We are specialists
The hiking trail is wonderful, your legs are tired, the hut is tempting. But how can it be that in Tyrol there is always something warm to eat on the table and the beds are always freshly made - when there is a shortage of skilled workers everywhere? We spoke to young employees in the Tyrolean hospitality industry to find out whether there is anything beyond bonuses and flexible working hours that makes them happy at work.
EVELYN ADELSBERGER
HOTEL TECHNICIAN
What I like about my job is that every day is different. Of course there are routines and set procedures, but the people you meet are always different. They all have their own needs and requirements - and I always like it when I can make the guests' well-earned time out even more enjoyable. It helps that I can organize my working day relatively flexibly. That's quite unusual for the hospitality industry, but here at the hotel it shows that a lot is possible with good staff planning. Part-time employees such as young parents or students often have special requirements when it comes to working hours: Some like to work during the week, others only have time at the weekend or in the evening. Thanks to our good staff mix, individual wishes can also be taken into account. We are also always slightly overstaffed. This means that we rarely reach our limits, and we can also compensate for short-term absences. And we have more time for the best part of the job: personal contact with guests.
THE WORKPLACE
The Hotel Kaiser in Scheffau employs around ninety people. The owner family is committed to attractive working conditions in tourism.
KLAUS KNERINGER
KOCH
The Schlosshotel Fiss has built its own accommodation for the team, in which employees have a small apartment with a kitchen and private bathroom at their disposal. We are also allowed to use the hotel's amenities, such as the swimming pool in the evenings or the gym at any time. The Beef Club chefs all have a five-day week. This is rare in a hotel kitchen because you have to employ a few more people overall. The hotel's offer to employees is therefore very good.
It is also crucial for me to be able to develop personally. And the Schlosshotel offers me this opportunity. Firstly, because we work with high-quality products and can regularly test new, unusual ingredients. I can really work as a chef here. When I come into the kitchen in the morning, I don't have to put things away first, I can start cooking straight away. Secondly, there's nothing like experience in fine dining. At the Schlosshotel Fiss, I'm given the chance to gain new experiences in different places every summer. Last summer, I had the opportunity to go to Portugal to work with two-star chef Dieter Koschina. Afterwards, it's nice to come back here and put what I've learned into practice.
THE WORKPLACE
The demands on the kitchen team at the Beef Club are high - after all, they have a reputation to lose. The restaurant has been awarded four toques and is located in the luxurious Schlosshotel Fiss.
BERNHARD SCHRAMM
ASSISTANT LODGE KEEPER
I don't think I would have done or liked this job when I was 20. Because I would have been too focused on earnings or prestige. But over time, you learn what's important to you. And how many people do I know who only work for the money but don't like their job at all? I always ask myself: would you rather have a pile of money or enjoy the work that takes up most of your life? When I applied for a job at Regensburger Hütte, it wasn't a traditional interview about the position and salary. Instead, I went on a ski tour with Christian, the hut manager, to see if we were compatible. Up here, you're under the same roof the whole time for five months. If that doesn't work, you can get as much money as you want, it doesn't make sense. But with Christian, I realized: there's someone who is fully committed, who is realizing his dream and who says to you: I'm there for you, you can rely on me. That's why I would pull up a tree for him, because I know it would be the same the other way round.
When I was a teenager in the mountains, I got to know the huts a bit differently. There were no hot showers and you were happy if you were served pea soup and someone was there for you. But you could always ask the hut warden about the weather forecast or get a tip on the best route to take because there was a rockfall somewhere. I would like to pass this experience on to our guests. I've always loved going into the mountains. That moment when you feel that you are a little closer to the Lord. And at work, all I have to do is look out of the window from time to time and see how close we are to heaven up here at the hut.
THE WORKPLACE
The Neue Regensburger Hütte in the Stubai Alps lies at an impressive 2,286 meters - but despite the altitude, it is very well equipped. The material cable car brings fresh vegetables every day, which are used for the purely vegetarian menu.
FLORIAN NIGG
KELLNER
To be honest, I often find the discussion about modern employee benefits in the hospitality industry a little difficult. Offers such as flexitime are difficult to reconcile with the fact that someone has to be there at certain times to serve the guests. And they can only come when they are free. In this respect, you are simply tied to certain working hours, especially in a small restaurant like ours. That's why it's all the more important to me that employers are aware of what people in the hospitality industry do. This is increasingly being lost in many businesses. That's also the reason why I value my work at the Gemse: The inn has been run by the Haueis family for almost 300 years, and I now have a close friendship with them. We have many regular guests who appreciate how much heart and soul goes into our business. And it is important to them that we work with high-quality, regional ingredients. Many products come from our own farm and hunting grounds.
Personally, I also think it's great that not only the prime cuts end up on the menu, but also a liver, for example. Feeling the appreciation for something like this is the reason why I work in gastronomy. If you do it for a long time, you also develop a sense of whether something is meant sincerely. And praise that comes from the heart makes you forget even the greatest stress.
THE WORKPLACE
The Postgasthof Gemse in Zams is a so-called hereditary farm, which means that it has been in the same family for almost 300 years. However, its roots go back even further, to the 8th century. It is even believed that the Gemse could be the oldest inn in Tyrol.
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