Our Story

Vail and Beaver Creek host the 2015 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships for the third time since 1989. Second to the Olympics, it is the largest ski racing event in the world. The Sonnenalp Hotel was honored to host the German National Ski Team for the event, including
Felix Neureuther.

Vail Celebrates its 50th Anniversary as one of North America’s premier resort communities on December 15, 2012.

The Sonnenalp Resort Celebrates 30 years of welcoming guests from around the world to Vail. Since opening in 1979, the hotel has received many accolades and recognition for its achievements from publications such as Travel & Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. In 2001, the Sonnenalp became a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World collection.

In a third major expansion, a new wing of the hotel is built along Meadow Drive that adds 42 new units comprised of 29 suites and 13 hotel rooms. The project also creates an enhanced, upscale pedestrian experience with new retail shops, gardens, heated surfaces and the new Swiss Chalet Restaurant.

The Faesslers implement a $6 million renovation project on the Sonnenalp Golf Course clubhouse restaurant, Balata, quickly becomes a local favorite.

The second phase of the Bavaria Haus reconstruction includes the creation of a spacious spa facility featuring an open lobby with fireplace, health bar, treatment rooms and an indoor – outdoor pool. Outside, sunny patios and flower gardens were created along the bank of Gore Creek.

Between April 1992 and November 1993, the Bavaria Haus is completely rebuilt in two phases. The original hotel is replaced with an iconic Vail landmark consisting of 88 guest suites, 2 hotel rooms, the new Ludwig’s and Bully Ranch restaurants, multiple conference rooms and a luxurious new spa.

The Sonnenalp in Bavaria creates the Quellengarten, an impressive water park and spring garden consisting of indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms with cold plunges and an exotic solarium.

The Faesslers purchase Singletree Golf Course in Edwards, Colorado and rename it the Sonnenalp Golf Club. While county covenants require that the popular course remain semi-public, the Sonnenalp is able to offer preferred tee times to hotel guests and club members.

Their three properties are renamed Austria Haus, Swiss Haus and Bavaria Haus, creating the Sonnenalp Family of Resorts and Hotels. The Talisman Lodge is transformed into the Swiss Haus, with 56 hotel rooms, a spa, outdoor pool and the Swiss Chalet Restaurant. Until its closure in 2004, the boutique hotel welcomed guests with relaxed European charm.

Johannes Faessler, son of Karlheinz and Gretl, takes over management of the Vail Sonnenalp properties with his wife Rosana in 1986. The Faessler Family expands its Vail Village presence by purchasing the Kiandra and Talisman Lodges along Meadow Drive.

Intrigued with success of the Vail Ski Resort, Karlheinz and GretlFaessler purchase the Wedel Inn Motel next to the Covered Bridge. They remodel its 38 rooms and rename it the Hotel Sonnenalp. In 1986, the name changes to the Sonnenalp Austria Haus. The Austria Haus Club and Hotel occupies the site today.

A golf enthusiast, KarlheinzFaessler opens the Sonnenalp “Ofterschwang,” a 6,500-yard, 18-hole championship golf course designed from plans drawn by legendary golf course architect Donald Harradine.

The Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria welcomes the new year with 180 employees and an international reputation for setting a new standard for luxury and privacy. Guests enjoy outdoor family-oriented activities promoting health and wellness.

Tragedy strikes the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria when a fire destroys the restaurants and 120 bedrooms in the main hotel. The hotel was immediately rebuilt and opened in time for the holiday season that year.

From 1964 to 1998, Gretl and KarlheinzFaessler continue to expand the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria while laying the groundwork for a Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail.

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

In 1956, the Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria begins a 10-year expansion that includes the addition of an indoor swimming pool, sauna, tennis courts and 53 new rooms.

Eleonore and Adolf turn over management responsibilities to their son Ludwig and his wife Resi the same year Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected 32nd President of the United States. Over the next 20 years, the industrious and personable young Faesslers add 80 beds and register the Sonnenalp name.

Between 1932 and 1964, Resi and Ludwig Faessler transform the Sonnenalp from an inn to a hotel.

The Faesslers spend several years refurbishing the lodge, adding guest rooms and a dining room. They offer guests Moor mud treatments which remain a popular treatment today.

The original Sonnenalp Resort of Bavaria is founded in the picturesque Allgäu Alps in southern Germany when Eleonore, an innkeeper’s daughter, and Adolf Faessler, a baker, purchase a small ranch house with acreage and eight cows in the Bavarian Alps.