Family-run hospitality

fdasThe 4-star Belchen Hotel was founded in southern Germany more than 50 years ago and remains a family-run business to the present day. Keen to keep up with the times, the third generation of owners decided to undertake an extension renovation project which would include upgrading the reception area and building a new spa. The hotel has undergone major changes over the years. Opened in the Black Forest in 1964 as a small Jägerstüble bar with guesthouse, in 1978 it was modernised with the installation of a hot and cold running water supply and then in 1982 upgraded to a full-scale hotel. Today the management has decided to further expand the facility and build a spacious lobby and lounge bar with a traditional fireplace where guests can sit and relax. Given its location in a nature reserve, the hotel’s owners have always sought to maintain strong links with tradition while caring for the environment and making use of natural resources, including renewable energy and wood-chip boilers and a water supply drawn from a nearby mountain spring. The furnishings in the rooms and entrance lobby are made of wood from local forests. To ensure that the colours and materials would blend in with the natural wood of the furnishings and to maintain the strong focus on the environment, the designers chose Italian company Keope to supply the ceramic tiles for the new floor and wall coverings. The Back (colour Brown) and Link (colour White Ghost) stone-look collections were used in the lobby, while the In&Out series in a 60×60 cm square size was chosen for the entrance and the terrace (Pietra di Faedis for the exterior and Pietra di Bagnolo for the interior).
Although the area where Hotel Bechelen is located already offers a wide variety of sports activities and tourist attractions, the owners decided to further expand the range of hospitality offerings by building the Balloon Spa. The centre features a gym, Turkish bath, sauna, massage booths, indoor pool and relaxation area complete with open air spaces and stands out for its exclusive finishes, the use of prestigious materials and visually-striking architectural elements. The Sunrise ceramic tile collection was chosen in the two colours Golden and Coffee to create a variety of ornamental floor motifs, circular decorations that are reflected in the false ceiling and create interesting plays of perspective between the various rooms and surfaces. The circular cuts in the tiles were made with millimetric precision by the highly experienced company Haecker using waterjet technology. The Sunrise collection is also used in the bathroom, where inserts coordinate with large mirrors and natural wood wall panelling which also integrates with the bathroom furnishing.