Hotel SEPP: No Room to Yourself

In autumn, the days are short in the mountains. But at SEPP, that’s no reason to go to bed earlier. More of a reason to head upstairs.

Above the Rooftops of Maria Alm

Because that’s where life happens, up in the attic. And up there, you’ll also find a pool, a bar and an Airstream. The Airstream is a sauna. It’s one of those constructions you would never dream up if you were planning a hotel sensibly from scratch. Fortunately, someone did. SEPP isn’t one of those hotels where you sit down to breakfast at eight in the morning simply because breakfast starts at eight. Here, it goes on until 1 pm. And there’s still time afterwards. For a dip in the pool, a coffee, a walk through Maria Alm. Or for doing nothing. There are swings on the rooftop and a billiard table beside the bar. Meals are prepared in the open kitchen. In summer, you sit outside; in autumn, the evenings seem to stretch on a little longer.

Together in the Thick of It

The hotel is for adults aged 21 and over. That doesn’t make it any less sociable. Quite the opposite. People meet upstairs, usually without making plans. Someone comes back from the mountains, someone else from the sauna, another already has a drink in hand. SEPP has a motto for this: “gemeinsam mittendrin” – together in the thick of it. You could put it in less promotional terms: the best places are where other people are sitting. The rooms, on the other hand, are rather private affairs. Woody, Cosy, Sporty, Roomy, Luxury. Some have a Hutschn swing on the balcony, others a freestanding bathtub. Then it’s back outside again. To the Hochkönig, onto a trail, out on a bike or, in winter, onto the slopes. In autumn, SEPP organises trail-running camps and its SEPP Classics, where vintage cars rather than mountain lifts take centre stage.

Even More Room to Move

In June 2027, another place will join the scene. A few hundred metres from SEPP, ONKEL LENZ will move in. A gym, a pickleball hall, a running track, spaces for events. A place for movement and encounters that adds a sporting dimension to SEPP. But no one is expected to do anything. In autumn, you can spend the day outdoors and end up on the rooftop in the evening.

The mountain grows dark, the lights in the valley come on, and it’s warm inside the Airstream. That’s really all a day in the mountains needs to offer during the cooler months.

Photos: Gert Perauer, Prader