Borne from conviction and the desire to lead by example

The 700-year-old traditional Hotel & Wirtshaus Post in St. Johann has been proud bearer of the Austrian Eco-label since April 2022, thereby communicating its sustainable practices to the outside world.
In February 2023, Convention Bureau Tirol asked Maximilian Blumschein, hotel director at Hotel & Wirtshaus Post, a few questions about the certification process with the Austrian Eco-label, the associated challenges, required adjustments and employee mindset.

Sustainability is in his blood

Maximilian originally comes from the province of Salzburg, where his family runs an organic hotel. He was involved in the hotel’s transition and tells us about a very exciting and instructive process. Ingrained with these values and entrepreneurial thinking, he came to St. Johann in Tirol seven years ago with his wife Sigrid, and together they took over the Hotel & Wirtshaus Post, where they continue to run their sustainable hotel concept.

Certification process

The two of them had been toying with the idea of having the hotel certified with the Austrian Eco-label for some long time, but day-to-day business activities almost didn’t allow it to happen. The certification process commenced in 2021, completed in April 2022 and was ceremoniously presented by the Austrian Ministry of the Environment in January 2023.

Two decisive aspects for the start of certification were the creation of a unique selling point on the one hand, and the optimal current status of the house on the other: thanks to general renovations carried out in 2014, everything already complied with the required current standards.
The certification process took one year. The most intensive phase took around six months and involved some two to three hours of work a week. The process was accompanied and continually motivated by a consultant from the VKI (Association for Consumer Information). “Whenever something is new, you are whipped up in euphoria and highly motivated, but the euphoria wanes at some point, you constantly come up against hurdles and the day-to-day business is of course still there. Having someone at your side who gives you the necessary symbolic push to continue, supports you, discusses the next steps with you, guides you – that is of course very helpful,” Maximilian tells us and recommends that every business that goes down the path of certification be accompanied by a consultant.

Challenges & changes

The biggest challenge in the certification process for Hotel & Wirtshaus Post was time management. Many figures, data and facts on the individual requirements were already available due to the conversion, but much technical data, e.g. electricity and water consumption, thermal insulation, had to be established. Something that proved to be more complicated than expected.
A significant change was made in the hotel’s cosmetic products. The hotel has a unique and traditional Tyrolean partner in the form of Walde Seife, one of the oldest soap manufacturers in Austria.

An important adjustment, which always happens in the background and is a significant cost factor (around 20-30 % additional costs), is the matter of cleaning agents. Here, they switched to an eco-product line and set new standards for cleaning management together with the staff.

Furthermore, waste separation systems in the hotel rooms were taken into consideration. The decision was finally made in favour of waste separation stations on the separate floors, which simplify separation for everyone involved and are well received by the guests. Likewise, the gas-powered radiator heaters in the outdoor area were replaced by electric heating pads with rechargeable batteries.

“So, we can’t profess to being sacrosanct. We are always going to emit CO₂ somewhere, but we certainly are better than average, I do believe that, and this also needs to be demonstrated and communicated,” says Maximilian Blumschein.
Seafood is completely avoided in the kitchen, an in-house creation of surf and turf is available using regional char filet, 100 % free-range eggs are used and a cooperation has been fostered with Brunnhof in St. Johann, which runs its own cattle farm. Fine cuts are sold in their own “Postmarkt” delicatessen, which mainly stocks products from the region, Tirol and Italy, and second cuts are processed in the restaurant. Unavoidable imports are kept to a minimum, as coffee and cocoa, for example, are unfortunately not yet grown in Europe.

Staff mindset

When they took over the hotel, they also worked on staff guidelines and staff philosophy from the very outset. Maximilian emphasises how important it is to involve employees in processes on an ongoing basis and to clearly convey the company’s mission and vision. “We established back then: we aspire for quality and happiness. Because you can only serve happy guests if you have happy employees, or when you are happy yourself,” explains the hotel director. The employees’ attitude towards the certification process was very open and positive, and everyone got directly involved.
Employee satisfaction has a high priority in the hotel and is addressed in annual meetings, where the current and desired situation is evaluated.
Hotel & Wirtshaus Post has not yet hosted any certified events (as of March 2023). However, Maximilian is very enthusiastic about the first enquiry and sees it as an exciting project.

When asked if Maximilian would like to add anything, he answers with: “Yes, organic should be standard. In fact, things should be done the other way around. Organic should be standard and all businesses who aren’t, should be labelled as such.”

Maximilian’s tips for a Green Meeting:

• Travel by train: the regional guest card allows you to use the train and bus connections free of charge.
• The Postmarkt snack: “Danzl” cheese, bacon from the neighbouring farmer, traditional Postmarkt bread, …
• Choosing the right hotel and that is of course Hotel & Wirtshaus Post in St. Johann (he says with a wink).

Author
Kathrin Horntrich
Digital Communications & Community Management
kathrin.horntrich@convention.tirol