Is the President of Sion focusing on health tourism?: Constantin is planning a huge hotel complex in Saas-Fee VS

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One of the most prominent Valais residents is currently causing a lot of talk in Saas-Fee VS. FC Sions President and real estate tycoon Christian Constantin (66) is planning a hotel complex in the tourist resort. The building application has been open to the public since Friday, regional broadcaster Kanal9 reported. Large construction structures of five buildings are located in the east of the village.

More precise information is almost unknown. The municipality and Constantin also did not want to comment on regional TV and only waited for the construction application. What we know so far: The name of the project is “Le Roc”. A luxury complex with a 20 percent share of holiday apartments is planned. This is common in larger tourism projects, as the sale of apartments often serves to cross-subsidize hotel complexes.

Hotel for health tourism?

Accommodation for employees is also planned. In tourism communities such as Interlaken BE, Zermatt VS or Saas-Fee, tourist workers in particular have great difficulties in finding accommodation. For property owners, holiday apartments are much more profitable than cheap rental apartments.

Can the project also go into health tourism? At least that’s what management consultancy JCZ’s homepage suggests. The Roc Resort project in Saas-Fee is listed here as a business providing medical services.

Family hotels are gradually disappearing

The society must be satisfied with the project. The hotel industry in Saas-Fee is under pressure. Family hotels, in particular, often fail to find a successor. Running a hotel is a difficult job. Working days last from early morning until late evening. Long-standing hotel establishments are slowly turning into holiday apartments. The number of hotels in Saas-Fee dropped from 42 to 28 in ten years. As holiday apartments, they provide significantly less overnight accommodation in the destination.

The issue has troubled community leaders for years. At an event on second homes in Naters, they complained about the conversion of hotels into holiday homes. This was in 2021. Since then, the course of the tourist village has changed again in a positive direction for the municipal authorities. Besides Constantin, other investors are also implementing major projects in Saas-Fee.

Big investors step in

One of them is Koen Lockefeer. Dutch investor became rich in yacht business. In recent years it has acquired several hotels in Saas-Fee. 67 holiday apartments with a capacity of over 400 beds are planned on the properties of three hotels. Another 40 managed holiday apartments will be built on the site of another hotel. Managed means that flat buyers must offer flats not only for their own use but also for rent.

This cannot stop the decline of the traditional hotel industry. However, with the rent obligation imposed by the second housing law, “hot” beds will be created in tourist resorts. The mountain railways, as well as the rest of the local businesses, also benefit from this.

Overnight stays in the Saas Valley have rebounded after the Corona crash. However, there was a slight decline in the region last year. “This is due in particular to the lack of beds, which highlights the importance of new hotel and resort projects,” the tourism organization writes.

Source :Blick