Singer’s Gäste-News
Winter 2013/2014
Tradition and pioneering spirit - a many-faceted family saga
85 anniversary th
1928 – 2013
How it all began ...
The history of our hotel begins in one of the most beautiful places in the Alps. In 1928, the young couple Hans and Irma Singer realised their dream of building a modern ‘Alpenhotel Singer’ in the picturesque and idyllic mountain village of Berwang. Their slogan ‘Light – Air – Comfort’ lured summer visitors and winter sports enthusiasts to the sunny plateau, and their warm hospitality soon won them many loyal regulars. They had a flair for the exceptional and were ahead of their time, and this ensured that the hotel Singer very quickly became one of the Tyrol’s leading hotels. The establishment boasted features that were more than extraordinary at the time, they were near unimaginable: running hot and cold water, central heating, the first telephone in Berwang (next to the post office), its own electricity generating system and its own water supply were all evidence of their genuine pioneering spirit.
Building conversions
In 1932, only four years after the hotel was completed, the ‘Kleines Haus’ (small house) was added to accommodate the growing number of guests. During the war years, the hotel served as a rest and spa home for the German Luftwaffe. In 1950, the annex was connected to the main building by a hall with a reception and lobby. When the ‘Singer Stub’n’ was opened in 1975, the hotel gained not only a culinary meeting place but also a nightclub with live band performances that literally ‘set toes a-tapping’. Not long afterwards in 1978, the house was extended by an additional, fourth floor with new rooms and an alpine style roof, which was more in keeping with the building and gave the hotel the characteristic appearance we still enjoy today. A number of conversions followed in rapid succession: in 1980 the new restaurant with a pine room and bar, in 1982 the first small spa area, in 1984 a brand-new kitchen with additional storage and the new wine cellar. In 1986 spacious comfort rooms and suites in premium pine timber were added to the original hotel
of 1928. A comfortable house for our staff was built in 1988, and since 1990 the guests of the hotel, which is part of the Relais & Châteaux association, are welcomed in an impressive entrance hall with a glorious staircase that leads to the cosy and stylishly furnished gallery and fireplace lounge.
Milestones in our history
However, the modifications to the hotel were not the Singer family’s only changes and achievements. In the early 1950s the ‘Sonnenlift’, which had the first singleseater chairs, was built adjacent to the hotel; this really got tourism under way in Berwang. Hans Singer was also the driving force behind other lift projects and so he significantly influenced the development of tourism in the region. In 1957, his son Günter Singer took over the running of the hotel. Günter married Gerti in 1977, and their son Florian was born in 1982. After graduating from the ‘Villa Blanka’ school of hotel management, Florian gained valuable work experience in top international hotels in Paris, Vail/Colorado, Siena and London before coming home in 2004. 1985 was marked by the death of the hotel’s joint founder Irma Singer, but her life’s work was honoured that same year when the Hotel Singer became a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association. This was a very successful time, but sadly, in 1987, the family had to come to terms with the death of the hotel founder and tourism pioneer Hans Singer. The purchase of the adjacent house in 1991 allowed the family to establish the ‘Chalet Singer’ and the ‘Hofherr’ sports shop. Shortly thereafter, Günter Singer and Berwang’s council worked together on the implementation of a modern 4-seater chairlift project, the ‘Sonnalmbahn’, with the first man made snow machines right next to the hotel, which had also been extended by an umbrella
bar adjacent to the ‘Singer Stub’n’. More great lift projects followed in 2007 and 2009 with the Tyrol’s first combined lift (6-seaters and 8-seater cabins), the ‘Almkopfbahn’, and the Zugspitze Arena’s first child-safe lift, the ‘Egghof Sun Jet’.
Singer’s SPA The construction of ‘Singer’s SPA’ in 2005 was another milestone in the hotel’s history. The SPA’s three-storey building became a focal point and significantly added to the hotel’s attractiveness to visitors. Because it has specialised in applications that make use of local herbs, aromas & minerals, and also offers Vinotherapie Caudalie®, it is now considered one of the most exclusive SPAs in Austria. Thanks to its underground link with the main building that runs under the road it is also an architectural sensation.
The next generation Since 2008 Florian Singer has begun to take over the management of the hotel, and in April 2013 he married Christina. She has been with the hotel for over seven years and now works alongside her husband to lead this Relais & Châteaux establishment and its exclusive philosophy into the future. Gerti and Günter Singer are still involved in representative duties together with their son and daughterin-law to maintain the hotel’s characteristic and personal interaction with guests.
In summary As we reflect on our 85-year history, we cannot help but be pleased with the Singer Sporthotel & SPA’s excellent developments. We would like to thank all the people who have helped shape this story and look forward to further successful and eventful years on Berwanger’s sunny plateau.