The world’s most photographed restaurant has new owners after a Swiss pair said they were up for the challenge of managing the mass of tourists that turn up at the cliffside Hotel Ascher every day.
The previous owners threw in the towel after complaining that Instagram has destroyed the location after thousands stormed the Alpine hut built on the side of a mountain cliff.
The hotel located in the Swiss village of Appenzell reportedly ended up flooded with guests after celebrities like Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher and Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer praised it on social media. It was also featured on the front cover of a book by the National Geographic in their “Destinations of a Lifetime” piece.
As a result previous leaseholders Swiss couple Nicole and Bernhard Knechtle-Fritsche gave up saying: “A long-time, well-known consequence of this success is the fact that the infrastructure of the building can no longer keep up with the growing number of guests.” Aescher had been under the management of the Knechtle family for 31 years when the latest manager’s parents, Claudia and Bernhard Knechtle-Wyss, took over in 1987.
The former leaseholders added that this included the fact that the sanitary facilities did not meet the needs of the huge number of guests, and there were water and electricity shortages which would only “get worse in the future.”
The property is owned by the Wildkirchli Foundation that has now signed a lease with Gallus Knechtle who was selected from 16 applications together with Melanie Gmundner.
They said they plan to concentrate on local cuisine when they take over in May of next year after the winter break.
Unveiling the choice of new leaseholder the owners also promised to improve the infrastructure, for example with new toilets, but at the same time keeping the same interior.
Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
