At Home at the Stanglwirt: A Conversation with Maria Hauser 

After five unforgettable days of awakening my senses—and my spirit—at the extraordinary Stanglwirt, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Maria Hauser, the heart and soul behind the Stanglwirt’s story today. Maria is not just the face but the voice of its legacy, rooted deeply in family, nature, and a way of life that transcends the idea of what a luxury hotel should be. She greeted me with the warmth you might expect from a dear friend, and spoke with a passion that instantly made it clear: Stanglwirt is not just where she works—it’s where she lives.

“We grew up here—in the hotel, not next door, not across the street. This is truly our home,” she begins. “From as early as I can remember, we were surrounded by guests, playing with their children, celebrating birthdays and holidays together. It never felt strange, because it was all we knew. They became our extended family. And they still are.”

Maria’s childhood sounds like a scene from a whimsical storybook—cows grazing in alpine fields, summers spent playing with the guest children, and winter days skiing between helping hands and greeting guests. Her mother worked as much in the garden and farm as in the hotel, and Maria and her siblings were just as likely to be helping with the chores as they were making lifelong friends with the returning guests’ children. “It was a beautiful way to grow up. You become open to people—curious, welcoming. And there was always this sense of purpose.”

That purpose, it seems, runs in their blood. The Stanglwirt has been in the Hauser family for over 400 years, and Maria’s father, Balthasar Hauser, inherited the farm and traditional inn when he was just seventeen. “He didn’t want to build a hotel. He simply wanted to create something beautiful, more like a home for friends—he started out with just a few rooms and a restaurant. And always, everything he did was guided by nature and intuition.”

Indeed, he built not just a place, but a philosophy. One structure at a time, using reclaimed wood long before it became fashionable, he created what Maria lovingly calls a “village”—an organic, evolving masterpiece nestled into the Austrian landscape. “He couldn’t afford an architect, and he says that was his greatest fortune,” she laughs. “Because what he ended up building wasn’t just rooms and corridors—it was a nest for the soul. A home for the inner child.”

That ethos is felt in every detail. From the hotel’s own mountain spring water that flows through the taps and fills the spa pools, to the living rooftops and the real alpine rocks that form the walls of the indoor waterfall grotto, every choice honours their heritage and the land itself.

When I ask Maria whether her own daughters will one day take the reins, she smiles. “My eldest wants to be an actress and my youngest is all about numbers and order—maybe she’ll take it on, who knows? We will leave it open. We are a big family that runs the hotel together and therefore what’s most important to us is that it remains in the family. We’re not here to maximise profit and sell. We’re here to pass on health, wellbeing, and joy to the next generation.”

As we talk, her pride and respect for her father is palpable. “He built something where his own inner child could feel safe and happy. And I think that’s why our guests feel so at home here. Even those who come for the first time say it—‘We feel like we’ve come home.’ That became our slogan, but it came from the guests themselves.”

Maria now handles the hotel’s marketing and public relations, but for her, it’s never about spin or selling—it’s about storytelling. “I’ve always loved stories. I used to write fantasy tales as a child, and my father—he would make up bedtime stories every night. He’s an artist at heart. That’s what he passed on to me.”

And it shows. Everything she shares is filled with wonder and humility, tinged with nostalgia, but firmly rooted in a modern vision. The children’s farm, for example, wasn’t just a concept plucked from a marketing meeting—it was a real farmhouse, repurposed with care and co-designed by a 13-year-old Maria. “He asked me, not a consultant. Because I was the target audience. We built it together.”

Today, Maria is steering the hotel into new territory together with her siblings—launching immersive retreats that honour both their roots and their guests’ evolving needs. “The retreat you were part of? That was our first. And yes—we’re planning many more. We want to offer our guests something meaningful. So many of them are high performers, caught in the hamster wheel. But once they try something like this, they realise—it’s what they’ve been missing.”

She credits a serendipitous meeting—though she doesn’t believe in coincidence—for the beginning of this new chapter. Through her friend and regular guest Jessica Alba, Maria was introduced to celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza. “We clicked right away and said, let’s do a retreat together. Why not? And now, I see this with a lot of potential as a regular retreat here at the Stanglwirt.”

Already, elements from the retreat are becoming permanent. The sound baths with Sharlene Perlinger, for example, are being added to the regular guest experience. “It’s not about turning the hotel into something else. It’s about deepening what’s already here. Helping people reconnect—with themselves, with nature, with a sense of awe.”

As we near the end of our conversation, I mention the many photos of celebrities adorning the hallways—an impressive array of familiar faces. Maria smiles, knowingly.

“They come here because they can just be. No pressure, no posing. Our guests respect their space, because here, everyone is equal. Royalty, an actor, a pop star, a guest on a wellness retreat—we’re all human. And that’s what this place brings out in people. Their humanity.”

After just a few days at the Stanglwirt, I understand exactly what she means. It’s a place that quiets the noise of modern life and invites you to listen—really listen—to your body, to the stories of the land, and to the childlike wonder that still lives inside us all. And in Maria’s voice, in her stories, you hear that same wonder echoed back, as real and alive as the mountains outside the window.

Stanglwirt isn’t just a destination—it’s an invitation. To pause, to play, and to come home to yourself. 

DISCOVER:  stanglwirt.com