Engelberg_Magazin_No_15

Erwin Gabriel und sein Team empfangen ab dem 13. De- zember 2014 Gäste in ihrem neuen Bärghuis Jochpass. From 13 December 2014, Erwin Gabriel and his team will be ready to welcome guests to the new Bärghuis Jochpass.

Gilt auch für das Berghaus: Wer sich erfolgreich behaupten will, muss Trends erkennen, Wünsche der Gäste wahrnehmen und dabei immer auch die Wirtschaft- lichkeit im Auge behalten. The mountain hut’s guiding principles: recognising trends, understanding the needs of your guests, and always operating cost effectively.

Bärghuis Jochpass, originally built in 1936, opens its doors again on 13 December 2014, offering guests a cosy, typically Swiss and yet contemporary experience free from pretention. The reopening marks the end of a year-long renovation project that posed a number of construction challenges and required the Jochpass team to utilise all their improvisation­ al skills. The key to success for t he mounta i n hut located on t he Jochpass, 2,222 met res above sea level, is t he same as for t hose work i ng

ca r ted t he mater ia l up to t he Jochpass, where it was handc ra f ted by an a rmy of workers. Fol lowi ng t he renovat ion and ex ten- sion, t he mounta i n hut wi l l emerge as a si ngle un it. The ex tensions t hat were added i n 1986 and 2006 rema i n i ntac t, but t he older pa r t of t he bu i ld i ng has been demol ished . From mid-December, t he hut wi l l have more rooms yet of fer t he same number of beds, wit h 15 en-su ite double rooms wit h shower, two fou r-person and two f ive-person rooms, one si x-person room, and fou r dorms t hat

Even though much has changed, the rustic mountain hut atmosphere has cer tain ly not been lost. The three dining rooms now of fer space for 160 diners rather than on ly 100. The Gadä bar located on the ground f loor seats 80 inside and 150 outside, and has been successf u lly up and running since last win- ter. Raou l Ma llinger, the experienced head chef, will have a new kitchen f rom November. Dishes that have stood the test of time will still be on the menu, but Erwin and his team have concoc ted some new additions. A longside

think on their feet, adds Erwin with a smile. It is a lready clear that the new Bärghuis Jochpass will at trac t an even larger crowd of winter and summer spor ts enthusiasts. Visitor numbers during the week are a lso expec ted to increase, as the hut ’s authentic and welcoming atmosphere is sure to impress a ll who experi- ence it. Regu lar guest A lexandra Achermann f rom Obernau in the canton of Lucerne can vouch for this: “Gorgeous mountain v iews, f ine food and f riend ly staf f – I f ind ever y thing I cou ld wish for here. A ll v isitors are tru ly

i n t he hotel and restau rant i ndust r y down i n t he va l ley below: recogn isi ng t rends, understand i ng t he needs of you r guests, and a lways operat i ng cost ef fec t ively. Bä rghu is Jochpass is owned

sleep ten people each . A l l t he rooms wi l l be generously ap - poi nted and f u r n ished wit h lov i ng deta i l. Each room wi l l have its own d ist i nc- t ive appea rance, but a l l wi l l have a r ust ic yet moder n

hear ty home cooking, the 2014/15 winter season will see the arriva l of a greater selec tion of lighter dishes and more regiona l prod- uc ts. “Ever y three weeks we will ser ve up a variety

spoiled. Of course I will come and spend a weekend at the new Bärghuis.” A lexandra’s daughter Stephanie, current- ly training as a chef, backs up her mother’s words of praise: “Both the ser v ice and the food

Bärghuis Jochpass – cosy yet contemporary and free of pretention

“The ideas for the interior did not come from a top Parisian designer, but from us.”

by t he T r übsee A lpi ne cooperat ive – an organ isat ion known for its i nnovat ive and ent repreneu r ia l spi r it. The cooperat ive f i rmly bel ieves i n t he f ut u re of its mounta i n hut, and it was t h is bel ief t hat led to t he renova- t ion work t hat began last yea r – t he coop - erat ive’s la rgest i nvestment projec t to date, enta i l i ng costs of a lmost ten mi l l ion f rancs. Const r uc t ion work i n t he mounta i ns is ex t remely cha l leng i ng and between 20 to 30 percent more expensive t han bu i ld i ng i n t he va l ley – even i f t he bu i lders do wit hout t he cost ly process of t ranspor t i ng bu i ld i ng mate- r ia l v ia hel icopter. “ T ranspor t costs a lone make up 15 percent of t he tota l const r uc t ion expenses,” expla i ns Erwi n Gabr iel, who has r un t he mounta i n hut for 18 yea rs wit h h is wi fe T r udy. Du r i ng const r uc t ion work on Bä rghu is Jochpass, g reat ef for ts were made to keep t hese costs as low as possible. The bu i ld- i ng mater ia l was brought to Unter t r übsee by suppl iers. From t here, says Erwi n, ever yone

appea rance and an unmistakable mounta i n hut atmosphere. And t he hut ’s new sauna wi l l of fer guests stay i ng severa l days a welcome respite f rom a l l t he snow spor ts and h i k i ng. Erwi n adds, wit h understandable pr ide, t hat t he beds and f u r n it u re were made at Wü rsch ca r penter ’s i n nea rby Buochs usi ng wood f rom t he T r übsee A lpi ne cooperat ive’s own pi ne t rees, and t hat t he i nter ior was not con- ceived by a top Pa r isian designer, but by t he const r uc t ion commit tee and t he ca r penters at Wü rsch . For example, t hey came up wit h t he idea to d iv ide t he restau rant i nto t h ree, t hemed d i n i ng rooms: t he Jochst übl i, Säumer- st ube and A lpgenossenst übl i. The A lpgenos- senst übl i resembles a fa rmhouse k itchen and feat u res photog raphs document i ng t he h istor y of t he A lpi ne cooperat ive. The Säum- erst ube has panels of old wood sou rced f rom Emmet ten and Seel isberg. Just t h i nk how many storms t h is wood must have weat h- ered, and how many stor ies it cou ld tel l!

of specia lities f rom the region a long the Sbrinz Route,” says Erwin, conv inced that regiona l produce and dishes are what peo- ple are looking for when they come here.” In mid-December, the intensive plan- ning and construc tion period will come to an end. “It has been a tricky projec t for a ll in- volved,” says Erwin. “But we know that the end resu lt, which will open on 13 December, will be something unique.” This cer tainty makes it easy to forget the rather chaotic construc- tion period. In the end, the self ser v ice area remained constantly open so that hikers and cyclists cou ld eat at the mountain hut despite the building work. Following completion, the construc tion team will remember with a smile how occasiona lly there was no stair- case and the rooms cou ld on ly be accessed v ia the roof, how the restaurant resembled a goods depot, and how they quite litera lly didn’ t have a roof over their heads some- times. The team of ten had to improv ise and

are fantastic!” she says, going on to give hosts Trudy and Erwin a specia l mention and adding that “ it a lways feels so homely here.” In the 18 years that the Gabriels and their team have been running the mountain hut up on the Joch- pass it has become a much-loved meeting point. They know that f rills and f lamboyance are not necessar y to at trac t guests f rom near and far; hard work, warm hospita lity and good food are the most impor tant foundations for building a loya l customer base. The renovations have been designed to meet the changing require- ments of guests and will be a f ur ther asset for this popu lar guesthouse in the mountains. Regu lar v isitors keen to see what “ their” guesthouse will look like af ter renovations are completed can keep up with the latest develop- ments v ia Facebook and the Bärghuis website.

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hotellerie | thehotel industry

hotellerie | thehotel industry