Where is Hotel Gotthard?
The Arlberg is such a beautiful and unique little corner of Austria with its gorgeous Walser-style buildings and very high snow record thanks to its geographical position and its picture-perfect mountains which capture any passing precipitation. As you can tell I am certainly a fan of the area and there is one particular little village that has become like a second home to us and there is a particular hotel which we have visited so many times throughout the year that we might as well start leaving our skis and hiking boots there. The 4-star superior Hotel Gotthard in Lech is our home from home, and the Walch family have become… well, family.
The History of Hotel Gotthard
Many moons ago Gotthard and Philomena Walch lived in Lech, sadly Gotthard died in 1927 leaving Philomena to bring up their family on her own. In 1931 she built the beginnings of the Gotthard Hotel with a bakery, eight guest beds and one breakfast room. A determined lady and a force to be reckoned with she made a success of the hotel and of her family. Eventually one of the sons, Vinzenz became a master baker and in 1948 he took over the bakery and a year later he opened the Cafe Gotthard. Over the decades the hotel grew from strength to strength and it grew in size to accommodate the demand of tourism over the 1960s.
During the ’00 Vinzenz handed the hotel over to his son Clemens who was also a master baker. To this day, Clemens from the third generation, runs the hotel with his Australian-born wife Nicole and their children Sky and Timmy with the same fervour and diligent attitude as Philomena.
Cuisine at The Hotel Gotthard
When it comes to cuisine, one is spoiled for choice at The Hotel Gotthard. A hotel with baking at its heart means that breakfast will always be exceptional, we could happily sit for hours sipping coffee whilst exploring the breakfast buffet and their baked treats.
Cafe Gotthard, open throughout the daytime to hotel guests as well as guests off the street the cafe is the perfect place to drop by for a morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea with its decadent selection of pastries, cakes, ice creams including many take away treats too.
The Gotthard Stube is the heart of the hotel when it comes to dinner, with regional and Austrian dishes on the menu. The kitchens are run with sustainability and locally sourced produce at the heart of it, with ingredients picked or caught from around the Vorarlberg region.
The Lecher Stube is the á la Carte restaurant where the menu comprises classically traditional Austrian fare as well as International dishes, with a cosy vibe it is a place that we have always enjoyed to while away the hours with friends, good food and good wine. The last time we booked in for Christmas Eve, the perfect cosy location to celebrate the festivities.
The new addition to the Gotthard family is Das Theo. Why stick to just one type of cuisine when there is a whole world of food out there? Das Theo picks the best of the best from around the globe and brings them together for an outstanding experience. Make sure to try the Bao Buns, Veggie Buffalo Wings and Asian Hand Roles as well as the Limoncello Spritz of the Yuzu smash cocktails. Das Theo is what every ski resort needs, a little breath of fresh air away from the traditional Alpine cuisine.
In 2018 the Hotel Gotthard bakery was relocated further along the valley and is still as busy as ever supplying many of the hotels of Lech. In place of the old bakery, Clemens started to brew beer and with a selection of 4 beers the beer brand Omes 2557 was born. As well as baking and brewing Clemens turns his hand to distilling gin and schnapps, baking confectionery, air-dried Valluga speck, all of these culinary delights are available throughout the hotel.
The amenities at Hotel Gotthard
The bedrooms are extremely comfy with lots of space to relax and unwind, and lots of storage which is particularly handy in the winter months with all of our winter clothing and equipment, and most rooms have balconies and great views of the surrounding mountains.
Down in the bowels of the hotel are many of the hotel amenities and despite having visited so many times we still get lost on occasion, luckily it is well signposted. Down here is where the brewing takes place with Clemen’s big copper stills, there is still a small bakery where some of the pastries are created. There is also a huge playroom, ski rooms, gym, meeting room, indoor pool as well as a family spa area and adult spa area. The hotel has a large underground parking area underneath all of this as well.
During the summer months the large garden and patio are the perfect sun trap; go take in the vitamin see on the sun loungers, have breakfast on the patio, or just chill with a spritz in the afternoon and you can now cool down with the addition of the small outdoor pool.
As well as sustainability and locally sourced produce being integral to the kitchens, the Gotthard Hotel does not stop there, with the excess heat from the bakery being utilised to heat parts of the hotel and the ovens heating the swimming pool area. Biomass heating plants are in all of the buildings even including the staff accommodation and ¾ of the Hotel is triple-glazed with sensors that turn the heating off when the windows are open with combined underfloor heating the hotel keeps warm in the most environmentally friendly manner possible.
Why stay at Hotel Gotthard
They have a motto at the Hotel Gotthard ‘We are home. We are family. We are friends.’ which says it all. This is the reason that we and many other guests from around the world keep returning back to The Gotthard Hotel. As soon as we see Clemens, Nicole, Timmy and Skye we relax knowing the good times have begun.
We recently stayed over Christmas, the 24th of December known as Weihnachten is the big event for Austrians and the Walch family celebrates with mulled spiced cider, spiced pastries and chestnuts around the fire on the patio whilst a live band played Christmas songs. Eventually, more of the extended Walch family joined the party and we sang Christmas carols along with the band (desperately trying to practise our German). This will go down as a memory to treasure, a true Austrian Christmas.
With true entrepreneurial spirit and attention to detail, the Gotthard Hotel was born and it has stood the test of time; long may its corridors see many more years of families, fun and the simple pleasures of life. The Walch family have certainly written themselves into the history book of Lech and staying at the hotel one feels like one is briefly stepping into the next chapter as it is being penned.
Hotel Gotthard
Omesberg 119
6764 Lech
Austria
