People First, Always
Interview with Sarah Wenghofer, Assistant General Manager of Alpenland St. Johann
In Austria’s competitive tourism market, Alpenland Resort in St. Johann im Pongau is charting a unique path. The American-owned hotel prioritizes year-round employment, career development, and innovative work models, showing that putting employees first can tackle the industry’s toughest challenges. From service robots assisting staff to fostering loyalty through growth, Alpenland is redefining Alpine hospitality. In this interview, Assistant General Manager Sarah Wenghofer discusses their people-centered philosophy and what sets them apart.
European Business: The Alpenland Resort has an interesting ownership structure. Mrs. Wenghofer, can you tell us about its history?
Sarah Wenghofer: The hotel was founded in 1978 and was bought by an American family just a few years later. We’re quite unique in that we’re the only property they own in Austria. While the ownership is American, we here in Austria are the ones running the day-to-day operations. The past six years have been particularly transformative for us, with new management implementing significant changes.
European Business: What makes your approach to hospitality diff-erent from other hotels?
Sarah Wenghofer: Our employees are our most important capital. We strongly believe that the hotel’s vision and philosophy must be lived by our employees – management can make all the plans they want, but if employees don’t embody these values, it’s meaningless. We focus on creating clear structures and involving our employees in everything we do. Unlike many hotels in the region, we offer primarily year-round positions rather than seasonal work. This helps create stronger employee loyalty. What’s particularly important to us is that we don’t just look at our staff as workers – we look at their individual qualities and potential, and then invest in their development. We actively encourage and even require further education and training.
European Business: How are you addressing the industry-wide challenge of staff shortages?
Sarah Wenghofer: Money is important, but it’s only a short-term motivator. We focus on creating meaningful work experiences and clear career perspectives. The tourism industry often has this outdated mindset of ‘this is how we’ve always done things,’ especially regarding working hours and conditions. We’re trying different working models because while tourism will always involve weekend and evening work, there are ways to make it more attractive. We need to show young people that there are real career opportunities in this industry.
European Business: You’re operating in a highly competitive market. What sets Alpenland apart?
Sarah Wenghofer: We’re quite unique in that we’re a timeshare property – about 60% of our occupancy comes from timeshare guests. This makes us one of the most international hotels in St. Johann, with guests from all over the world. We have 140 rooms accommodating up to 300 guests, and while we’re not primarily focused on wellness like many other hotels, we concentrate on nature, sports, and leisure activities. Our guest mix is also quite diverse – we have traditional holiday guests, business travelers for our extensive seminar facilities, and our timeshare guests who often use our hotel as a base to explore all of Austria.
European Business: What role does digitalization play in your operations?
Sarah Wenghofer: We’ve digitalized much of our internal communication and processes, but we’re very careful about how we implement technology. For example, we have a service robot, but it’s designed to support our staff, not replace them. It carries plates so that our employees can spend more time with guests. In rural hospitality, digitalization is a sensitive topic – we can’t just put up a check-in machine and close the reception because we’d lose that crucial personal contact with guests.
European Business: What’s your vision for the future of tourism in the region?
Sarah Wenghofer: One of my personal passions is changing how we approach competition in rural areas. Instead of hotels trying to outdo each other, we need to focus on destination management. We need to market the destination as a whole, not just individual hotels. When you look at successful regions like Großarltal, they’ve created a strong brand where no single property stands alone. This kind of collaboration could make the entire region more attractive, benefiting everyone in the long run. We already have tourism management, but what we really need is comprehensive destination management. This isn’t about losing individual identity – quite the opposite. When we strengthen the destination as a whole, each hotel’s unique character becomes even more valuable.