In Maria Alm since 1902.
Even in the 19th century, the Unterberg Inn was no ordinary guesthouse. Anyone travelling through Maria Alm—on foot, on horseback, or later in the first vehicle—stopped here. Locals came, travellers stayed longer than planned. The place had something that is hard to describe, but immediately tangible.
In 1902, Maria and Alois Schwaiger bought the inn. The great-grandparents of Elisabeth Schuster, who now runs both properties. Back then, Maria Alm was still a small village at the foot of the Hochkönig—no sign of tourism, and the Aberg ski area still far away. And yet: the foundation had been laid.
The Hogmoar
of Hundstein
Alois Schwaiger was not only an innkeeper. He was the Hogmoar of Hundstein—a title you cannot buy. In Ranggeln, a centuries-old test of strength in the Salzburg region, young men from the surrounding villages compete against one another. Whoever wins is celebrated for a year as Hogmoar—the strongest young man in the region. Anyone who wants to defend the title the following summer must compete again, and win again.
Alois Schwaiger won. Twice, in 1922 and 1923. Ranggeln at Hundstein still takes place to this day, every summer on the Sunday of Jakobi, 25 July. For over 500 years, on the same mountain, by the same rules. Anyone who has seen it once understands what tradition means in this region.
Three generations.
One house.
The inn passed from generation to generation—Maria and Alois Schwaiger handed it on to their son Alois in 1966. Two generations, the same name, the same attitude. For 48 years, this Alois Schwaiger was an innkeeper body and soul. In 1973, he rebuilt the inn at its current location—larger, more modern, but with the same spirit. In 1997, he expanded it. And in 2013, at the age of 80, he began building the apartment house next door.
Elisabeth Schuster and family
In autumn 2014, the time had come. At the age of 82, Alois Schwaiger handed over the hotel and the new apartment house to his daughter Elisabeth Schuster. She completed the apartment house, welcomed the first guests in winter 2014/2015—and has been running both properties ever since with a 15-person team.
She carries on what her father built. What she brought herself: a fresh perspective, new energy, and the firm resolve that hospitality is not a marketing term, but an attitude. Anyone who has been here once knows the difference.
