Interview: Hosts with a passion

One family. One resort. One vision: the hosts of the Sonnenalp Resort in the Allgäu, Anna-Maria and Michael Fäßler, talk about regular guests, golf, enjoyment and sustainability.

The Sonnenalp Resort looks back on an impressive history. How do you manage to harmonize tradition and modernity?
Michael Fäßler: Our history is the basis for everything we do. It gives us orientation and identity. At the same time, we always look to the future. We question what is still up to date and adapt what can develop further. Direct contact with our guests helps us to do this, as does communication within the family. For us, tradition and modernity are not mutually exclusive - on the contrary: both together make the Sonnenalp what it is.

What inspires you personally time and again in your role as host?
Anna-Maria Fäßler: I am inspired by the daily contact with our guests. Their feedback, their stories, their wishes - all this motivates me to keep looking closely and to develop the Sonnenalp further. For me, being a hostess means creating a place where people feel they are in good hands. When guests say: "It feels like home here", then I know that we are doing something right.

Guests at the Sonnenalp often come back again and again for generations. What do you do specifically to maintain this strong emotional bond?
Michael Fäßler: The Sonnenalp is much more than a luxury resort. It is home, happiness, family and a life story for generations. Many families have been coming here for decades. This loyalty is both a gift and an obligation for us. We listen, develop offers and make sure that everyone - from toddlers to grandmothers - feels welcome. What attracts guests to the Sonnenalp is a feeling.

The Sonnenalp Resort is a year-round destination. What can guests expect in every season?
Anna-Maria Fäßler: The Sonnenalp is a special place at any time of year - each season has its own charm. In spring, the resort blossoms with nature - ideal for hikers, golfers and connoisseurs. In summer, our guests can look forward to water worlds in a class of their own with our own mountain lake and various pools - perfect for family time together in the warmer months. In autumn, our guests enjoy the peace and quiet and time for creativity, culinary delights and impressive cultural events. And in winter, the Sonnenalp is not only transformed into a snow paradise with its own ski school and festive atmosphere, but also into a retreat with a medical and wellness offer for regeneration and strength.

What can golf fans expect?
Michael Fäßler: With three of our own courses and a total of 42 holes, we offer world-class golf - set against a unique mountain backdrop. Whether beginner or professional: everyone will find the right challenge here. Our membership of the Leading Golf Clubs of Germany since May 2025 underlines our quality - and our claim to combine golfing experiences with style, nature and comfort.

The Sonnenalp Resort also sets standards in culinary terms. What is the philosophy behind your culinary concept?
Michael Fäßler: For us, indulgence means more than just good food - it's quality of life. In our restaurants and four external outlets, we combine regionality with creativity and down-to-earthness with finesse. Each of our restaurants has its own charm, whether it's the Seehaus - La Cucina Inizio with Italian flair on the Oberallgäu golf course, the World Cup hut on the Ofterschwanger Horn with a dream backdrop in summer and winter or the rustic Waldhaus restaurant with Allgäu cuisine directly on the Sonnenalp golf course.
Our standards are particularly evident in the Michelin-starred Silberdistel restaurant, where the team led by head chef Florian Wagenbach combines culinary classics with modern and sophisticated fusion cuisine. Not only do they cook with heart and soul, but the excellent cuisine is honest, creative and close to nature.

Your wellness and medical spa is considered one of the best in the Alps. What do you attach particular importance to here?
Anna-Maria Fäßler: Our spa world should be more than just a beautiful place. It should help people to get closer to themselves again. On 20,000 m², we create space for peace, relaxation and new energy - with a spacious water and sauna world, soothing body treatments, cosmetic treatments and comprehensive medical wellness services. This also includes modern rehabilitation offers and longevity concepts, which we are constantly developing further. We also regularly organize expert summits at which renowned specialists share their knowledge - this reflects our professionalism and our commitment to innovation in the areas of health and prevention. In this way, we combine classic wellness with genuine medical expertise - holistic, well-founded and personal.

What measures does the Sonnenalp take to operate in an environmentally friendly and future-oriented manner?
Anna-Maria Fäßler: Sustainability is not a trend, but an attitude. We are constantly working to conserve resources, strengthen regional cycles and think long-term. This ranges from our own wood chip heating system, photovoltaic systems and regional suppliers to sustainable architecture - such as in our new NaturLodges. We also pay attention to sustainable processes in our in-house laundry - from the latest energy and water-saving technologies to environmentally friendly electricity.

And your view of the future?
Anna-Maria Fäßler: Our vision remains: The Sonnenalp should remain a place of longing - lively, authentic and open to change. We want to offer people a place of well-being at every stage of life. In doing so, we build on what has sustained us for generations: Warmth, appreciation and a deep understanding of genuine hospitality. We are currently setting new accents with heart and vision: At the beginning of the year, we renovated 28 double rooms and, due to the great popularity of our riding stables, we are building the so-called Hofgut. A place is being created there that makes the roots of the Sonnenalp tangible again - with animals, nature and lots of emotion. We are planning an indoor riding arena, new lofts, a Hofgut restaurant with a farm store and very special retreats: the NaturLodges with their own infinity pool and sauna. Everything is due to be completed by the end of 2025 and will therefore be ready for full use in winter 2025/26. All of these projects are being created with the clear aim of offering our guests something special time and time again - while tangibly preserving the Sonnenalp feeling. It will be a whole new chapter in our history - and all of this, of course, with a view to the next generation, who are already passionately involved.

Further information about the hotel can be found HERE !