The rich history of the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail traces back to 1919, when the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria was opened by the Faessler Family in Germany’s picturesque Allgau Alps. In 1979, another generation of Faesslers became enamored with Vail while on a skiing vacation. They purchased the Wedel Inn Motel, and the evolution of the Sonnenalp of Vail began.

 

Now, for over four generations, the Faessler family has extended a unique brand of hospitality based on exceptional service and warm and intimate accommodations. Enjoy these notable dates in our history!

 

 

a lineage of hospitality

1919 Eleanore and Adolf Faessler purchase a small ranch house and refurbish it into a lodge offering their guests Moor mud treatments, a spa service still popular today.

1932 While Eleanore and Adolf are turning over management responsibilities to their son Ludwig and his wife Resi in Bavaria, Franklin D. Roosevelt is being elected the 32nd president of the United States. Ludwig and Resi register the Sonnenalp name meaning “sun on the mountains,” in Germany.

1964 Management of the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria is turned over to son Karlheinz and his wife Gretl, and despite a fire in 1967, the resort boasts 180 employees and sets a new standard for luxury and privacy, health and wellness.

1994 Son Michael Faessler assumes management responsibilities and the celebrated European hotel celebrates its 75th anniversary.

meanwhile in Vail...

1962 Vail Ski Resort opens on December 15 with $5 lift tickets.  The area had one gondola, two chairlifts, nine runs and eight ski instructors.

1979 Karlheinz and Gretl fall in love with Vail on a skiing vacation and buy the Wedel Inn Motel.  They remodel it and rename it the Hotel Sonnenalp.

1985 Karlheinz and Gretl turn over management of the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail to their son Johannes.

1986 The Faessler family buys the Kiandra Lodge, the current site of the Sonnenalp today.  In 1992 it is torn down and construction begins on the Sonnenalp Bavaria Haus.   The Faesslers also buy the Talisman Lodge and transform it into the Swiss Haus, and subsequently the Swiss Hotel and Spa.

2000 The Sonnenalp Resort of Vail is selected as one of the fifteen best ski resorts in North America in a Conde Nast Traveler reader’s poll.  The same year, the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria is rated the No. 1 vacation resort in Germany.

2001 The Sonnenalp Resort of Vail is accepted as a member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World.

2004 The Swiss Hotel is torn down to build One Willow Bridge Road, which is managed by the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail. The Sonnenalp embarks on a comprehensive remodel, completed in 2006. 29 rooms and suites were added, along with an underground parking garage and retail and restaurant outlets along Vail’s Meadow Drive.

Today The Sonnenalp Resort of Vail continues, in the Faessler family tradition, to offer the world’s most intimate and rewarding hotel experience.