Kristiania Lech

Located on a hill just above the center of town, the low-key Kristiania offers authentic family warmth with a mix of modern art and traditions.

• The attentive staff who immediately welcome guests into a family affair
• The pop-up Sturm & Schober art gallery in the garage, which brings the work of internationally known artists into town each year
• The family’s modern art collection that adds a dash of the unexpected to the traditional Austrian aesthetic

This hotel is not only a family passion project, but it actually grew out of a special ski town love affair. The parents of the current proprietor, Gertrud Schneider, met when her mother, Irmgard, was in Lech for a family ski holiday and fell in love with the local golden boy, Austria’s first alpine Olympic ski champion, Othmar Schneider. They married and originally built the Kristiania as a family holiday retreat but soon decided to welcome guests. Their daughter Gertrud, who is an avid world traveler and art collector, fusses over her guests much as a loving aunt would coddle visiting family. She also embraces a love for eclectic art and antiques and has decorated every room and suite on property as she might a home, with a love for color and exotic objects. (We suggest guests study the online photos and request specific room numbers according to their taste.) While the public spaces feature a traditional chalet aesthetic, look closely and you will notice a modern twist, from the tables made of skis on the terrace to the Roy Lichtenstein print hanging in the dining room. Gertrud’s passion for collecting has led her to transform the hotel’s garage into a pop-up gallery in partnership with the esteemed Sturm & Schober gallery from Stuttgart and Vienna, which is why you might just find works previously exhibited at the Venice Biennale for sale on property. Artists and designers themselves come for special “Meet the Artists” and “Salon Talks” throughout the winter and summer seasons as well, which are often curated in partnership with the editor of Parnassas magazine. Another of Gertrud’s passions is great food, which is served in the main restaurant as well as some private dining rooms that are perfect for large families and where menus can be tailored. And for something more casual on the ground floor is a cozy Kaminzimmer, or fireplace room, where fondue is served by, yes, an open fire.