Tamaris and Andreas Auer talk about their newly renovated hotel Seehof in Naz
How long did the reflection process about the new Nature Retreat last, what inspired you?
Three years ago we started considering what our professional future at the Seehof would look like. We came to the conclusion that we would like to make the Seehof into something really special. We wanted to create a meeting place for people who value peace, nature and pleasure in every respect.
As hotel owners, you deal with important decisions every day, such as considering who might have the necessary empathy and style to make your vision a reality. What criteria did you use to select and brief the creative minds behind the redesign?
• The Seehof is situated on the apple-growing plateau of Naz at an altitude of about 900 metres, not far from the town of Bressanone and the Augustinian Abbey of Novacella. We wanted the architecture of the project to reflect our location in this mountain area and were lucky to have the right partners on board from the start.
You must have been faced with a flood of information and suggestions, all requiring decisions. Who was holding the reins?
Whenever possible, both of us, Tamaris and Andreas, were present at the various meetings. Decisions were always made as a team with our partners.
What impact did the building work have on you?
The construction period, which lasted over six months, was very intense for our family: we basically spent Christmas Eve and all our Christmas celebrations on a building site, sometimes ended up cooking in sub-zero temperatures and even at weekends were woken by the sound of machines and tradesmen singing. There were some surprising discoveries too: in the ground we found not gold bars but pipes we didn’t know were there, which then had to be relaid.
The new Nature Retreat offers many highlights. Do you have a personal favourite?
Here we have to distinguish between hardware and software. The bathing and wellness centre by the lake is a real highlight. The modern suites and renovated rooms evoke a contemporary lifestyle. The “Borgo dei sapori” restaurant is a culinary meeting point of local and Mediterranean cuisine and our garden, in which the whole site is embedded, is a true paradise. By software we mean our staff: they enable our guests to have an enjoyable stay in a natural, uncomplicated and authentic environment, where pleasure comes first.
How would you describe your vision for the new Seehof?
Arrive, stay a while, just be! Not higher, faster, further;
but slower, more conscious, more natural.