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| Hotel Adler and the Sanoner Family (history) |
ADLER THERMAE Fact sheet |
| Dowload photos |
Hotel Adler and the Sanoner Family (History) | |
| What is known today as the Hotel ADLER Wellness & Sport Resort was first mentioned in the land register of Count Meinrad II of Tyrol in 1288 as the "Ortiseiter Hof in Greden" (Ortiseiter farmstead in Val Gardena). The wealthy Ortiseiter family, which lived on this land for the next 250 years, gave its name to the entire village: known for some time by its German name of Ortiseit, it was called Ortisei in Italian and Urtijei in Ladin. No other historical references to the farmstead or its inhabitants were found during the previously mentioned 250-year period and it is unclear as to when the Ortiseiter Hof became a guesthouse. It is only in the second half of the 16th Century that new and reliable information emerged indicating that the Ortiseiter Hof had already become a guesthouse. The owner and the name of the establishment changed several times over the centuries: first it was "Daverdawirt" and "Moritzen" or "Mauriz" and then "Unterwirt" and "Daverda". A Parisian merchant named Josef Anton Sanoner bought the "Daverda Guesthouse" in 1810. Josef Anton Sanoner was born in Selva, where his family - still known as Senoner at that time - lived on the Costa farmstead. He and his four brothers (he also had 5 sisters) began carving wood as children and were very talented. The family carved wood in Val Gardena in the winter and, in the summer, the finished products were sold by travelling salesmen outside the valley. The Senoner brothers, like others from Val Gardena, soon recognised the economic potential of the woodcarving industry and, particularly, in the large European cities and those outside the continent. Many craftsmen from Val Gardena left the valley to establish trading companies throughout Europe, in North and South America and even in Japan and Australia. Just prior to the outbreak of the French Revolution four of the Senoner brothers and a cousin moved to France to set up trading companies, especially in Paris and Lyon. One of the brothers, Sebastian Sanoner, wrote some interesting accounts about the social disorders during that turbulent period of French history. It was then that the name Senoner became Sanoner (a vowel change probably due to the pronunciation of the French "e" without an accent). Despite the chaotic historical period, the Sanoner brothers' business flourished in France. All of them decided to remain there except Josef Anton: gathering together all his savings, he returned to his birthplace and bought the "Daverda" guesthouse. Upon his death, he left the guesthouse to his son, also called Josef, who later bequeathed it to his son Johann Baptist between 1870 and 1880. Over the next few years Johann enlarged and converted it into a prestigious hotel, known as "Hotel zum Goldenen Adler" (Hotel Golden Eagle). The most important addition, completed in 1905, was the so-called "Bittner Wing", named after the famous architect. Hotel Adler became the head office of the Val Gardena section of the "Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein" (Austrian and German Alpine Club), which was founded in 1885. Around 1910 the "Hotel zum Goldenen Adler" - already under the management of Josef Anton, son of Johann Baptist and grandfather of the present-day owners Andreas and Klaus Sanoner - had "...100 well-furnished and immaculately clean guestrooms with large French beds, elegant dining rooms, panoramic veranda and terrace, library with reading room, piano, billiard table, electric lighting in all ambiences, high-pressure water pipes, bathtubs and sitting baths, English toilets and telephone, as well as exquisite cuisine at any time of the day, with a fixed menu as well as à la carte dishes, draught beer and a large selection of fine wines." One and two-horse carriages transported guests to and from the railway station of Ponte Gardena three times a day, and the Hotel Adler's stables could hold up to 20 horses. Guests came mainly from Berlin and from the provinces of the Hapsburg monarchy. Even the Empress Zita was an Adler guest in 1917. Between 1925 and 1929 Josef Anton Sanoner connected the hotel's two independent buildings with a massive new wing designed by the then celebrated (and now world famous) Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister, together with the Ortisei architect Luis Trenker (who would later become an actor, a movie director and a writer). Trenker was involved probably because he was authorised to sign the project, since the ruling Italian fascist regime at that time would not issue a work permit to Holzmeister, an Austrian. The so-called "Holzmeister Wing" still exists: in particular, the massive wooden staircase and the bar are of great historical-architectural value. Because the actual construction costs greatly exceeded budget estimates, Josef Anton Sanoner and his wife Fanny nearly went bankrupt. Thanks to a loan from a colleague, the fact that his suppliers in Bolzano extended their payment terms for several years, and because all his employees agreed not to receive their wages for one whole year, Josef Anton was able to continue doing business. The Adler Hotel got back on track right away. Already in 1934, the Hotel Adler - now called the "Aquila" (Italian for eagle) had "... more than 220 beds, apartments with running water, central heating, a lift, tennis, concerts, garage, a central location and a large park..." Even Prince Humbert of Savoy was one of the hotel's guests. In the 1950s, Josef Anton Sanoner transferred the hotel's management to his son Josef Anton. Nicknamed Pepi, he supervised everything up to the 1980s with the dynamic support of his wife Elly, who today is still the Adler's "senior" owner. Pepi Sanoner's greatest passion in life was politics and administration in particular. An active member of Ortisei's administration for 30 years, and its mayor for 17, he made important contributions to help develop the village and the entire valley. In 1970, the HOTEL ADLER became a real pioneer by building what was a truly an innovative feature for mountain hotels: a swimming pool. The first one constructed with an overflow channel and an ozone system, the pool was built so well that it is still being used today. Pepi Sanoner's sons Andreas and Klaus, along with their wives Verena and Karin, have been running the Hotel Adler since the mid eighties. Andreas and Klaus Sanoner completed their business educations with degrees in economics from the University of Vienna. Despite its size, the Hotel is still a family-run hotel, under the supervision of Klaus and Andreas Sanoner, their wives Karin and Verena along with their mother, Mrs. Elly Sanoner, the "senior" owner. Klaus and Andreas's sister, Annemarie, also works at the Adler. A qualified Ayurveda therapist, she is responsible for the Hotel Adler's renowned Ayurveda sector. Since the end of the 1980s, the Hotel ADLER has developed rapidly. Numerous add-ons and renovations were completed, including: 1989-90 Demolition and rebuilding of the "Bittner Wing" and construction of an underground garage. A beauty farm, called the "Dolasilla", named after a beautiful and courageous princess from the Dolomite legends, was built during the reconstruction of the "Bittner Wing". The ADLER was once again a trailblazer, laying the foundations for the evolution into a Wellness Hotel. In the meantime, the hotel also enhanced its sports and leisure time activity program. 1996-97 Construction of the "Aguana" Water World, a unique "sauna-scape". 1999 Enlargement of the bar with a spacious sunny veranda. 1999-2000 Construction of the "ADLER Vital Residence". This new living area, which replaced the old Adler garage, includes a square, shops and the "SoViSo" café. The residence consisted of 28 comfortable rooms and 13 apartments. The underground garage was also extensively enlarged and the huge hotel park (9000 m²) was completely renovated. 2000-01 Enlargement of the "Dolasilla" wellness centre with a new reception area, 10 new treatment rooms, a doctor's office, a hairdresser and the "AdlerFit" fitness centre. 2003 Construction of the new ADLER THERMAE in Bagno Vignoni, Spa & Wellness Resort in Southern Tuscany. 2004 Opening of the new ADLER THERMAE Spa & Wellness Resort in Tuscany (Bagno Vignoni). |
