Two Families with a Passion for Hospitality

The year is 1905. A sense of optimism and new beginnings prevails in large parts of Europe. It is the Belle Époque era; prosperity is increasing and ever-wider segments of the population can afford to travel. Magnificent hotels are being built in Pontresina, which still shape the village's appearance today.

Visionary thinking is also taking place in the upper village. Claudio Saratz, who runs the rather tranquil Hotel Steinbock, is about to build a large hotel next door. Seven stories high, with pointed towers and many arches, typical of Art Nouveau. A small grand hotel, which will confidently be called Hotel Palace.

At the same time, Fritz Kochendörfer, an immigrant baker from Württemberg, acquires a plot of land opposite. He plans to build a large bakery here; after all, guests need not only warm beds and beautiful parlors, but also good bread and fine pastries. However, Saratz does not approve of a bakery in the immediate vicinity. He has concerns about the smoke emissions that such a large oven would produce at that time and tries to prevent its construction.

Smoke or the sound of bells?
A dispute ensued, involving a lively exchange of letters, which is documented in the hotel archives. Finally, the two parties reached an agreement. Kochendörfer had a compelling argument: otherwise, he would sell his property to the Catholic parish. The staunchly Reformed Saratz preferred a bit of smoke in the air to the sound of Catholic bells ringing outside his door. For the resulting loss of time, the shrewd businessman Fritz Kochendörfer demanded an exclusive bread delivery contract for the next ten years. In return, he would raise the chimneys by two meters and fire his oven with coke, which would produce less smoke.

The shared family history begins in 1945.

The Hotel Palace was completed in 1907, and a year later the Kochendörfer bakery was also finished. Several good business years followed until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. In the same year, Saratz died after a serious illness, and his hotels were transferred to the ownership of the Graubünden Cantonal Bank. Fritz Kochendörfer was also in poor health and died in 1927 at the age of only 56. His son Oscar then took over responsibility for the bakery, which had since been expanded to include an inn.

Good neighbours and best friends
Times only improved with the end of World War II. In June 1945, the cantonal bank appointed Hans and Mary Walther as the directors of the Palace and Steinbock hotels. Later, they were able to acquire first the Steinbock (1948) and finally the Palace (1957). The latter subsequently became the Walther Palace and finally the Hotel Walther, as we know it today. Oscar Kochendörfer and his wife Félicie warmly welcomed their new neighbors, and a close friendship began between the Walther and Kochendörfer families, which continues to this day. Hans and Oscar often played curling together; as hoteliers, they jointly championed tourism and, for example, promoted the construction of the Diavolezza cable car.