The current onset of heat comes at an inopportune time: While people in the house can turn the heating down again, in the winter, hair dryers cause outbreaks of sweat. A Blick survey shows that ski resorts are only able to offer their guests a limited number of pistes during the holiday.
200 of the 360-kilometer tracks are currently accessible at Zermatt VS. More slopes will open in the next few days, as mountain railways announced on demand. In the Jungfrau ski region in the canton of Bern, many kilometers of pistes are open, while Davos Klosters GR has 21 of 83 pistes.
Foreign guests are back
But ski enthusiasts in the country will not let their winter holidays spoil so quickly. So far, there hasn’t been a big wave of cancellations. Green Christmas on the plains only deters a few guests. “The weather has quickly led to a few cancellations, but overall the hotels are very well packed throughout the holiday,” says Stefan Grossniklaus (50), President of Hotelleriesuisse Berner Oberland.
Grossniklaus usually expects a good winter job. “We can finally have slightly fewer guests than last year.” As the survey shows, the Valais hotel industry is also optimistic about the booking situation during the holidays. “December has already been good and we are fully booked for the holidays,” says hotelier Martin Perren, 55, who runs the Unique Hotel Post in Zermatt.
Foreign guests returned faster than expected, with Swiss once again spending their holidays abroad more often. The local ski areas are especially popular with guests from the USA, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.
enthusiasm in Graubünden
Hotel operator Räto Conzett (61) reports that the Alpina Klosters Hotel in Graubünden is also fully booked during the holiday. And even at the beginning of March, the booking status will already look “encouraging”. “Compared to previous years, the current season should be even stronger.”
Hotel Alpina is not an isolated case. There is quiet enthusiasm in Graubünden: “We expect the winter season to be better than the already strong winter before the Corona epidemic,” confirms Ernst “Aschi” Wyrsch (61), President of the Hotelleriesuisse Graubünden. He was a little more skeptical before the season started. “I expected people to look at the franc a little more because of inflation. But we observe a surprisingly consumer-friendly mood.”
No staff in hotels
But the hotel industry in Graubünden is not exempt from concerns. A month ago, a survey by the Hoteliers Association showed that some businesses were understaffed. “Ten percent of the required personnel are understaffed,” Wyrsch says. The problem affects the entire industry: hotels in the Valais and the Bernese Oberland also suffer from staff shortages. As last winter, many companies are using smaller menu cards again in restaurants for this reason, and opening times are tightened here and there.
Mountain railways are also pleased with full hotels. After all, guests come here primarily for the pleasure of skiing. “We expect a lot of skiers next week,” says Stefanie Inniger, spokesperson for the Adelboden mountain railways in the canton of Bern. Expectations are high in the Davos Klosters ski area as well: “Last year the Spengler Cup was canceled at the last minute. But it will happen this year and should provide a large number of guests,” said spokesman Samuel Rosenast.