The restart after the G7 summit - the hotel and catering industry goes back to "normal operation".

Created: 06/30/2022Updated: 06/30/2022 10:18 am

By: Catherine Brumbauer

Tables and chairs at the Alpenhof in Garmisch-Partenkirchen remain empty during the G7 summit.

© warmuth/dpa

Garmisch-Partenkirchen breathes a sigh of relief, the G7 summit is over.

An exciting time also lies behind the hotel and restaurant operators in the market town.

While the hotels were well occupied by vacationers and numerous emergency services, the bars lacked day trippers, especially at weekends.

In the catering trade, business must now start again.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – He went on vacation without further ado.

Robert Leipold from the Alpenhof in Garmisch-Partenkirchen's pedestrian zone closed his restaurant during the G7 summit.

Before that, he pushed the tables aside as a precaution and protected his private property with white and red barrier tape.

Finally, the large demonstration of the G7 opponents on Sunday passed his deserted restaurant.

The day-trippers, on the other hand, have been missing in the past few days.

"Of course, we lost a lot of sales there," emphasizes Leipold.

However, the innkeeper is confident that his business will quickly start up again.

"We are one of the most beautiful holiday regions in Germany, it will fill up again quickly, it's high season," emphasizes Leipold.

Daniel Schimmer, the new district chairman of the Dehoga hotel and restaurant association, comes to the same conclusion.

What Schimmer criticizes, however, is that the majority of local restaurateurs were not allowed to contribute anything to the culinary supply of the summit participants.

"They used external caterers." The restaurant at the Hotel Zugspitze was also a lot less busy than usual at the weekend.

"But we expected that," explains director Frank Erhard.

DEHOGA district chairman criticizes the strict billing system: "Partly gag contracts"

Accommodation establishments, on the other hand, have been well occupied in recent weeks by police forces from all over Germany and around 3,000 international journalists, in addition to the tourists who went on vacation despite the summit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

"But we would have been full in the summer anyway," emphasizes Schimmer.

Nevertheless: His industry would have preferred the G7 meeting in Elmau not to have taken place in the high season.

The Dehoga district chairman is also critical of the cooperation with the federal government: “In some cases, real gag contracts were concluded here.” There are companies from which 300 breakfast meals have been ordered.

They would only have sold two of them, and only these could then be billed: an enormous loss-making business.

"As a member of the market town council, I am in favor of the municipality or the fire brigade receiving such large grants.

But it is a pity that nothing is left for the hospitality industry.”

Monika Baudrexl from the Hotel Schatten in Partenkirchen hopes not to be left sitting at the expense of rooms that are not used at short notice.

The federal police have rented 14 rooms from her.

Some remained unoccupied.

"It's a shame, because we love having guests in the house." Baudrexl also finds the vacancy strange, because immediately before the summit state police officers were feverishly looking for accommodation and ultimately only found accommodation far outside of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The Federal Police have promised to also pay for the unused rooms.

"That's how I'll settle it, I hope it works."

The financial cuts from the G7 summit hurt, but I can't change it.

Now it must go on

Robert Leipold, Alpenhof Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Dealing with the consistently friendly police officers was relaxed: "It was also exciting for us to serve breakfast at 6 a.m. when a unit came in from the night shift," says Baudrexl.

Even if her employees and she herself had to change their own daily routine accordingly.

The transition to "normal operation" is seamless.

"Many guests who actually wanted to come on the summit weekend just postponed it," explains Erhard.

The hotelier does not expect a boost for his business from the media attention to the G7 meeting.

"The pictures of Obama and Merkel were more effective in 2015." Leipold is happy if his business alone is now starting up again.

"The financial cuts from the summit hurt, but I can't help it.

Now it has to go on.”