"We renovated the Bärensaal, improved the insulation, replaced the old windows and equipped it with a pleasant lighting system," explains Simon Graa, who is one of two Gsteig councillors on the management board of the municipality-owned Hotel Restaurant Bären Gsteig GmbH.

This has not only given the Bärensaal a cosy ambience, but has made it a real bijou, and has resulted in a noticeably better climate inside, he says happily. New tables and new parasols visually enhance the south terrace and there is additional WLAN in the guest rooms. The range of rooms has also been expanded with the addition of two budget family rooms. According to Graa, this offer has been very well received in the recent past. Just like the new lounge for hotel guests and the drying room for ski, hiking or cycling boots.

New opening hours and more jobs
The opening hours have also been adjusted: The hotel is now open seven days a week. In the past, Graa remembers, only certain areas of the hotel were open. Today, for example, both terraces are always open, weather permitting. Of course, this requires significantly more staff, he calculates, adding that the number of employees has been increased. In the kitchen, the focus continues to be on traditional home-style cooking. "The Bären is a classic village pub, a place to meet people. And it should remain that way," says Graa.

He emphasises that it is also about trying out new things. The senior citizens' meeting, which is also open to other interested parties, has established itself on Thursday afternoons and is met with lively interest. The nostalgic ski race at the end of January was also very well received and could become a recurring item on the annual agenda of the Bären, as well as the "Plauschjass" (card game event), which will be held soon. "We take the voters' mandate to make the Bären a thriving business again very seriously," promises the chairman of the management. In the current year, one can also look forward to one or two anniversary events. The Bären is celebrating its 200th anniversary.

Good solution
"We were able to close the first year of operation much better than we had budgeted," says a Graa, reporting that since the most serious corona measures were taken in May 2021, there has been a "very positive development". He praises the two managers, Franziska Walker-Räss at the front and Manuela Thoenen Bettler in administration, as well as the entire Bären team. They are highly motivated and do their job well, he says. "We like it very much," confirms Walker-Räss. "It's a pleasure to see more weddings, birthdays and confirmations being celebrated at the Bären again." Thoenen Bettler agrees and adds: "It's nice to see that the locals are increasingly supporting the Bären.

The idea of running the Bären with a community-owned limited company seems to be a good solution. Graa explains that this has allowed a stable framework to be built up around the Bären, which guarantees the continuity of the business without the two managers having to bear the entire risk of loss. The electorate has approved a credit line of CHF 170,000 for the first five years of operation. Of course, the goal is not to have to tap this credit, says Graa. But this money provides peace of mind and guarantees that the managers can concentrate entirely on the well-being of their guests.

Based on AvS/Kerem S. Maurer