Since 1873 in constant renewal

The beginnings of Hotel Hari in Schlegeli

The Hotel Hari dates back to 1873, when teacher Christian Hari (1834 – 1897) accommodated the first guests in his farmhouse on the Schlegeli and thus founded tourism in Adelboden. The pastor of the cathedral, Karl Rohr from Bern, had agreed a year earlier with the schoolmaster to have a few parlours prepared for the Rohr family, together with their appendices, in Hari’s house. Teacher Hari and the preacher at the Bern cathedral stood by the agreements made and thus launched today’s Hotel Hari.

Pension Hari im Schlegeli, Bild aus den Anfängen

WELLNESS FOR BODY AND SOUL

From the very beginning, the house has combined tradition and constant renewal and has always been run according to Christian principles.

Building and expanding

In 1878 Christian Hari built the Stöckli for the first time in order to be able to accommodate his already international clientele in the Engstligental. From the beginning the house combined tradition and constant renewal and was always managed according to Christian principles. In 1884 the opening of the Frutigen-Adelboden road gave a strong boost to tourism. Christian Hari built two more guest houses on the Schlegeli. In 1897 Johannes Hari (1864 – 1938) followed in his father’s footsteps as second manager of the hotel. Under his leadership, the hotel reached its first zenith with 200 beds. By 1914 the entire hotel complex had nine buildings with around 130 guest rooms.

War years and Great Depression

The two world wars and the great depression brought difficult times. The Hotel Hari experienced a short period of prosperity in the 1920s. But as soon as Johannes Hari had appointed his son Fritz (1899 – 1997) as his successor, Hitler seized power in Germany. Thus the demand for the hotel decreased drastically and came from 1939 practically to a standstill. In the 1940s, internees and children in need of recreation from war zones were accommodated, which was not exactly conducive to the condition of the houses.

Boom, expansion and renewal

In the middle of the last century a continuous upswing also began for the hotel. In view of the growth of the fourth generation, the hotel became a family-owned company in 1960 and in 1979 Konrad and Christa Hari-Assmann assumed the position of fourth manager after 16 years of service. In 1978 the present house Tobias was built, the new Stöckli with studios followed in 1984 and the new house of origin in 1993. Shortly afterwards the dining room experienced a mature and successful face lifting. With the construction of the “Eschensaal” with 100 to 150 seats in 2002, a hall is now available for larger events and parties.

Wellness, Room-Renovations and Hotel-Café

Bernd and Nikola Zanker took over the management of the company for the 2004/2005 winter season. Their era saw the construction of the beautiful wellness facility on the ground floor of Tobias’ as well as the renovation of the rooms in the same building. In 2012, Jörg Kessler took over the management of the Hotel Hari and set important accents with the extension of the Hotel-Café Zuckerweidli, the redesign of the budget rooms in the main building and the new playground.