In the middle of Lower Austria lies a municipality that for years has been known to the Austrians and especially the Viennese as a Spa : the Semmering. This is where the traditional Kurhaus Semmering is located, which found its way into the hands of hotelier Florian Weitzer in 2019, who now wants to carefully revitalise the listed building and make it accessible to guests again as a hotel. The Kurhaus Semmering will thus become the Grand Semmering.
Grandsemmering.com

A flair for trends

When hotelier Florian Weitzer dedicates himself to a new project, you can expect that the end result will be a property that convinces with modern design and character in equal measure. This was already demonstrated by the Hotel Daniel Wien, which is now considered one of the best design hotels in the city with its sailboat on the roof and was built in a listed former office building of a Swiss pharmaceutical company. The Grand Semmering is the sixth hotel to be built by Weitzer Welt Hotels & Restaurants, in addition to the two Viennese hotels, the Hotel Daniel and the Grand Ferdinand, as well as the three properties in Graz: Das Weitzer, the Grand Hotel Wiesler and the Hotel Daniel Graz.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by DANIEL VIENNA (@hotel_daniel_vienna).

"The Kurhaus has long touched me with its charm. It inspires me how in earlier times the townspeople spent their summer holidays here with their artists. Fascinated by this history, I want to be a director in this house and inspire people to dream. My goal for the coming years is to breathe new life into the Kurhaus and thus also into the town of Semmering with a great deal of empathy. The place needs to regain the pride and dignity it had in its heyday,"says Florian Weitzer about his latest project.

Preserve the soul of the house

Sheltered from the wind on the south-eastern slope of the Wolfsbergkogel and with the most hours of sunshine in the historic high-altitude health resort, the Kurhaus is predestined to offer relaxation to guests from all over the world. In the building, the luxurious dining room as well as the former breakfast room and the historic staircase have been preserved true to the original and are just waiting to be played with. The interior, which features magnificent art nouveau elements, is intended to offer guests "luxury" for the soul in the future. It will be interesting to see how Florian Weitzer incorporates these elements into the concept and with which features he will sweeten the time for his guests.

Spa house with a long tradition

The Kurhaus, a luxurious Art Nouveau building that opened as a hotel in 1909, was one of the most stylish hotels of its time and, together with the Südbahnhotel and the Panhaus, was considered one of the three top hotels on the Semmering. During the First and Second World Wars it served as a convalescent home and military hospital, then as quarters for the Soviet occupation forces. Since the 2000s, it has been used as a venue for numerous cultural events until Florian Weitzer bought it in November 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Austrias Top Lists (@aufderalist).

The former Emerald of Vienna

It is not for nothing that Semmering was once a stronghold of Central European tourism and, with its villas and grand hotels, was also affectionately referred to as the "balcony of Vienna". The municipality awaits its visitors with numerous hiking trails, breathtaking panoramas and extensive forests, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Semmering Railway. While guests come in winter mainly for cross-country skiing and skiing, in spring, summer and autumn, in addition to the countless hiking opportunities, a forest ropes course, a bike park, tennis courts and golf courses invite you to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bikepark Semmering (@bikepark_semmering)