Saanenland has not been spared from Omicron. Many employees have been in quarantine or isolation and have been dearly missed at work. At the beginning of January, some businesses had to reduce their services or even close down parts of their offers for a few days because of the absence of staff.

At The Alpina Gstaad, for example, the Megu restaurant was closed, and the number of external guests was limited. The situation was similar at the Gstaad Palace. The regular menu of Le Grand Restaurant was served in the Le Grill restaurant instead of the Gault-Millau cuisine. At the Olden the menu and opening hours were also minimised, said hotel director Ermes Elsener.

Almost half the brigade
At times, 80 employees were in quarantine or isolation at the Gstaad Palace. General manager Andrea Scherz was also among them. “I only have a mild cold, but because I tested positive, I have to stay in isolation for safety reasons,” said the hotel owner, “and that’s the right thing to do.” From his home office, he provided administrative support. “We set up separate logistics – catering, so to speak – for the affected employees,” he said. The employees who lived on the hotel premises were provided with three meals a day. All others were given a shopping bag full of groceries on their doorstep every three days.

Now all eyes are on February. Scherz spoke for all hosts when he expressed the hope that the Omicron wave would be short-lived. A good touristic peak in February will be necessary to cover additional costs for security guards, protection concepts and other measures.

BASED ON AVS/BLANCA BURRI