The Vision of AMONTI & LUNARIS Wellness Resort

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"Five stars don't mean golden taps and digital displays, but space, attention and experience."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

After graduating from hotel management school, Herbert Steger joined his parents' business, then the Sporthotel Linderhof. This led to the creation of the leading business hotel Alpenschlössl in 1998, a pioneer in the field of wellness hotels, which shortly afterwards became one of the largest resorts in South Tyrol together with the Linderhof. Today's 5* AMONTI & LUNARIS Wellness Resort opened in the summer of 2018 after a record-breaking short construction period.

<h3 class="interview-question">Mr. Steger, the AMONTI & LUNARIS Wellness Resort is a strong brand. What does it stand for?</h3>
Our house is characterized by two factors: the double specialization and the double hotel. The unique thing is that we have two houses that are connected. We built the infrastructure together, use it together and complement each other. Another feature of our hotel resort is the double specialization: on the one hand in the family area and on the other hand in the wellness/spa area. The challenge is to reconcile the needs of the two segments with separate areas and separate offerings.

<h3 class="interview-question">However, these segments are not separated by the establishments, but each house, the AMONTI and the LUNARIS, addresses both target groups. In your vision, all constellations should be covered and everyone should feel comfortable at the same time, right?</h3>
Exactly, here at the AMONTI, for example, we have the Spa Lodge on the top floor, which is for adults only. On the other hand, there is the children's water world, the playground, or the child care for families. In this way, we manage to satisfy both segments.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"Thanks to the renovation and the current size of the resort, we have successfully separated our specialization areas “Wellness” and “Family,” allowing us to address each target group individually and more effectively."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">As an entrepreneur, do you have a particular vision or something you would like to achieve?</h3>
The idea of specialization grew slowly over time, influenced by external factors and the environment. The spa line developed due to the growing wellness offer, while the family specialization was stimulated by the offer of the family ski area in the Ahrntal valley or the summer adventure area on the doorstep. With the reconstruction and today's size we were able to separate the areas and address them separately.

<h3 class="interview-question">You and your family have been running the AMONTI & LUNARIS Spa Resort for over 50 years, putting you at the forefront of digital transformation in the hotel industry. We would like to hear an anecdote from your early years in the business. What digital revolutions have had the greatest impact on your company?</h3>
I joined my parents' business when I was 19, right after graduating from hotel school. My first requirement was, "I need a computer and a printer or I won't work here. A laser printer like the one I had in mind cost a fortune at the time! I also needed a hotel program. There were two suppliers in South Tyrol and I was one of the first customers of ASA. Gerhard Spitaler, one of the two founders, came personally to install the program. That was at the end of the 80s. A little later, in the mid-90s, our first homepage went online, so I see us as pioneers in South Tyrol. The beginning of the Internet movement has probably had the greatest impact on our company and on the hotel industry in general.

<h3 class="interview-question">What does "digitalization" mean for you today in 2019?</h3>
I'd like to give you a few examples from our hotel: Since the spring of 2019, all our cleaning staff have been working with a tablet: they use it to release the room, to note if the bathrobes need to be changed or if the minibar needs to be refilled. Our housekeeper receives the work orders on his smartphone, checks off the task, and the front desk knows immediately. We were also one of the first customers to use the Namaris restaurant software, a digital ordering program for the kitchen that works digitally on monitors without the need for paper receipts. We have been using digital time recording for our employees for six years.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"Digitalization in the hotel industry clearly offers more opportunities—above all, I see it as a way to ease the workload for staff."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">So, in summary, digitization means time savings, efficiency, error avoidance, and therefore more opportunities or more risks? </h3>
Definitely more opportunities. I see it first and foremost as making work easier for employees. As a guest, why should I still have to check out at the front desk? Actually, the day before I leave, I should get a message on my smartphone telling me how much I owe, I confirm it with a credit card/Apple Pay/PayPal, I leave the "key" in the room and close the door behind me. If I want to say goodbye, fine, but in principle a visit to the reception is not even necessary. Technically, all this is possible, maybe you would have to educate the guest a little bit. In fact, it would be more practical for both parties.

This consideration is based on a key experience with Canadian guests: they simply left without checking out and paying. When we contacted them, they simply said, "Well, you have our credit card number!" They assumed we would automatically charge them. The same goes for the check-in process; our pre-check-in service is already well used and clearly saves time.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"One key topic in the digitalization process is inventory and stock management. In this area, hotel chains are far ahead of vacation hotels."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">So what is the next big project in the digitization process?</h3>
An important topic in the near future will certainly be merchandise management or inventory management; the big hotel chains are way ahead of us in this respect. At the moment, this is a huge control effort, and as far as I know from my South Tyrolean colleagues in the industry, no one has digitized it yet. An intern takes the last carton of Lagrein out of the cellar and nobody knows it. Or in the kitchen: it can't be that the chef has to talk to X representatives every week. Sure, you'd have to scan all the entrances and exits, but you'd save a lot of time and money. I'm convinced that a simple, well-designed system would be adopted by many colleagues, including myself.

<h3 class="interview-question">Are things like digital concierges or chatbots, systems where you say this is the future, we have to have it?</h3>
At the moment, we offer our guests a classic wine list or our wine pad, which is enriched with all the information. We have guests who specifically ask for the pad and others who prefer the classic menu. I think you have to offer both. This is probably how it will be with voice assistants in the future: some prefer the light switch, others are used to the Alexa command from home. Again, only simple, "foolproof" systems will succeed. We tend to be conservative here: there are no color-changing gimmicks or dimming options in the rooms. It is usually too complicated for the guest, and above all, no one asks for it. So no, we will not be introducing Alexa in the house for the time being.

<h3 class="interview-question">Any other technological gadgets that would excite you?</h3>
Two days ago (note: this interview was recorded in July) I bought a Tesla for our hotel, and everyone is talking about electric mobility. I want to offer this driving experience to our guests as an alternative to the Porsche Boxter, which is booked two to three times a week. We currently have two charging stations, and with the next underground garage being planned, every parking space will probably need a charging option - that's the future.

Hotel Marketing in the Digital Age

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"An extraordinary hotel bar can be anywhere — in Dubai, in Moscow, or in the Ahrntal Valley. What makes the difference is the surrounding landscape."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">Photos are known to be the new currency on the Internet, especially among young guests. How is this reflected in everyday hotel life? Are there defined photo spots that are actively pointed out or were they deliberately created during the last hotel renovation?</h3>

We don't consciously communicate that the best photo spot is by our sky pool on the top floor, but it's certainly a key visual for us. We put the pool there because it has the best view and presents the Ahrntal Valley in the best possible way. So it's a no-brainer. I'm happy that most of the contributions are made in combination with nature and put the Ahrntal in the spotlight. In principle, a beautiful hotel bar can be located anywhere, in Dubai or Moscow, or just in the Ahrntal Valley. The difference is the landscape around it. But what we are specifically communicating are hashtags that our guests should be happy to use, and we also offer them the service of uploading their photo and having an external service provider turn it into a postcard. We then send them to their family or friends for free. Haptic is becoming more valuable again.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"You have to find the right influencer for your hotel and set the framework so that the whole thing fits the hotel, but also your own hotel social media marketing."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">Speaking of Instagram and influencers, does this play a role in your company?</h3>
We get a lot of inquiries, but we have a hard time measuring them. I see a lot of very off-putting examples, especially on the accounts of well-known houses, that post the exact opposite of what I would expect and are therefore completely counterproductive. 

<h3 class="interview-question">You are certainly a pioneer in the South Tyrolean hotel industry and your hotel is a beacon that is seen throughout the entire Alpine region. Do you dare to look ahead to the next significant tourism trends in the Alpine region in the next 5-10 years?</h3>
(thinks about it) I can't commit myself... certainly a marginal topic will be the already mentioned electric mobility. Likewise, the often mentioned topic of health has always been very present here thanks to a health-conscious, active public, but I don't see it as a really new trend. On the culinary side, we have been offering six different menus for more than three years: standard, vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free and a children's menu. I don't mean variations by simply omitting individual foods or components, but actual menus of our own. This is how we make our guests feel: I am appreciated here!

<h3 class="interview-question">What about sustainability?</h3>
In the last few months, the topic of plastic has been omnipresent in our restaurant, as it is everywhere, especially among guests from Germany. We have responded by banning plastic straws and eliminating individual packaging at the breakfast buffet. Regionality has been an issue for us for a long time.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"Five stars isn't about gold fixtures or digital displays, it's about space, attention and experience."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Herbert Steger</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">When we talk about new outstanding hotel concepts around the world, which projects come to mind first?</h3>
We South Tyroleans are well positioned and tend to look to our neighbors in the Vinschgau (note: the upper part of the Etsch Valley in South Tyrol) rather than beyond the national borders (laughs), but it does us all good to think outside the box a little. One project that takes the theme of quality and style in all-inclusive to a new dimension is the Ikos Resorts in Greece. Outstanding, sprawling resorts with exclusive service offerings. A level that amazes and inspires! By the way, they also work with a dual concept: the standard booking, which is not much different from other high-end all-inclusive resorts, and only the "Infinite Luxury Concept", which includes Michelin-star cuisine and the butler who will clean your sunglasses. 

<h3 class="interview-question">So can we call "exclusivity" a trend?</h3>
Many would like to, but the implementation and execution is a fine line.