Hotel history(ies) – A look behind the scenes of travel
Podcast by Cultura Laudinella
In our podcast, we tell you about special places where life is concentrated: hotels are much more than just places to sleep – they are small worlds full of arrivals, encounters, departures and memories.
We report on stories of people and moments that show how the hotel industry makes history – and how it continues to be told today.
And we talk about houses with unique character, about their beginnings, breaks and realignments, about culture, architecture, visions for the future and exciting anecdotes.
Episode 1
The cultural hotel – experience history, shape the future
Presenter and historian Basil Vollenweider and hotelier Christoph Maximilian Schlatter provide insights into the past, present and future of this unique place and show how to preserve history while simultaneously daring to try new things.
Episode 2
The Hotel Queen – Family History and the Beginnings of Tourism in St. Moritz
St. Moritz, 1875: The Hotel Reine Victoria opens its doors. What many don't know to this day – the driving force behind it was a woman: Margaritta Klainguti. Where did this woman from the Engadine region get the financial resources and know-how to build and run one of the first luxury hotels in St. Moritz? What role did migration play in the development of tourism in the region?
Moderator and historian Basil Vollenweider speaks with Dr. Prisca Roth, whose research examines the Klainguti family history. Together they take a look at a time when travel became a social event and the hotel industry a distinct cultural form.
Photo 2: Her husband Thomas Fanconi | Source: Oberengadin Cultural Archive, Zuoz
Photo 1: Margaritta Klainguti, builder of the Reine Victoria | Source: Upper Engadine Cultural Archive, Zuoz
Photo 3: The Hotel Reine Victoria around 1875 | Source: Documentation Library St. Moritz, Author: Adolphe Braun, Copyright: expired
Episode 3
The Baron tells his story – a winter evening at the Hotel Reine Victoria around 1900
In Episode 3, we travel back to the winter of 1905 – to the venerable Hotel Victoria in St. Moritz-Bad. The focus is on Baron Maximilian von und zu Hornstein, a fictional character who serves as the narrator, guiding us through this era. As a literary witness to his time, he condenses historical observations of a society caught between stagnation and new beginnings, spa treatments and masquerade balls, health resorts and glamour.
*Note: This dialogue is fictional, based on contemporary sources, and reflects the worldview of the time. The text was written by historian Basil Vollenweider.
Speakers include: Christian Jott Jenny, mayor of St. Moritz and entertainer as Baron Maximilian von und zu Hornstein, and historian Basil Vollenweider as interviewer.