The Riders Palace in LAAX has been accommodating young, party-hungry freestylers since December 2001. From simple multi-bed rooms to suites, it has the right offer for every budget. But times are changing and so is the clientele of the Riders: it is getting older and more mature. For this reason, a new concept was developed for the legendary hotel and implemented from autumn 2016 during a two-year renovation phase. This transformation is being realised by a young team that has not been put together on the basis of experience in the hotel industry. Rather, the team of five creatives is united by a passion for new, innovative ideas, trends and design. In this interview, the remodelling team offers a look behind the scenes and tells us what guests can look forward to in the new hotel.
Your team does not yet have much experience in the hotel industry. Nevertheless, you approached the project with a great deal of commitment. Were you worried that it wouldn’t work?
Roger Heid, Hotel Manager: We have all been able to gain experience in different areas over many years. In addition, we have all travelled extensively and have already discovered different parts of the world. We have the feeling that we can incorporate the impressions we have gathered while travelling into the project here. We want it to be a different experience to a traditional hotel – we want to convey a special vibe.
The Riders Hotel in Laax Murschetg will open its doors in winter 2017/18 not only with a new look, but also with a new concept. What can guests expect in future?
Roger Heid, Hotel Manager: Our aim is to make everything as easy as possible for guests, from check-in to the food experience. The rooms are also furnished in such a way that they are functional and simple, yet stylish and beautiful. Another guiding principle is that the passion put into this project can be felt throughout the hotel. Employees such as the chef, the bartender, the receptionists – they should all fit into the team, i.e. be genuine and have a passion for skiing or snowboarding, enjoy socialising and have a flair for music.
How and where did the new concept idea come about?
Jonathan Voellmy, Creative Director: The ideas arose from an ongoing creative process, but also from the interplay between work and leisure time. When you’ve done a run together on the piste in the morning, you have a clear head afterwards and are open to inspiration. We certainly also gathered a lot of inspiration while travelling. Travelling gives you a completely different perspective on things. The initial plans for the remodelling were even drawn up in India.
What will happen to the young people who have been looking for affordable accommodation at the Riders up to now?
Michael Adamina, architect: There are still 4-bed rooms on an entire floor, which means that this target group will continue to have access to cool and affordable accommodation. Although the price had to be increased slightly, it has also been adapted to the new standard.
Which new target group would you like to address with the concept?
Roger Heid, Hotel Manager: We don’t divide our target groups according to characteristics such as age or place of residence. We want to reach people who have a passion for the mountains and appreciate music, design and quality.
What experience do you bring to the team?
Roger Heid, Hotel Manager: I have already gained a lot of management experience. I can now sense quite quickly whether something can work or whether someone fits into a team. I also have the task of scrutinising the ‘crazy’ ideas from time to time and then perhaps only allowing them to become ‘medium crazy’. But I also know when I need to step back and just let the team work.
What was the most exciting thing for you during the transformation phase?
Jonathan Voellmy, Creative Director: The blank slate we were given – being able to create something new from scratch. In my job, it’s often all about the design, about embellishing something. In this project, however, we had the chance to fundamentally develop the entire concept – we even defined the target group, which is often given, together.
What passion do you bring to the project?
Michael Adamina, architect: I have a great passion for graphics and photography, and I’m very interested in what’s going on in the whole surfing and snowboarding movement – I find graphic aspects and clothing styles particularly exciting. That’s also the fascinating thing about LAAX – here you get to feel the concentrated charge of the scene.
What do you value most about working in a team?
James Niederberger, carpenter : The collaboration is totally special – we have all designed, planned, built and worked together in the company. We’ve always seen it as a circle that we draw together. Usually, at the beginning of a project you have an architect who plans it, then the craftsman who realises it and finally someone else runs it. But we all want to be involved in the whole process. We worked together constantly, discussed a lot and had arguments. However, thanks to our deep-rooted friendship, everything worked very well. We’ve all known each other for a long time and each of us knows who has what weaknesses and where. As a result, we accept each other for who we are.
What are the biggest challenges during the transformation?
Renato Nigg, construction manager: The time window we have is very tight for all the ideas we want to realise. Cobbling this together in a tightly packed construction programme in such a way that it works for everyone is certainly the biggest challenge.
What are you most looking forward to when the project is finished?
Renato Nigg, construction manager: I’m looking forward to seeing everything working and the improvement in quality. I’m also looking forward to seeing that the transformation has been worthwhile, that it’s visible, but above all that you can feel it.
