Sustainable holidays in wellness hotels in Austria & South Tyrol
The greenhouse effect and its consequences are not just the concern of climate researchers. Doing more for the environment and nature together is the motto of the Best Alpine Wellness Hotels. Living and working sustainably also has to do with responsibility towards employees, families, the social environment and suppliers.
TRADITION OBLIGES
The resorts of the Best Alpine Wellness Hotels are all family-run, many of them for many generations, some of them for centuries, such as the Genussdorf Gmachl, which has been owned by the Gmachl family since 1787. We are convinced that our history gives us the responsibility to shape the present in such a way that a good future is possible. Because that is the prerequisite for sustainable living and leaves no room for short-term profit thinking.
Many very small, but also very large, sometimes very creative measures contribute to a sustainable wellness holiday: These range from natural straws at the bar to homemade yoghurt or butter from the neighbouring farmer to electric mobility and a sophisticated heat recovery system. At the Krallerhof, for example, 700 trees were planted last year on the hotel's own initiative.
REGIONAL PRODUCTS ENJOY PRIORITY
Regional organic specialities instead of fresh fruit on the breakfast buffet, fresh butter from the farmer and homemade jam instead of pre-packaged portions: This not only has a positive impact on the CO2 balance. The kitchen teams at the Best Alpine Wellness Hotels give absolute preference to products from the local area, also because conscious guests appreciate authenticity and absolute freshness in the flavour experience.
Many products come from the hotel's own garden, agriculture, breeding, from the hotel's own alpine pasture or from the hotel's own hunt at the Hotel Post in Lermoos or the Theresa - such as Herbs, dairy products, trout, meat and honey.
A large number of the establishments have been awarded the ‘Culinary Heritage Austria’ certificate. This is intended to help the Best Alpine Wellness Hotels to preserve the roots of Austrian food and drink culture, recipes and typical Austrian agricultural raw products from disappearing and dying out.
WELLNESS UND BEAUTY, REGIONAL UND NATURNAH MIT BALANCE ALPINE 1000+
In 2013, the Best Alpine Wellness Hotels developed the BALANCE ALPINE 1000+ product line. The care line is based on traditional European medicine. Only herbs from over 1000 metres above sea level, salts from Austria and a special healing water from the Tyrolean mountains are used in the processing of the products. It goes without saying that the products are manufactured in an Austrian factory and do not contain artificial colourings, preservatives, mineral oils, paraffins or parabens.
You can find more information about BALANCE ALPINE 1000+ here. You can order all products in the Best Wellness online shop.
ENERGY, ENERGY, ENERGY
There is no doubt that wellness needs energy. That's why, based on a comprehensive survey of the CO2 footprint of each establishment a few years ago, there have been serious changes in the energy supply. At the Wellnesshotel Engel, for example, the cooling systems and laundry generate enough energy to heat six detached houses all year round.
At the Stock Resort, all permanent employees were recently equipped with electric cars, and in 2013, over 3,600 metres of borehole heat exchangers were built to cover a large part of the energy requirements.
The conversion of the heating systems has saved hundreds of tonnes of CO2 emissions in many companies. In the Übergossenen Alm, a wood chip plant was built in cooperation with a neighbouring farmer, while the construction of the combined heat and power plant at the Wartherhof helped to save 180,000 litres of heating oil.
ECO ALL ALONG THE LINE
The Naturhotel Waldklause is a pioneer in many areas: it was the first hotel in Austria to be built using innovative glue-free solid wood construction with Tyrolean sheep's wool insulation and fulfils all the quality standards of a low-energy house for tourism businesses. The Waldklause has also been awarded the Austrian and European Ecolabel. Ecological considerations have been fundamental to all decisions here from the very beginning. Many awards and honours impressively demonstrate the orientation and prove that environmentally friendly management is also possible at the very highest quality level.
