Hotel Arlberg Lech
A generation change is never easy – especially not in a 5-star hotel that has been family-run for over 60 years. The transition to the new generation is currently taking place at the Hotel Arlberg Lech – and this is obviously working very well. The parents Hannes and Christiane Schneider, son Benjamin Schneider and husband Patrick Krummenbacher are currently working together. If you look around the hotel, you can see the influences of both generations. However, these are not mutually exclusive or stand side by side, but result in a harmonious symbiosis of tradition and modernity.
The Schneider family has been running the 5 star Hotel Arlberg Lech since 1956, which – as the name suggests – is located in the small Austrian town of Lech. Especially in winter, but also in summer, Lech attracts numerous holidaymakers, because the village is quite high at 1450m and is fairly snow reliable. In winter, Lech can only be reached via a pass road, which can be closed in heavy snow, so that Lech is isolated from the outside world for some time. Another pass is generally only passable in summer due to the risk of avalanches.
The rooms of the Hotel Arlberg Lech have been completely renovated and redesigned in recent years – here the new generation has clearly left its mark. They are modern and stylish with designer furniture and a well-thought-out lighting concept. At the same time, the rooms also feature traditional elements such as the antique farmhouse wardrobe and a penchant for natural materials such as the lime plaster walls and the Swiss stone tiles in the bathroom. This makes the rooms both modern and cozy at the same time. The Hotel Arlberg Lech has recently won the German Design Award for this concept.
This mixture can also be found in the newly designed outdoor pool area including relaxation rooms, for which they have also got the German Design Award. If you walk down the stairs towards the outdoor pool behind the indoor pool, you first enter an anteroom that competes with every film set. Even though you are in a wet area, you feel more like you are in a living room or lounge. Instead of relaxing on loungers, you can relax on sofas and armchairs covered with a water-repellent fabric, drink tea and watch the fire in the fireplace.
Connected to this is a kind of space with iconic Panzeri lights, from which you can get to the showers, the outdoor pool and a relaxation room, which is furnished with beds and which offers a view of the mountains through the large window front.
The pool itself invites you to swim due to its size, but afterwards you can relax directly at one of the numerous massage jets. Although it is located in the middle of the village, it is incredibly quiet, because the Hotel Arlberg Lech is located right next to the eponymous river, which offers a natural noise barrier.
The spa area is separated from it with many different saunas, steam baths, treatments and a rather Asian-style relaxation room.
In addition to the rooms mentioned above, there is a hotel wing with rooms that are a bit more alpine. A lot of wood was worked in the Jagdhof, so that one feels reminded of a romantic chalet. Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry once lived in this wing when they learned to ski in Lech in the early 1990s.
A rich breakfast is included with the overnight stays, alternatively there is also half-board with a daily changing menu. There is also a fine dining restaurant, which was not open when we were there, and the parlor, which offers various types of fondue and raclette.
Back to the beginning when I wrote about the generation change. The legacy of the parent generation is still noticeable and visible – especially in the lobby and in the hallways. These are not as clear as the new rooms or the outdoor pool area. Here you will find many antique farmhouse wardrobes, objects from the region or even stuffed animal skulls on the wall. What looks like a strong contrast really complements one another and offers an alpine setting to the modern interior.
If you stay at the Hotel Arlberg Lech, nothing is missing! You can realize the 5 stars on every corner, including the incredibly professional and nice staff, the food or the rooms. At the same time, the Schneider family offers a very personal atmosphere – one of them can be found at any time, they speak to the guests and, if necessary, lend a hand if guests arrive spontaneously late in the evening and the rooms have to be made ready.
