Christmas guests without accommodation Municipality of Fiesch VS withdraws license from two hotels
Shortly before the festive season, the municipality of Fiesch closed two hotels because the Dutch tenant couple failed to meet their financial obligations. Guests now have no accommodation for their Christmas vacation.
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- The municipality of Fiesch closed two hotels shortly before the festive season because the tenants, Kirsten Lensing and Erwin Hilverink, failed to meet their financial obligations.
- The two hoteliers have been in dispute with the owner of one of their two hotels for years. The owner had demanded investments from them that they did not want to finance.
- The Dutch tenant couple criticize the municipality's lack of goodwill and say that they could have paid off their debts after the busy Christmas vacations.
- Numerous guests are now also without accommodation during their Christmas vacation.
The municipality of Fiesch in Valais closed two hotels shortly before the festive season, leaving numerous guests without accommodation. The decision was made after the Dutch tenant couple Kirsten Lensing and Erwin Hilverink failed to meet their financial obligations to the municipality. The two hoteliers had made considerable investments in the businesses in recent years, but are now facing closure, as reported by the "Walliser Bote".
The closure affects the Lodge Inn Fiesch and Schmitta hotels. The mayor personally broke the news to the couple and explained the move in a lengthy conversation.
Bills not paid, letters not opened
The municipality justified the drastic measure by stating that the tenant couple had not paid bills and had not settled the visitor's tax. In addition, registered letters had been returned unopened.
Guests who wanted to spend their Christmas vacations in Upper Valais will now have to look for alternatives at short notice.
In an interview with the "Walliser Boten" newspaper, the couple expressed their despair. Hilverink explains: "We have invested all our time and money in the two businesses. Now it's all over." They admit that they owe the municipality money, but were confident that they would be able to settle the debts after the busy festive period. "We could have paid all outstanding invoices in mid-January. But the municipality didn't give us that time," says Lensing.
Tenant in dispute with owner
The hoteliers took over the Lodge Inn Fiesch in 2018 and invested 250,000 francs in renovations. However, the relationship with the owner had deteriorated noticeably over the years. The owner had moved into an apartment in the basement and demanded the renovation of the oil heating and a new ski room.
When the owner also demanded investment in fire protection, they refused to pay for it. Instead, they terminated the hire-purchase agreement. That was in September.
The Dutch hotelier couple then tried to move guests from the Lodge Inn to their other establishment, the Hotel Schmitta.
License revocation applies to both hotels
They are surprised that the operating license for both hotels has been revoked. However, such permits are always issued to individuals and not to businesses, which should be clear to hospitality professionals, writes the "Walliser Bote".
The hotelier couple face an uncertain future - and not just in terms of where they work. They live in the Hotel Schmitta, which they are no longer allowed to run. The couple are now considering leaving the village not far from the Aletsch Glacier. "What are we supposed to do in Fiesch now?" they ask rhetorically.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.