Rath checks in: Sonnenalp Resort in the Allgäu

Once upon a time there was a hard-working farmer couple, Eleonore and Adolf Fäßler, who ran their farm in the Allgäu. Out of necessity, they expanded it into a small excursion restaurant in 1919. The guests were drawn to the warmth and authenticity of both of them right from the start, and the foundation for the hotel’s philosophy was laid.

After they took up the beneficial effects of the moor and offered healing mud baths, more and more guests came with the desire to stay longer. In 1932 the house was finally renamed “Sonnenalp” with the first rooms.

Resi and Ludwig Fäßler took over the property in the second generation and expanded it to over 80 beds. In 1956, the guests were delighted with the first ever hotel swimming pool in Germany. You have to have visions! Sauna and health treatments included.

The red hotel thread continues. The third generation, Gretl and Karlheinz Fäßler, gave the long-cherished tradition a luxurious coat of paint after a major fire in 1967 almost destroyed the entire property.

With their vision and the necessary pioneering spirit, they created the five-star holiday resort with the first hotel-owned golf course in Germany, the first hotel-owned shopping world and the expansion of the rooms and suites. At the same time, the sister hotel opens in Vail, Colorado.

The fourth generation, Dr. Anna-Maria and Michael Fäßler, led the resort into modern times. Unusual for the upscale luxury hotel industry: all services remain in the hotel, nothing is outsourced – from the own laundry to the hairdresser to the florist fairy.

All employees speak the same language and live the hotel DNA as a matter of course. A 16,000 square meter wellness park is being built, and the “Alpine Cuisine” of the gourmet restaurant “Silberdistel” receives a Michelin star.

It all sounds like a happy ending, but the story takes another surprising turn: As before, guests, many regulars (over 80 percent) come from near and far to answer the call of the Sonnenalp. Until fate also brings a queen to the resort. The Queen of Bhutan, really! Anna-Maria Fäßler and the Queen are very fond of each other and become friends. An invitation to distant Bhutan is not long in coming.

Anna-Maria and Michael Fäßler travel to the exotic country and enjoy the hospitality. On the penultimate day of their stay, they are asked to visit a hospital that is subsidized with German aid money. When the two hoteliers are in the hospital, a girl is just being born. Victoria, an orphan. At that time there were no orphanages in Bhutan, the girl’s future looks dark. It is not uncommon for orphans to be abandoned.

When the Fäßler and Victoria family met in the infant ward, it was love at first sight. The Fäßler family decided to adopt Victoria and, after a long bureaucratic journey, take it with them to the Sonnenalp. There she grows up together with Jacob, the son of the Fäßler family in the beautiful Allgäu.

This story still touches me today as I write it. It’s like hearing it for the first time. Cordiality, love and devotion cannot be lived more authentically and selflessly. Now all guests of the Sonnenalp, including myself, experience a little piece of this fairytale story in the resort, which was written by extraordinary people.

Moor treatments, feel luxury and shop

It is now over 100 years old and has barely aged a day. To this day, the hosts have kept the old tradition while developing the property at the same time. A challenging balancing act that is skilfully implemented with the hotel philosophy that is lived out every day. Jacob and Victoria are already ready. They want to continue doing it together as siblings.

My room has the charm of an alpine country house with the finest fabrics and materials of the modern age. If you want something more private and even more alpine, book one of the alpine chalets. A great option for families with children. When I see this alpine charm, I would like to lace up my hiking boots immediately and climb the surrounding peaks.

The offer of today’s five-star resort is overwhelming: three golf courses with 42 holes, four tennis courts, romantic sun decks and a riding stables with 20 horses. Mountain view, a service that leaves nothing to be desired and the shopping mile included. So you don’t even need to leave the resort for a relaxed shop window stroll. Twelve shops and over 40 shop windows have presented brands from all over the world since 1983.

Meanwhile, 60 employees and two tailors take care of the fashionable well-being of the guests. Since my visit, I can now say: I have also made my contribution to the around six million euros in sales that the shops bring in each year. The prices are well below those of the competition.

In the Sonnenalp the service works like a fairytale: It is personal and connecting. The head waiter has been in the house for 37 years and makes me feel like I’ve been a regular for a long time. Every other employee also knows my name. Nobody would even remotely ask me for my room number.

At the same time, I have the feeling that the team is well informed about its guests. When I order food in the evening, the said head waiter speaks to me and says: “Today your club from Cologne is playing against Leipzig. I would be happy to inform you about the results. ”Which he then does at regular intervals, even though the restaurant is fully booked this weekend.

My room has everything I could want. I even find my favorite type of tea, Ronnefeldt, although I never mentioned that morning dew is my favorite. But one thing surprises me: There is no coffee machine. Isn’t that actually standard?

I call room service and get the perfect answer: of course it would be no problem to set up a coffee machine if I so wish, but freshly brewed the hot drink would certainly taste better. Knowing that my room is an eight-minute walk from the kitchen, I order a coffee. Ten minutes later, I’m enjoying it steaming hot in my room. Great service.

Every single one of the 550-strong team at the resort anticipates. I opened a bottle of wine on my first night. The next day I find a handwritten note in front of “Dear Mr. Rath. We put your wine in the minibar so that it is nice and cool when you come back. ”I am impressed by this attention to detail. 300 of the 550 employees have been part of the team for over ten years. The guest notices that, only a well-coordinated team can function so excellently.

It is very interesting that the food & beverage prices are all very cheap compared to a luxury hotel. I enjoy homemade, very delicious apple pie for 3.50 euros. Those who like it a little bit bitter can try their own wine line “Fäßler & Salomon – Private Selection by Anna-Maria Fäßler”. An absolute must for wine lovers! And if you forget to cool the open bottle in your room, we will be happy to do it for you.

Conclusion: A great hideaway with tradition, nature experience and service

The air is very thin at the top. If you are at a level of 97 to 99 percent performance with other resorts, then every nuance, every finesse and every detail matters. That is exactly what I experienced at the Sonnenalp Resort. Everything works calmly, remains personal and is always world-class. The Fäßler family shows with a lot of love how a traditional house grows in harmony with its surroundings and at the same time attends to the wishes of the discerning guests.

The Sonnenalp resort is rightly one of the best 101 hotels in Germany in 2020/2021. You can find out how it will perform in the upcoming ranking here in the Handelsblatt at the end of November. The Sonnenalp has won a new, enthusiastic fan. A small downer remains: The house is booked out well in advance, so a spontaneous weekend trip is not possible. But it is well known that one likes to wait for beautiful experiences.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of a travel platform, Carsten K. Rath is a globetrotter by profession. He travels to all the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account. Rath is the source of ideas for the new ranking “The 101 Best Hotels in Germany”, of which the Handelsblatt is one of the partners.

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