engelberg magazin nummer16 sommer

Jedes Zimmer ist individuell eingerichtet und dekoriert – die Gastgeberin Franziska Baum- gartner ist schliesslich gelern- te Dekorationsgestalterin. Each room is individually fur- nished and decorated – after all, host Franziska Baumgartner trained as an interior designer.

Im Hostatt hat es zwölf Zimmer – jedes bietet Blick auf die Bergwelt.

The Hostatt has twelve rooms – all of which offer a view of the mountains.

“The mountains rise up right out of the ground in front of the Hostatt,” a hotel guest once raved – and rightly so. No other hotel affords the same 360° view of Engelberg’s spectacular mountain landscape. In summer, the Hostatt is surrounded by colourful meadows of flowers; in winter these same meadows are transformed into glistening snow fields. Franziska Baumgar tner has been run- ning Hotel Garni Hostat t with lov ing at ten- tion to detail for four years. Her background is in interior design – a skill that is ev ident in the tastef u l design of years before mov ing to Centra l Switzerland for love. “I wanted to be closer to civ ilisa- tion again,” she laughs. Once she had relo- cated, she happened upon the adver tisement for a new tenant to operate the Hostat t. The hotel ’s origina l founders were the Häcki family, who moved f rom Engelberg to Sursee in the mid-60s to establish a new foot- hold for their grocer y business and lef t their land up for sa le. The farmhouse that stood here burned down, leav ing on ly the founda- tion wa lls intac t. The insurance company was not willing to pay for its reconstruc tion, so the family decided to build an apar tment building instead. Due to the huge construc tion boom, there were no master builders available, so the Häckis designed the house themselves, and built it out of wood. During the f ina l phase of the struc tura l work, the va lley mayor per- suaded the mother of the family to turn the building into a Hotel Garni (bed and break fast). This explains why the rooms var y in size – as the rooms. Franziska began her new career in hospita l- ity at the Tuoi mountain hut in Engadin – located at the lof ty a ltitude of 2,250 m – which she ran for f ive

they wou ld have in the apar tments. Initia lly the rooms on ly had running water, but in 1997 the hotel was equipped with bathrooms and soundproof wa lls. By this time, son Seppi and his wife Sabine had taken over the manage- ment of the hotel. They remained at the helm for over 14 years and still live there today. With just 12 rooms, this sma ll hotel is the per fec t place to relax away f rom the stresses of daily life. Guests begin the day with a copious break fast buf fet of regiona l produce – sourced f rom Engelberg wherever

possible. Thanks to its par t- nership with nearby restau- rant Schweizerhaus, Hostat t can of fer guests a three or four-course evening mea l at a specia l price close to their hotel. And those who wou ld

Originally, the Hostatt was intended to house family apartments.

rather not leave the comfor t of the hotel can prepare their own mea ls in the guest kitchen and eat in the cosy common room. In the summer months, the hotel is a great star ting point for many hikes – both f lat and mountainous – and the pret ty gar- den is the per fec t place to while away the day with a good book. Mild summer eve- nings can be spent in the barbecue hut lis- tening to the sound of chirping crickets. In winter, the hotel is close to the bus stop for the f ree ski bus. In addition, the fami- ly-f riend ly K lostermat te can be easily reached by foot. As a keen skier, Franziska is a lways happy to give adv ice to winter spor ts enthu- siasts. Cross-countr y skiers will love the fac t that Engelberg’s cross-countr y trail begins just across the meadow behind the hotel. You might even bump into Lena Häcki – the new star of Swiss women’s biath lon – out training for her nex t competition. She and her sister grew up at the Hostat t and still live there today.

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hotellerie | thehotel industry

hotellerie | thehotel industry