Hospitality at the top of the mountain
A glimpse into the highest 4-star superior hotel in the Alps
- The name of the Riml family and the people who bear it are closely interwoven with the history of the Ötztal. While the name Riml is displayed today on hotels and sports stores, the family history had a very different beginning - specifically in the shoemaker's workshop.
How it all started
Peter Paul Scheiber of the original Dodls farm was a shoemaker in the 1930s and owned a shoemaker's workshop where he made handmade shoes. When he came by inheritance to a small plot of land, he built a cottage and married his wife Anna, with whom he had three daughters. It was not yet foreseeable that the Riml family sports store would later stand on the plot with the small family house.After Peter Paul Scheiber's early death, Anna and the three girls had to make ends meet on their own. The eldest daughter Cilli worked for her guardian Jennewein in service and in the kitchen after her graduation from school - a task she fulfilled with such diligence that she was soon put in charge of the kitchen for 50 people.
The shoemaker's workshop was also in operation during these years, but it was leased to the journeyman shoemaker Sepp Riml. He became Cilli's husband and so the family history took its course.
From shoemaker to ski rental
The Rimls took the first big step after their marriage and shoemaker Sepp's master's examination: they risked opening a ski rental shop on a grand scale, and Sepp succeeded in inventing a real sales hit: the double-laced ski boot from his production soon attracted customers from all over Tyrol. Cilli took over the buying and selling of textiles and skis, and so began the meteoric rise of what would later become a sports empire.
From ski rental to hotel
In 1970, the Rimls decided to build a second branch in Hochgurgl, when they were informed that only a hotel was allowed to be built, but not a pure sports store. This stumbling block triggered the fateful decision to open the Hotel Ideal. In 1981, the former Hotel Hochland joined the circle of family businesses, which today, as the highest four-star hotel in the Alps and under the name Hotel Riml, attracts vacationers from all over the world.
Generation handover in 1992
Since then, the Hotel Ideal has been managed by Evi Riml & her children, the Hotel Riml and the Sportshops Riml Sports by Gerold Riml.
Pure luxury at 2.200 Metern
With the arrival of the Riml family, luxury at 2,200 meters also took hold in Hochgurgl: by the end of the 1980s, the hotel had been expanded to include a spacious wellness area with swimming pool, the Riml Sports Shop, apartments and a dining room. But it did not stop there. Over the past 35 years, under the management of the Riml family, a winter domicile in a class of its own has grown up, making the hearts of ski vacationers, wellness guests and golfers beat faster in equal measure.
The largest hotel indoor golf facility in Europe is created
The inspiring backdrop of the three-thousand-meter peaks spurred the Riml family on towards top performance. And so came the idea of building an indoor golf facility. In 2003, the impressive indoor golf park with simulators, driving range, video analysis and putting green was opened.
In 2019, the simulators got a new update, thus the golf facility offers guests 3 different systems
Further innovations delight the guests
Between the years 2005 and 2008, further renovation and modernization works were carried out, which made the hotel shine in new splendor.
There is no standing still at Hotel Riml. In 2014, many things were renewed from the entrance to the ski area to the modernized lobby area. And since 2017, new rooms and the new Sky Relax Area have put the crown on the vacation resort at 2,200 meters.
Since the winter of 2018/19, the Hotel Riml has been allowed to attach an S for Superior to its logo and is thus the highest 4-star S hotel in the Alps.
A retreat for adults in the heart of the Tyrolean Alps
In 2022, the Hotel Riml underwent a strategic change and transformed itself into an exclusive adults-only hotel. Guests can now enjoy a 3/4 pampering board and look forward to more peace and relaxation, while the exclusive sun terrace is now only accessible to hotel guests. In addition, the bar has been converted into the new and cosy "Blue Birdie Bar".There is no standing still at the Hotel Riml - continuous renovations and new buildings characterise our constantly growing range of services. In summer 2023, the sun terrace was modernised and roofed over, followed by the installation of new underfloor heating and a new passageway to the Almstube in summer 2024. In addition, floors and upholstered furniture were renewed, bathrooms were renovated and, as an absolute highlight, an exclusive luxury chalet was built.