Stoos Lodge 

Worldwide unique energy concept on the Stoos

Stoos Lodge proves that sustainability can have style. The hotel, which opened in December 2022, is in an optimum location, right next to the mountain station of the world record-holding funicular. Its proximity to the funicular has enabled an energy concept to be created in collaboration with Stoosbahnen AG, which is both revolutionary and a world first. The steepest funicular in the world (with a gradient of up to 110 percent) has to brake for almost half of the journey. This electrical energy created from braking is converted into heat and stored. In conjunction with the waste heat from the engine room, this excess energy is used to heat the hotel and warm up the domestic hot water, and this is CO2-neutral of course. This generates 410,000 kilowatt hours of energy every year and saves around 41,000 litres of heating oil. With other sophisticated measures, such as heat recovery from the cooling systems, the preparation of hot water works so well that there is sometimes too much of it available. And this is the case even after the hot water is used in the laundry too.

The hotel’s collaboration with Stoosbahnen AG brings with it two advantages. On the one hand, Stoos Lodge can purchase electricity and renewable energy at reduced prices. On the other hand, the money paid in energy costs remains in the municipality. A circular economy in a small area!

The guests themselves can also make their contribution to a more sustainable stay in the mountains. With the modular structure of the hotel concept, the hotel enables guests to choose which services they would like to use. These are booked individually according to personal requirements. For example, if room cleaning is waived, not only does this have a positive impact on water and energy consumption, but also on the price of the overnight stay.

Along with exemplary energy management, Stoos Lodge has even more to offer: the Stoos Hotels hotel group operates its own mountain daycare centre at Stoos Lodge. Employees benefit from a preferential price of 50 percent off the regular rate. The daycare centre is accredited by the canton and also offers significant added value to the population of Stoos and the surrounding municipalities. Social sustainability generally has high priority at Stoos Hotels: they offer six apprenticeships in their establishments, and they are currently training nine apprentices and supervising three trainees from various hotel management schools. The total of 177 part-time and full-time employees come from around 22 different countries. With their individual contributions, they also support external training opportunities and create optimum conditions for the professional and personal advancement of their employees.