Resurrecting Hotel Schwendi: An Expensive Alpine Hobby

There is a particular genre of middle-class fantasy that involves abandoning the predictable comforts of a desk job to resurrect a decaying provincial hotel. In most parts of the world, this romantic impulse is swiftly crushed by the brutal economics of the hospitality sector. Yet in Switzerland, a nation blessed with a remarkably healthy economy and citizens who can afford to entertain such grand visions, these ventures occasionally materialise into reality.

For years, Barbara and Martin Künzi, a married couple from Thun, drove past the derelict Hotel Schwendi in the municipality of Schattenhalb. The 120-year-old property, situated in the Haslital near the famous Reichenbach Falls, had sat empty, radiating the kind of mysterious charm that reliably seduces passing urbanites. Neither of them possessed a shred of experience in hotel management. She earns her living as a speech therapist, while he works as a brand consultant. Their decision to purchase the historic building was less a calculated business manoeuvre than an overwhelming emotional compulsion to create an inspiring space.

Naturally, the transition from architectural daydream to operational reality was fraught with the usual bureaucratic friction. The renovation process required immense patience as building permits were delayed and architects had to be replaced. Hospitality industry veterans routinely warn against precisely this scenario, noting how quickly enthusiastic amateurs can bankrupt themselves trying to tame an old building.

However, the couple held a crucial advantage: they never quit their day jobs. By maintaining their primary sources of income, they insulated themselves from the existential financial dread that typically accompanies such massive capital investments. They freely admit to viewing the entire endeavour as a rather expensive hobby, a shared passion project that serves as an outlet for their joint ambitions. Being childless, they have channelled their energy into the property, treating the extensive renovation as their collective progeny.

The project also provided a necessary psychological anchor during a period of severe personal distress. The renovation phase coincided with Barbara Künzi undergoing treatment for cancer. While managing a construction site alongside a serious illness would logically seem overwhelming, the couple found that the tangible progress of the building work offered a vital distraction from medical anxieties.

Now, the Hotel Schwendi has finally reopened its doors to guests. The new hoteliers have granted themselves a two-year window to establish the business and gauge the trajectory of their bookings. Whether the enterprise ultimately generates a return on investment or simply remains a heavily subsidised labour of love is almost beside the point. The capacity to casually absorb the financial risks of a historic alpine hotel renovation is a luxury afforded by a deeply prosperous society. Unfazed by the immense effort just expended, the couple is already contemplating future projects, proving that the appetite for expensive adventures is far from exhausted.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com