Investors and operators of the Deutsche Seereederei believe more than ever in the Mittenwald location.
After the placet by the local council, the Hanseatic people accelerate the pace.
The central, communal area is to be purchased in the next four months.
Mittenwald
- Lutz Weller, the Hanseatic, has learned a lot about the Mittenwald people and their temperament in the past 15 months.
The manager of the Deutsche Seereederei (DSR) will never forget the heated public information on February 19, 2019, when he and his colleague Torsten Vey (DSR Hotel Holding) actually wanted to whet an appetite for their planned four- Star superior resort between the train station and the town hall (we reported).
The mood at the time was partly heated and almost hostile.
But we weren't intimidated by the resistance at the event or played the insulted liver sausage.
Lutz Weller
In the aftermath of this memorable meeting, Weller was massively upset - for example, about today's SPD market councilor Ursula Seydel. At the height of the Mittenwald local election campaign, the then red candidate for a mandate had, in his opinion, operated with incorrect square meter prices. “That annoyed me very much,” Weller looks back. "But we weren't intimidated by the resistance at the event or played the insulted liver sausage." On the contrary: In the executive suite of the DSR, the abuse of some in the hall was processed and analyzed. Result: "It would be a bad policy if we had given in."
The change of mayor and Corona followed. But the Deutsche Seereederei could not speak of a standstill. What has happened behind the scenes in terms of the aja-Hotel in Mittenwald over the past few months, Weller and Vey explained on Wednesday during a press conference in the town hall meeting room. The most important message: "We are not about expansion at any price", explained Vey. "But we believe in this location."
The third aja brand hotel in the Upper Bavarian Alpine region is to be built on this in the 2023/2024 winter season at the latest, after Ruhpolding and Garmisch-Partenkirchen - 196 rooms and suites and 400 beds.
According to Weller, the total investment is over 50 million euros.
The DSR managers assume an average year of 100,000 overnight stays and annual sales in the double-digit million range.
196 rooms - "a critical size"
In the course of negotiations with the town hall tip, the investors had to swallow a few bucks in order to continue living their dream of Mittenwald. They have to do without their parking deck at the train station and their apartment house. The number of rooms has also been reduced from 220 to 196. “A critical factor” for the cool Weller computer. On the other hand, the property owner, the municipality, seems to have accommodated the DSR a little with the square meter price. That is around 200 euros.
That sounds like relatively little at first.
But that in no way sells silver from Mittenwald's taxpayers, assures Mayor Enrico Corongiu (SPD).
Like his predecessor Adolf Hornsteiner (CSU), he once again refers to the standard land value for comparable hotel projects in the district.
"We are between 125 and 214 euros." There is now consensus on this in the local council, as the most recent fundamental decision pro DSR and aja clearly shows.
There is no longer any talk of selling off their homeland.
With this moderate property price, the market community has also taken other factors into account - such as the still galloping construction costs and the corona penalty in the parched tourism industry.
In this context, Weller speaks of a "significant deterioration".
So all signs point to a swift agreement between North and South Germans.
Especially since the mayor wants to have noticed "little to no criticism from the population".
It won't be a Garmisch.
Lutz Weller
Once the amount of millions for the currently fallow 1.1 hectare area has been transferred and the important passage 400 instead of 300 beds has been entered in the underlying development plan number 42, planning and implementation can begin in 2022 and 2023.
Real estate expert Weller emphasizes one thing several times and emphatically: “It won't be Garmisch.” With which the DSR man alludes to the clunky complex on St.-Martin-Strasse (opening June 18), which, according to him, was used by those responsible was so desired in the town hall.
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Speaking plain text: (from left) Torsten Vey and Lutz Weller from the Deutsche Seereederei visit the Mittenwald town hall.
© Peter Kornatz
The DSR investors do not see themselves as property owners, by the way, but rather as a vehicle for the in-house brand aja.
This is to be established permanently in the German hotel landscape.
And if you believe Weller and Vey, the company is on the right track in this regard.
DSR's business model envisages reselling the acquired luxury property as soon as possible after commissioning - preferably at a profit.
It will not take long, promises Weller with confidence.
“Our hotels (currently 15 aja hotels, editor's note) are very popular.” His company works with “well-known investors”.
"The expansion of the hotel chain is important for us."
Not least because of the bumpy start in Mittenwald 15 months ago, those responsible at DSR rely on public relations. Weller believes that transparency and communication are “the alpha and omega”. He sees the Mittenwald project as a “people's business”. According to Vey, the self-proclaimed “wish-fulfillers” from the coast are also looking for a dialogue with local providers. “We are a public house.” Incidentally, this should not only apply to the huge spa area, which locals can supposedly use at any time.