Ferienheim – Self Catered Ski apartment

A Ferienheim is unique to the Swiss, German and Austrian region. It is a combination of a hotel, hostel, ski lodge and convention center. The Ferienheim is rented for a company retreat, class or group other large group get together. During the winter the Ferienheim serves as ski lodge for groups. It is a large building usually situated up in the alps with dormitory style sleeping arrangements, industrial kitchen, sparse dinning area and a multipurpose rooms. The bathrooms are located down the hall and you are expected to bring your own toiletries including a towel and soap. The Ferienheim is rented by a large group of people from 15-40 for an offsite event that can last up to a week.

A typical morning session during a week-long alphorn class.

For our trip we were able to have our own rooms.  At maximum capacity each room held 6 people.

There is no room service, bellhop or concierge. A cook will make the meals but the guests are expected to clear the table, wash the dishes and set the table for the next meal. At the end of the trip, you need to bring your linen down to the laundry room and put new clean sheets on your bed. One of the Swiss guys on the trip said it reminded him of his army days.

For this system to work, a great deal of discipline is required of the participants. If you make a mess, clean it up. Don’t stay up late or disturb other people. If you get hungry between meals, eat more at the next meal. The rules are explained at the beginning of the week and they are followed.

Liquor is served with meals using the honor system. On our trip, 40 bottles of wine were placed on a table along with a cashbox. If you wanted wine with dinner, put your money in the box and take a bottle. Beer was also stored in the fridge and coffee was a dollar. At the end of the week there was still 15 bottles of wine was left and the cashbox was full.

While this may seem sparse, it enables a group to have an event with very low costs. I attended a weeklong (7 days and nights) alphorn class above Gstaad Switzerland that included three meals a day, lodging and class instruction for only $900 or $130 per day. You can’t eat a single dinner in Switzerland for under $40.

While everything else was low cost, each room came with a million dollar view.