Succession at the Hotel HUBERTUS
What was the question?
"So, would you like to take over the hotel someday?"
The question was asked by Rainer Plappert, a hotel consultant who introduced Karl and Walter Traubel—and thus the HUBERTUS as well—to the world of wellness around the turn of the millennium. At that time, it was still called the “Alpine Wellnesshotel Hubertus.” The word “Alpine” was included for one reason only: to ensure the hotel appeared at the very top of the phone book and on the first internet portals. Back then, it was still that easy to secure the top spots.
That young, inexperienced, and—given that statement—downright cheeky hotelier was—or rather, is—me:
Marc Traubel, 39 years old, married, with two wonderful children.
And since November 1, 2021, a partial owner of Traubel Immobilien OHG and, consequently, of the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäus.
The quote above has had a profound influence on me and guided me over the past 20 years. My father never “held a knife to my throat” and forced me to follow in his footsteps. It was always my own decision. I’ve gone my own way. Perhaps he steered me in one direction or another from the background at times, but never in a condescending or overbearing manner. And I can only recommend this approach to guiding and mentoring to every generation passing on the torch.
I’ve followed my own path and gone through many stages that are common, important, if not indispensable, in the hotel industry. My apprenticeship at one of Germany’s best hotels, the Sonnenalp in Ofterschwang. Bartender. Kitchen intern. Winter season at the front desk in Lech.
After that, I spent two years in the Black Forest, at the Hotel Bareiss, learning “Standard German.” Let anyone try to say the people from the Allgäu can’t do that. My next stop was at one of Germany’s leading conference hotels, where I learned the event business from a true pioneer: Klaus Kobjoll of the Schindlerhof in Nuremberg.
Then I went to college in Heidelberg. I graduated with a degree in business administration specializing in the hospitality industry. I hit the books and took exams. And yes, I, too, lost my heart in Heidelberg and found my rock and my anchor—my wife, Sabrina.
Together, we then moved to the Emirates for two years. Dubai. Then, as now, a synonym for luxury, exuberance, and vision. We experienced unique moments, such as the opening of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. And much more besides—enough to go beyond the scope of this article (and its length as well).
After each of these stages, my plan was: “I’ll just do this one more thing, and then I’ll go home…”
For six years, I kept promising myself this over and over again in my inner dialogue.
In the end, however, I didn’t make that final decision myself. My—or rather, our—journey would have continued even further back then: toward Asia, Thailand. My real desire was to get to know the wellness hotel industry from yet another perspective.
But on a fateful afternoon in October 2010, I got a call from my father:
“Marc, I need you here.”
At that moment, my days of wandering were over. And I headed straight back: from Dubai to Balderschwang.
In December 2010, following the largest investment in HUBERTUS’s history to that point, I joined my parents’ business and have since had the privilege of continuing the legacy started by my grandparents and parents.
A crucial question quickly arose. Not the question of “if,” but of “how”: how things should proceed from here. The company was owned in equal shares by my father and my uncle Walter. Should my cousins get involved in the hotel—and if so, how? As the third generation of the Traubel family, with whom would I continue to run the business?
In the end, the result was simple and logical. The path to it, however, was long, arduous, and at times not exactly inexpensive. Without outside consulting, we wouldn't have been able to pull this off, and we'd still be debating it today.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I took over my uncle’s shares as of November 1, 2021. From now on, I can truly call myself the “boss” —though I still prefer to be called “Marc.”
In recent years, four events in particular have had a significant impact on me: our wedding, the births of our children Kilian and Lenia, and the avalanche in January 2019. As a result of the avalanche, we had to make some crucial decisions —especially regarding the future of HUBERTUS and, consequently, the implementation of our construction plans for the new Mountain Spring Spa.
Several times over the past few days, people have asked me, “So, how does it feel now?” And as I sit here writing these lines, I can only say one thing.
It feels good. Very good, in fact.
I’m proud and confident that what we’ve built over the past few months and years holds great promise for the future and will likely be a part of both my life and my family’s for the rest of our lives.
I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. And I’m already certain that this list will, unfortunately, be incomplete. So, right off the bat, a heartfelt thank you to all those whose names are missing from my list below and who may feel left out. A heartfelt THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU!
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my wife, Sabrina, and my children, Kilian and Lenia. You haven’t had it easy with me, because I’ll be spending a lot of time at HUBERTUS. But whenever you’re in need and need me right away, I’ll be there for you unconditionally.
I’d like to thank my father, Karl, for his trust in me. Dear Dad, over the past few years, you’ve always let me go my own way and kept a very loose rein. Thank you so much for that! And there’s one thing I wish for above all else: that we’ll continue to run the company together for many more years to come.
A heartfelt thank you also to my mother, Birgit. She has always wanted—and still wants—only the best for me, and her outside perspective often opens my eyes when things in my personal life aren’t going the way they should.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my dad, Hansi —the words “stepfather” and “stepson” have never truly captured what you felt for me as your son, nor how I, in turn, saw you as my father: for all the character and logical thinking you’ve instilled in me.
Of course , I’d also like to thank Christa, my second mother, for all her creativity, vision, and spirit. Without you, Christa, the HUBERTUS wouldn’t be where it is today—one of Germany’s leading wellness hotels.
I want to thank my uncle Walter. You’re passing your family home on to me. People only ever see the last few years—the most recent renovations. But you laid the groundwork, the foundation, over the past 40-plus years of your independent work in and around HUBERTUS.
A heartfelt thank you to all my grandparents. On my father’s side, I sadly never got to meet you, but in spirit, I’m with you every day. On my mother’s side, I still cherish every word we’re still able to share with one another. And I’m able to draw on your wealth of experience gained over many years.
And, of course, I’d like to thank our entire HUBERTUS team, which currently numbers over 100. Speaking on behalf of everyone—and first and foremost Birgit Frank, who, as our authorized signatory, has been managing and leading the business from behind the scenes for over 20 years.
Last but not least: I would like to thank our guests, our partners, and our suppliers for their loyalty and support over the past years and decades.
THANK YOU.
With that in mind, I’m going to focus on my new role now. Even though, at first, not much will really change in terms of my day-to-day work, my scope of responsibility will…
With ETERNAL GRATITUDE
Yours, Marc
Balderschwang, on arainy All Saints' Eve in 2021, as seen on
