The cable car will also be shut down. “I am withdrawing completely and will liquidate the companies,” said the operator, Salzburg hotelier Wilfried Holleis, in a press conference on Monday. He cited economic reasons and strongly criticized state politics and the state environmental office.
The three-star hotel with over 350 beds, indoor climbing park, indoor pool and spa area is located on the Weißsee at an altitude of 2,315 meters above sea level, right on the border of the national park. Holleis took over the building in 2004 before the Alpine Association and, according to his own statements, has since invested around 13 million euros in modernizing the hotel and almost 12 million euros in the mountain railways. “Now it is time to go because it is no longer economically justifiable to continue investing and the political framework no longer allows development on the Weißsee,” explained the hotelier.
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Holleis criticized the lack of support from state politicians for the operation of the cable car and hotel. Despite investment subsidies from the state (around 100,000 euros per year from 2004 to 2014), the main burden remained with him. The idea of a non-profit foundation led by the municipality of Uttendorf and with the help of the state was not supported by state politicians. And: “There was no real support – apart from lip service – for the expected loss of another 0.5 million euros for the cable car just for the coming winter operation.”
At the same time, resistance from the State Environmental Office (LUA) has caused the project costs to explode. Holleis wants to significantly expand the hotel. Because of the long access road to the valley station, the ski area is not really an option for day visitors. To make better use of the cable car, the hotel needs more rooms. Initially, 224 additional beds were mentioned, but more recently 160 beds were mentioned. It is noteworthy that the shell of the building is already in place, but the project has not yet been finally approved.
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The LUA has appealed against a decision by the state that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required for the project. “It would have to go through the authorities. That was the last straw for me,” said Holleis. “Without additional beds, the ski area has no future.” However, he also admitted that there were also economic reasons for the closure of the cable car and hotel at Weißsee. He wants to slow down and concentrate on his business activities, soon to be 65 years old. Holleis’ group operates hotels in Zell am See, Croatia and Italy.
The entrepreneur assured today that the Rudolfshütte is economically “perfect” and generates profits every year. With around 60,000 overnight stays in year-round operation, the hotel is one of the larger establishments in the entire Pinzgau region. “I don’t want to make a secret of the fact that we would have needed significant financial support from the state for the coming winter season. The hotel’s occupancy rate is over 100 percent, but the departure of the railway no longer makes economic sense for me once the expansion of the Rudolfshütte is complete.”
“Construction oversized”
The State Environmental Office today rejected Holleis’ criticism. In 2011, an application was first made to expand the mountain hotel. However, when the area and volume were doubled, only 30 rooms were specified. “The building was oversized for that,” environmental lawyer Gishild Schaufler told APA. Since the construction site is still ongoing today and the nature conservation permit has expired, a permit had to be applied for again in 2019. The application to expand to 580 guests within the new building was not submitted until 2023.
However, during the official review of whether the EIA requirement was met, only the increase in the number of beds was assessed, not the building shell – and the building was therefore excluded from the EIA requirement procedure. “The legislator does not intend to look at the shell and the contents separately,” emphasised Schaufler. “This approach means that you can build a hotel without beds, wait a while and only then apply to have the rooms installed, so that only the interior needs to be checked for its EIA requirement.”
More guests would certainly have an impact on the environment in the ecologically highly sensitive alpine region. More frequency would mean more disturbance to the fauna and vegetation. “The official zoological report also found that breeding bird species sensitive to disturbance had already been displaced.” A complaint was therefore lodged against the finding that there was no obligation to carry out an environmental impact assessment.
The liquidation of the companies affects around 60 employees – around a third of them work for the mountain railway. Holleis will continue to employ the hotel staff in his other businesses – as far as possible. The mountain railway staff will lose their jobs.
