The history of Hotel Alpina

The traditional hotel in Soelden

The origins of the current Hotel Alpina date back to the 19th century. At that time, it was known as the Gasthof Alpenverein and was located on the Rettenbach. The guesthouse formed the original heart of the village of Soelden, together with the church, school, tannery and blacksmiths.

In 1892, records show that Crown Princess Stefanie of Austria/Hungary stayed at the guesthouse on one of her many travels. A marble plaque at the hotel entrance attests to this event.

During the years that followed, the guesthouse was renamed 'Grüner's Gasthof zum Alpenverein' and was managed by the owner, Josef Grüner. A small corner shop was even installed on the ground floor.

During the 1960s, our father and pioneer of tourism, Martin RIML, took over the guesthouse together with Jakob Gstrein. A few years later, our father began to run the guesthouse alone and renovation work was carried out in 1969 and 1972. The name was changed to 'Hotel Alpina'. The first RIML sports shop was opened in the Alpina a few years later.

In 1987, a garage and three more floors were added. Numerous small-scale renovations were carried out over the years that followed.