Design & Sustainability

Our main focus is on finding the fine balance between modern life and the relaxation that goes without it. The design in the hotel follows the principles of simplicity, regional ties, naturalness, attention to detail and emotional warmth. The Hotel Bären is a cozy place where you can arrive and simply be at home. The atmosphere in the house is modern and relaxed. We are authentic and cosmopolitan hosts and appreciate our region and the nature in which we live.

• Renovated with respect for the historical structure and re-use of the functional items, use of vintage furniture
• Collaboration with local craftsmen and designers - good design is timeless and allows dignified aging
• Use of natural materials: e.g. oiled wooden floors and clay-casein floors, clay plaster, beds made from the house's "recycled" roof structure, rammed earth wall as a bar in the café, hardly any plastics in the house
• Particular attention is paid to robustness and longevity - no throw-away philosophy: furniture made from solid oak, quality craftsmanship, shelves and table feet made of steel, ...
• Thermal renovation: new roof with wood-wool insulation

• 100% heat supply from renewable energy sources (biomass), night reduction, room controller
• 100% green electricity from over 5,000 small green electricity plants in Vorarlberg
• Energy-saving lighting - over 90% LED lamps; timers and motion detectors
• Electricity can be switched on in the rooms (no standby) - no air conditioning
• Energy saving electrical appliances

If you arrive by bike climate-neutral you will receive a bonus

• EUR 50 voucher for all services at the Hotel Bären

We ask that you contact us by email or on 0043 5518 2207

• Collaboration with local producers, e.g. cheese from Reuthe, honey from Riefensberg, juices from the Rhine Valley, eggs from Bezau, bread: homemade and from the village baker, beer from Egg and Bregenz
• Dishes with seasonal vegetables and fresh fruits
• Vegetarian cuisine, homemade cakes, jams, spreads, ...
• Imported goods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, etc. from organic cultivation in larger containers, e.g. traceable coffee (traceable farm to cup) - fair trade roasted by a small roaster in Dornbirn

• Economical laundry management and automatic dosing system for detergents
• Ecologically certified cleaning agents from an Austrian manufacturer
• No small amenities in the bathroom - larger dispensers instead of small disposable shampoos, etc.
• Whey-based soap and shower shampoo are made in the Bregenzerwald

• Employee training on waste reduction
• Purchase in reusable containers or large units (toilet paper, etc.)
• The Breakfast buffet is largely packaging-free
• Office paper and printed matter (brochures) from recycling or with eco-label
• Waste-Separation and recycling

The Hotel Bären is a partner hotel of the Werkraum Bregenzerwald. Several craftmen from the region have left their mark on our house: from the furniture in the Café Deli to the room furnishings and the roof truss.

Our partners
- Architecture and Interior Design in collaboration with Architekt DI Bernd Frick
- Furniture and interior design with craftsmen from Werkraum Bregenzerwald, Tischler Wolfgang Lässer, Herbert Feuerstein, Baumeister Oberhauser Schedler and Vorarlberg zB Lehmbau Martin Rauch, LehmCasein Gerold Ulrich,...

Already at the beginning of 1800 there was the Gasthof Bären in the center of Mellau. After the great village fire in Mellau in 1870, a modern, massive hotel was built under the direction of master builder Romedius Wacker - at that time the pride of the region, where wealthy guests like to stay. Since the house first opened its doors in 1872, the massive stone building, which is atypical for the Bregenzerwald where most houses were built in wood, has become an integral part of the vicinity.