The Hauser Ensemble

See what is there and make something out of it” - an old saying that Balthasar Hauser often heard from his parents. Today’s host of Stanglwirt adheres to this saying, he built the spectacular rock pool with stones from Wilder Kaiser, used centuries-old proven Tyrolean techniques to build their houses as well as pinewood, sheep’s wool and other natural materials.

 

You will never find imitations like wood veneers or fake marble at Stanglwirt. “An orchestra and a building have many things in common. They both need harmony and there is a reason why it is called “an ensemble of houses.” Stanglwirt definitely has this kind of harmony, according to Hauser it is built like music: “Even 400 years from now, I want Stanglwirt to be a cultural and authentic place.”

His children share his views. Early on, they were included in important decisions. Even as a young girl Maria Hauser, who today is responsible for marketing, PR, quality assurance and major events at Stanglwirt, has been included in planning meetings with the architects.

The architects were surprised when Hauser the builder constantly included his little daughter in the discussion and asked for her opinion. “They included me in the planning of the farm for children. My father said that if the Stangl kids and the local kids liked the farm, then there would be no reason why our young guests would not like it as well…a wonderful place for everyone to play”, remembers Maria Hauser.

Richard, the oldest of the four siblings, was the first of the Stanglwirt children to work in the family business. After graduating from the commercial academy and receiving his diploma from a private tourism school, he worked in leading hotels in Italy and the French-speaking part of Switzerland. In 1996 he had to make a decision: on the one hand, he wanted to open a hotel in Moscow for the luxury hotel chain Kempinski, but on the other hand, the rapidly growing Stanglwirt urgently needed someone to organise the administrative processes.

Richard Hauser: “Also, my old grandmother on my mother’s side was in need of care. That was the reason why I decided to go to Stanglwirt.” He quickly constructed an organization, which forms the economic framework for Stangwirt today. He took the management-consultant exam and founded his own consulting company, which successfully supervises, among other projects, hotels in Croatia with 2,700 beds. For the son of Stanglwirt it went without saying that he would stay with his parent’s business. The final decision happened in 1998. He realized that the steadily growing property was still much too small. “We need suites and wellness facilities”, he analyzed. In the beginning, his father Balthasar was not very enthusiastic: “I have been building all my life and now everything is too small by half.”