, misleading claims and injunction risks under sections 2 and 14 UWG.
Negative online hotel review: factual assertion, opinion and injunction
Negative online hotel review: assess factual assertions, opinions, evidence preservation and possible injunction, revocation or damages under section 1330 ABGB.
Tour operator offers a voucher instead of a refund: consent and solvency risk
A tour operator offers a voucher instead of repayment: check consent, voucher terms and issuer solvency under section 10 PRG.
Hotel provides a baby cot: product safety requirements
Hotel baby cot safety: the GPSR, safe product use, documents, checks and steps after a defect or incident explained for accommodation businesses.
Outdoor seating on road space: tables require a permit under the StVO
Outdoor seating on a road: when section 82 StVO requires a permit, which pavement exception applies and why traffic interests, conditions and additional rights must be checked separately.
Holiday home with a pet ban: contract information, cancellation and replacement
Pet ban in a holiday home: review booking information, contract interpretation, cancellation, repayment and replacement accommodation against the actual documents.
Guest damage to hotel inventory: compensation and deposit
When a guest damages hotel inventory, damage, causation, wear, restoration costs and the deposit must be assessed and accounted for separately.
Hotel guest injured at a glass door: safety duties and evidence
Hotel guest injured at a glass door: safety duties, visibility, incident notice and evidence of injury consequences in Austria.
Oral allergen information: duties for hospitality businesses
Oral allergen information in restaurants, hotels and catering: visible notice, trained staff and written records under Austrian law.
Resort fee charged at check-out: total price and online booking information
Resort and mandatory hotel fees in online bookings: total price, pre-contract information, check-out demands and the distinction from local tourist tax in Austria.
Hotel change in package travel: significant contractual change, choice and repayment
Hotel change before package-travel departure: when the alteration is significant, which choice travellers have and when repayment or a price reduction may apply.
Missing visa information in the package-travel form: withdrawal costs and damages
If a package-travel form omits passport and visa requirements, assess the information duty, withdrawal compensation and possible damages separately.
Prepaid individual accommodation after illness: refund or rebooking
Illness before an individual accommodation booking: what to assess in Austria regarding prepayment, tariff terms, refund, rebooking and evidence.
Refund after package travel cancellation: payment flow and deadline
Refund after package travel cancellation: who receives which amount and when, and which records support the process under section 10 PRG?
Hotel reservation with prepayment: room not provided and refund claims
Hotel room not provided despite prepayment: refunds, alternative accommodation, additional costs and damages after an individual reservation in Austria.
Package travel organiser assistance: illness, lost documents and return journey
Assistance under section 14 PRG: what package travel organisers must do when travellers face illness, lost documents or return journey problems.
Package travel price increase under section 8 PRG: costs and traveller choice
Package travel price increase under section 8 PRG: which costs may be passed on, when notice is required and what travellers can choose.
Damaged checked baggage in package travel: notice, proof of value and compensation
Damaged checked baggage in package travel: written notice, seven-day period, proof of value, replacement and the roles of airline and tour organiser.
Hotel room in the wrong category: price reduction and replacement service
Hotel room in the wrong category: price reduction, replacement service and damages after package travel or a single hotel booking in Austria.
Late hotel check-in: key handover, no-show and cancellation charges
Late hotel check-in: access, key handover, no-show, cancellation charges and important evidence under Austrian law.
Hotel room unusable because of pests: replacement room and evidence
Hotel room unusable because of pests: replacement room, notice of defects, price reduction, further costs and evidence in Austria.
Transfer a package travel contract to another traveller: notice, costs and liability
How to transfer a package travel contract to a replacement traveller, including eligibility, notice before departure, actual costs, receipt and liability.
Hotel guest belongings and valuables: when is the innkeeper liable?
When a hotel is liable for lost or damaged luggage, what cap applies to cash and valuables and why immediate notice matters.
Tour operator insolvency protection: certificate and repatriation
What package-travel insolvency protection covers, which details the certificate should show and how travellers claim refunds and repatriation.
Package travel because of extraordinary circumstances: withdrawal, refund and evidence
Package travel and extraordinary circumstances: requirements for withdrawal under section 10 PRG, full refund and important evidence.
Hotel overbooking: replacement accommodation, extra costs and guest claims
Hotel overbooking in Austria: which replacement accommodation, extra costs, refunds and damages should be assessed after a confirmed booking cannot be provided.
Linked travel arrangement or package travel: classify the booking flow
Flights, accommodation and other travel services: how booking flow, payment, total price and online data transfer affect the classification as package travel or a linked travel arrangement.
EU short-term letting from 20 May 2026: registration numbers and platform data
EU short-term letting rules from 20 May 2026: registration numbers, platform data, reporting duties and the distinction from Austrian law.
Cross-border travel service: preserve contract documents
Cross-border travel services in Austria: which contract documents travellers and providers should preserve and how law and jurisdiction are reviewed separately.
Tourism business: prepare documents for the first consultation
How tourism businesses can organise documents for an initial legal assessment: business, location, contracts, figures and correspondence.
Accommodation: handle cancellation requests transparently
How accommodation businesses in Austria review, answer and document cancellation requests.
Tour operator: changes and information channels
Tour operator changes before departure: when they are permitted, how notice must be given and how travellers can respond.
Hospitality: house rules and conflict records
House rules in restaurants and inns: classify entry, bans, conduct rules and incident records under Austrian law.
Holiday home: check the letting model in advance
Holiday-home letting: review the letting model, spatial planning, section 31b ROG 2009, tenancy, trade and condominium law first.
Guest incident: evidence and first steps
Guest incident in accommodation: evidence, notice and first measures under sections 970 to 970c ABGB.
Local accommodation tax: reporting and internal responsibilities
Local accommodation tax in Salzburg: accommodation notifications, periodic declarations, deadlines and clear internal responsibilities.
Package travel: complaints and records in the business
Package travel in business operations: record complaints correctly, document remedies and distinguish travel services, price reduction and damages.
Hotel operator contract: review before the season
Review a hotel operator contract before the season: use, fees, investments, permits, operating duties, liability and termination.
Clarify a tourism-law question
Address
BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte GmbH Giselakai 51 5020 Salzburg
Phone
+43 662 6280000