20 years of Vitalpina® Hotels South Tyrol

An anniversary year with plenty of highlights at our partner hotels

Grown together, proud together

It’s cause for celebration at Vitalpina® Hotels Südtirol: exactly twenty years ago, a group of ambitious hoteliers joined forces, united by a shared vision of holidays close to nature, with sustainability at the heart of it all. The partnership now comprises around thirty South Tyrolean hotels, each of which stands for an authentic experience of nature, holistic relaxation and a strong connection to the region. Physical activity, tranquillity, mindful cuisine featuring local produce and traditional wellness treatments based on the treasures of the Alps form the common thread running through the member hotels. The shared philosophy rests on three pillars: a mindful lifestyle, regional roots and genuine hospitality. Strict quality criteria guarantee high standards and ensure that guests can look forward to a relaxing stay.

To mark the anniversary, 2026 will be a year of special experiences at the member hotels. For example, Hotel Schulerhof is inviting guests to join a sunrise walk with a mountain breakfast until the start of August. DAS GERSTL Alpine Retreat organises the ‘Alpine Reset’ every week during the summer, featuring a walk to a mountain lake and a cold-weather challenge, as well as ‘Chef’s Talk & Kitchen Stories’ with head chef Michael Ziernheld. At Hotel Gassenhof, guests can enjoy an atmospheric light show in the Gilfenklamm, whilst the Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort is staging an opera – produced especially for this location – on five summer evenings at the foot of the Rosengarten.

A full list of all the anniversary events can be found at www.vitalpina.info/de/20-jahre-vitalpina/highlights/210-0.html.

Brigitte Zelger, chair of the hotel cooperative and hostess at the Green Luxury Hotel Pfösl in Deutschnofen, says: “This anniversary fills me with pride and gratitude. It confirms that we made the right choices twenty years ago. Nature, an active lifestyle, wellbeing, healthy food, sustainability and respect for everything nature provides have been at the heart of our philosophy right from the start.”

She continues: „It remains the common thread running through everything we do. Together we have grown, constantly developed and created new experiences. We want to continue doing this in the future: inspiring one another, learning from one another and offering our guests a complete holiday experience, set amidst the beautiful natural surroundings of South Tyrol. At the same time, we want to focus even more strongly on what really matters. To appreciate what we have and preserve it with care, so that future generations can enjoy it too.”

Helmut Tauber, former chairman of Vitalpina and host of the Aktiv & Vitalhotel Taubers Unterwirt in Feldthurns, adds: “You could say that the Vitalpina Hotels are part of my life. I’ve been involved with them heart and soul right from the very start and am proud of what we’ve built up together over the past twenty years. Our strength lies in the fact that we are not a traditional hotel chain, but a group of family-run hotels, each managed with great passion. Every hotel has its own character and strengths, and it is precisely this diversity that has helped us to develop a clear shared vision. For me, the greatest added value lies in the exchange between us: learning from one another, inspiring one another and bringing new ideas to life together. What began as a small, driven group has grown into a renowned partnership.”

Looking back over the past twenty years shows how Vitalpina® Hotels Südtirol have continued to develop, without losing sight of their core values. In 2011, the first Vitalpina programme booklet, *Durchatmen*, was published, followed by the launch of two in-house Vitalpina fragrance ranges, developed in collaboration with Vitalis Dr. Joseph. In 2016, all member hotels committed to the strict criteria of the EU Ecolabel, thereby jointly laying the foundations for a more sustainable holiday offering. A year later, forest bathing took centre stage at an expert workshop, which served as the impetus for various training courses within the member hotels.

The years that followed also saw new milestones. In 2021, Vitalpina Hotels became the first hotel cooperative to join the then ‘turn to zero’ climate alliance. In 2022 and 2023, the new ‘Berge spüren’ selfness programme was developed and successfully launched. Between 2023 and 2025, Vitalpina developed its own product range, consisting of organic fruit bars, syrups and an organic bread mix, in collaboration with local producers and PUR Südtirol. The most recent innovation is the ‘Vitalpina Balance Ritual’: a multi-sensory treatment that brings Vitalpina’s philosophy to life in a new way.