Real hospitality in the mountain village

Our mum, Edith Kofler, (senior manager) was born and bred at the Gasthof zum Hirschen Hotel and has been closely associated with the establishment all her life. It was young Edith who, with her grandfather, gathered stones from the mountains and brought them down to help build the old stone wall of the Gasthof zum Hirschen.

Hospitality runs deep in Edith's veins – and for decades, the zum Hirschen hotel has hosted hikers as well as pilgrims coming to visit the holy sanctuary nearby. When taking over from her parents in 1994, Edith realized that she had to bring the guesthouse into a new era. As senior manager, Edith is in charge of the reception desk, administration and a lot more behind the scenes. She wryly refers to her job as hotel accountant as her “personal form of yoga”.

"When I was a child, our family was the first to have a telephone line in the village, and my task was to go to every single farm and deliver the news. Nowadays, we are connected via fibre optic cable but at night we prefer to switch off the WIFI.”

Both in the in third generation of the family, Mirko Mocatti and his sister, Ingrid, took over the running of the historic Gasthof zum Hirschen Hotel. Mirko is the hotel’s front man and manager, who first studied mechanical engineering before entering the family business. It was he who came up with a new design and unique architectural concept for the hotel, based on an innovative vision. Instead of creating just another contemporary SPA with all the mod cons, Mirko opted for a wellness establishment based around contemplative appreciation of nature, tranquil seclusion, with an emphasis on outdoor activities such as hiking and forest bathing. Hospitality has deep roots in the Val di Non Valley going back centuries. Perhaps it’s due to the special aura of this holy sanctuary with its former pilgrims' hostel, that invites travellers to stick around.

Mirko’s vision for the new hotel concept was in fact inspired by its history. The reconceptualised establishment reflects elements of its legacy as a pilgrim’s hostel, encouraging calmness and introspection, as well as outdoor holiday activities such as forest bathing and hiking – all in the pristine mountains.

"Knowing the history of the Gasthof zum Hirschen as a former pilgrims' hostel, I was better able to conceptualise what it could become. The past tells me much about the future. But only living in the ‘here and now’ enables me to appreciate all that our surroundings have to offer. To share these experiences with our guests, gives me great pleasure”.