Into bed with an umbrella

Hans Holzner began running the hotel back in 1969, when he was still just a young 21-year-old, together with his parents Wilhelm and Herta, as a so-called “hotel garni”. In 1974, he married young native of Bolzano, Marianne Widmann, who leapt right into the family business with her amazing eye for detail. Back then, the hotel was in a dreadful condition, almost derelict, and there was no shortage of locals who simply shook their heads at the thought of the young couple who, in their mind at least, would have been far better off selling the place lock, stock and barrel. But Marianne and Hans had other ideas.

Marianne recalls: “The only thing that saw us through those first few years were the few guests we had, who remained amazingly loyal. For example, we had a really nice couple from Israel, who would come visit us over and over again. Sometimes, they were forced to lie in their bed in room 25 with an umbrella over their heads, since the rain was dribbling down through the ceiling! But they stayed loyal to us nonetheless.”

But eventually, they loyalty of the guests and the courage of their hosts paid off. Piece by piece, the hotel was renovated, while the tourism boom of the 1970s and 80s did the rest. The Holzner was restored to its former glory, a success story that would also continue throughout the decades to come.