For 64 years, several generations of the Kalthuber family ran the Weststeirischer Hof in Bad Gams. It will be closed on Sunday. The innkeeper couple does not shy away from criticism of the development of the place. It is still unclear what will happen next with the house.
The inn was previously called Marienhof. Klaus Kalthuber and his wife Sonja have been running the company since 1985; before that, his parents worked as innkeepers for 25 years. The provisional finish line now follows on Sunday.
“There are several reasons,” write Klaus and Sonja Kalthuber. Age and health play a role. “Moreover, the children do not want to continue running the company.” The family also mentions the changes in the catering industry in recent years: “Excessive administrative burden and regulations and extreme increases in costs, not only for personnel and energy. .”
Spa only on paper
Bad Gams became a district of the district capital Deutschlandsberg in 2015 as part of the major municipal merger. “Since its founding, Bad Gams has been growing as a district. There is no longer a separate tourist organization. The once thriving community is now on an equal footing with the districts of Kloster, Freiland, Osterwitz, Trahütten and Wildbach,” the Kalthubers criticize. Since the spa was closed, the spa town of Bad Gams would only exist on paper anyway.
What happens next? The Weststeirischer Hof has at least 50 beds, a wellness area, a seminar department, a wine shop and a restaurant. This should become clear in the coming months. According to the owners, a sale is being discussed, as well as further exploitation as a hotel or conversion into apartments.
“One less business that was open every weekend and on public holidays. In the community of Deutschlandsberg there are not many restaurants open on weekends anymore,” the bitter summary reads. One bright spot: the employees all already have a new job.
Source: Krone
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