Bavarian resort, Schloss Elmau, combines music, culture and spa, feeding both the mind and soul. Owner and creator, Dietmar Mueller-Elmau, speaks to Kath Hudson about why this all inclusive blend of the best things in life works so well
By Kath Hudson | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 4
Mueller-Elmau sold software firm Fidelio to join the three-generation family business
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature,” says Dietmar Mueller-Elmau. “It’s wellness for the mind and body: both a mental detox and food for thought.”
Mueller-Elmau claims there’s no other spa in the world offering what Schloss Elmau offers. Culture and ideas were the starting point and spa – all seven of them – came later, which is what makes the concept inimitable. World class musicians perform, leading philosophers lecture and best-selling authors, like Julien Barnes and Ian McEwan, come to launch new books, perhaps attracted by the massive book shop and well-stocked library.
“There’s no other place in the world which I know of which has this combination, the musical tradition goes back more than 100 years, with a legendary concert hall,” says Mueller-Elmau. He became proprietor in 1997, taking the helm of the property which had been in the family for three culture loving generations. It was built by his grandfather, Johannes Mueller, in 1914, and since the 50s it’s been building its reputation for music.
After a successful career in IT, Mueller-Elmau sold his hotel software company, Fidelio, and returned home to help his parents. Sadly, in 2005, a fire destroyed most of the original schloss.
Space and freedom Turning disaster into opportunity, Mueller-Elmau decided the rebuild should include a luxury spa, which would attract more people and more top class musicians. However, he admits that he’s not a spa lover. “I tried to build a spa which would tempt me to use it,” he says. “I used the worst case scenario, taking the most extreme position in order to convince people like me, who don’t like spas to use it. But I still haven’t used it! I don’t like to be with other people!”
Space is one of the luxuries he has created for his guests: there’s both space to avoid people and the opportunity to meet them. The Luxury Spa Cultural Hideaway, in the restored original building, has 115 bedrooms while the Luxury Spa Retreat, built in 2015 to host the G7 summit, has 47 suites, a view of the mountains and the sound of the stream rushing by.
Guests then have the choice of eight restaurants, including one with a Michelin star and six pools, five of which are outside. “What you need in a spa is a sense of calm, fresh air and warm water,” he says. “People love being able to swim outside in warm water when it’s freezing cold.”
Three of the spas are aimed at families and three are adult only. The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, as well as anti-ageing treatments, but the most demand is for traditional western massages. “We’re seeing the mental detox becoming far more important than anything else,” says Mueller-Elmau.
“Everyone is mentally stressed out, not physically stressed out. They want to be inspired and meet inspiring people, discover new worlds in literature and participate in interesting political debates. All of our guests are attracted by the spa, the nature and the sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, but they all go away talking about the psychological and mental benefits.”
All inclusive One of the interesting aspects about the model is that children stay for free and all of the cultural experiences, the use of the spas, breakfast, dinner and renting an electric BMW to explore the area are included in the room rate.
“And it’s still only one third of the price of a [high end] UK hotel,” he jokes. “We’re not pedagogic, we don’t give people programmes, there’s no pressure. Most go to the spa, but the most sophisticated guests don’t anything. The biggest luxury is to just gaze at the mountains.”
Hiking and e-mountain biking are popular in the summer and skiing in the winter. The mountains also host a castle dating from King Ludwig, which Mueller-Elmau describes as “the most spectacular architecture in spectacular nature.”
The whole concept has been created according to what Mueller-Elmau likes personally: “I didn’t think about any market, I was just trying to build something which I’d like to use. I have six children, I like to be alone, I like music, literature and architecture.”
If it seems like there’s a lot on offer for adults, children are equally well served with a huge ‘edutainment’ programme available. It features culture and sport, including soccer camps every two weeks – taken by professionals from the German football league no less.
Keeping ahead The resort has been phenomenally successful. It’s consistently accoladed by magazines and polls, has been profitable since day one and runs at 75 per cent occupancy, with more than 90 per cent of guests returning. The bulk of the visitors – around 70 per cent – are from Germany or German-speaking countries and the rest are from the UK, Europe and the US. It’s a 50/50 split between families and couples.
The biggest operational challenge is to keep ahead of the game. “We’re rated as one of the best hotels in the world and the better you get, the thinner the air gets and the better you have to be,” says Mueller-Elmau. “There’s never an end, you have to continually improve, it takes a lot of energy to constantly run ahead of the curve and hire the people who have the energy. We are never happy, we have to lift the bar for everything.”
Mueller-Elmau might have hit on a concept which works perfectly, but he doesn’t think others will, or could, follow their lead: “It takes someone who has a passion to do this. We are running the hotel because of the cultural programme not the other way around and that’s why the artists come: we are the second biggest promoter of classical music in Germany. However, the spa is also a tremendous asset, it has made us even more unique and enriched the experience.”
Packages
A number of different packages are offered including jazz and classical music festivals; girls’ spa breaks, family breaks, yoga breaks, ski safaris. Prices are given when booking as they depend on a number of variables including the room, time of year and length of stay
Wellness facilities
Three adult-only spas featuring a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) oriental hammam, two outdoor lap pools and two outdoor saltwater pools, 14 saunas and steambaths, 25 treatment rooms, relaxation lounges, two spa restaurants and four tea lounges
The Shantigiri Family Spa at the Retreat has an outdoor lap pool, seven treatment rooms, gym, spa lounge and restaurant
TCM Medical Spa
Two gyms
The Family Spa in the Hideaway has an indoor lap pool, five saunas and steam baths, relaxation room and tea lounge
The Nature Spa is open during the summer with an outdoor lap pool, sauna at the creek, playground and three tennis courts
Jivamukti yoga centre
Yoga pavilion for retreats
Suppliers
Alpienne: body and massage products from Tyrol
Dermaviduals: Schloss Elmau’s signature skincare from Germany
Neom: body products, candles and room diffusers from the UK
Niance: premium skincare from Switzerland
Team Dr Joseph: natural skincare line
La Biosthetique: haircare
Und Gretel: natural make-up brand from Berlin
OPI: hand and footcare
Kath Hudson is a regular contributor to Spa Business magazine.
Email: [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Thomas Klein
Senior living, family resorts and urban retreats are all on the cards for Canyon Ranch says COO and president Thomas Klein. Katie Barnes finds out more
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 2018/19
Spa Business’ predictions for the future include vegan spas, blue light antidotes, home wellness and plastic-free facilities
Interview: Dietmar Mueller-Elmau
The owner of Germany’s Schloss Elmau tells Spa Business why music, culture and spa feed the mind and soul
Promotional feature: Living Earth Crafts
Living Earth Crafts has distinguished itself with furniture for the spa industry that combines high design with seamless functionality. Brian Paris gives us insight into the company’s stylish new introductions
Event report: GWS 2018 - Bella vita
An Italian inspired Global Wellness Summit featured fashion, food, fitness and spa… and cameos from Hugh Jackman and Oprah Winfrey. Spa Business gives its highlights
Research: Growing up
Spa is the fastest growing sector of the US$4.2tn global wellness economy according to the latest GWI research
Event report: WTA Conference
What do wellness travellers want? And what issues need to be addressed as the wellness tourism sector grows? Anne Dimon reports from the inaugural meeting of the Wellness Tourism Association
Fitness: Inhale the future
Ashley Neese tells Spa Business about the possibilities of breathwork and opening up the practice to more people
Guests are attracted by the spa, nature and sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, says Mueller-Elmau
Guests are attracted by the spa, nature and sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, says Mueller-Elmau
The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, but mental health detoxing is fast becoming the most important offering
The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, but mental health detoxing is fast becoming the most important offering
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Children stay for free and the resort offers a huge ‘edutainment’ programme
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Trybe
Trybe was founded back in 2020, and the past five years has seen Trybe become the fastest growing al [more...]
bbspa_Group
The technical advice offered by bbspa is
delivered via four specialist departments which offer turn [more...]
Bavarian resort, Schloss Elmau, combines music, culture and spa, feeding both the mind and soul. Owner and creator, Dietmar Mueller-Elmau, speaks to Kath Hudson about why this all inclusive blend of the best things in life works so well
By Kath Hudson | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 4
Mueller-Elmau sold software firm Fidelio to join the three-generation family business
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature,” says Dietmar Mueller-Elmau. “It’s wellness for the mind and body: both a mental detox and food for thought.”
Mueller-Elmau claims there’s no other spa in the world offering what Schloss Elmau offers. Culture and ideas were the starting point and spa – all seven of them – came later, which is what makes the concept inimitable. World class musicians perform, leading philosophers lecture and best-selling authors, like Julien Barnes and Ian McEwan, come to launch new books, perhaps attracted by the massive book shop and well-stocked library.
“There’s no other place in the world which I know of which has this combination, the musical tradition goes back more than 100 years, with a legendary concert hall,” says Mueller-Elmau. He became proprietor in 1997, taking the helm of the property which had been in the family for three culture loving generations. It was built by his grandfather, Johannes Mueller, in 1914, and since the 50s it’s been building its reputation for music.
After a successful career in IT, Mueller-Elmau sold his hotel software company, Fidelio, and returned home to help his parents. Sadly, in 2005, a fire destroyed most of the original schloss.
Space and freedom Turning disaster into opportunity, Mueller-Elmau decided the rebuild should include a luxury spa, which would attract more people and more top class musicians. However, he admits that he’s not a spa lover. “I tried to build a spa which would tempt me to use it,” he says. “I used the worst case scenario, taking the most extreme position in order to convince people like me, who don’t like spas to use it. But I still haven’t used it! I don’t like to be with other people!”
Space is one of the luxuries he has created for his guests: there’s both space to avoid people and the opportunity to meet them. The Luxury Spa Cultural Hideaway, in the restored original building, has 115 bedrooms while the Luxury Spa Retreat, built in 2015 to host the G7 summit, has 47 suites, a view of the mountains and the sound of the stream rushing by.
Guests then have the choice of eight restaurants, including one with a Michelin star and six pools, five of which are outside. “What you need in a spa is a sense of calm, fresh air and warm water,” he says. “People love being able to swim outside in warm water when it’s freezing cold.”
Three of the spas are aimed at families and three are adult only. The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, as well as anti-ageing treatments, but the most demand is for traditional western massages. “We’re seeing the mental detox becoming far more important than anything else,” says Mueller-Elmau.
“Everyone is mentally stressed out, not physically stressed out. They want to be inspired and meet inspiring people, discover new worlds in literature and participate in interesting political debates. All of our guests are attracted by the spa, the nature and the sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, but they all go away talking about the psychological and mental benefits.”
All inclusive One of the interesting aspects about the model is that children stay for free and all of the cultural experiences, the use of the spas, breakfast, dinner and renting an electric BMW to explore the area are included in the room rate.
“And it’s still only one third of the price of a [high end] UK hotel,” he jokes. “We’re not pedagogic, we don’t give people programmes, there’s no pressure. Most go to the spa, but the most sophisticated guests don’t anything. The biggest luxury is to just gaze at the mountains.”
Hiking and e-mountain biking are popular in the summer and skiing in the winter. The mountains also host a castle dating from King Ludwig, which Mueller-Elmau describes as “the most spectacular architecture in spectacular nature.”
The whole concept has been created according to what Mueller-Elmau likes personally: “I didn’t think about any market, I was just trying to build something which I’d like to use. I have six children, I like to be alone, I like music, literature and architecture.”
If it seems like there’s a lot on offer for adults, children are equally well served with a huge ‘edutainment’ programme available. It features culture and sport, including soccer camps every two weeks – taken by professionals from the German football league no less.
Keeping ahead The resort has been phenomenally successful. It’s consistently accoladed by magazines and polls, has been profitable since day one and runs at 75 per cent occupancy, with more than 90 per cent of guests returning. The bulk of the visitors – around 70 per cent – are from Germany or German-speaking countries and the rest are from the UK, Europe and the US. It’s a 50/50 split between families and couples.
The biggest operational challenge is to keep ahead of the game. “We’re rated as one of the best hotels in the world and the better you get, the thinner the air gets and the better you have to be,” says Mueller-Elmau. “There’s never an end, you have to continually improve, it takes a lot of energy to constantly run ahead of the curve and hire the people who have the energy. We are never happy, we have to lift the bar for everything.”
Mueller-Elmau might have hit on a concept which works perfectly, but he doesn’t think others will, or could, follow their lead: “It takes someone who has a passion to do this. We are running the hotel because of the cultural programme not the other way around and that’s why the artists come: we are the second biggest promoter of classical music in Germany. However, the spa is also a tremendous asset, it has made us even more unique and enriched the experience.”
Packages
A number of different packages are offered including jazz and classical music festivals; girls’ spa breaks, family breaks, yoga breaks, ski safaris. Prices are given when booking as they depend on a number of variables including the room, time of year and length of stay
Wellness facilities
Three adult-only spas featuring a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) oriental hammam, two outdoor lap pools and two outdoor saltwater pools, 14 saunas and steambaths, 25 treatment rooms, relaxation lounges, two spa restaurants and four tea lounges
The Shantigiri Family Spa at the Retreat has an outdoor lap pool, seven treatment rooms, gym, spa lounge and restaurant
TCM Medical Spa
Two gyms
The Family Spa in the Hideaway has an indoor lap pool, five saunas and steam baths, relaxation room and tea lounge
The Nature Spa is open during the summer with an outdoor lap pool, sauna at the creek, playground and three tennis courts
Jivamukti yoga centre
Yoga pavilion for retreats
Suppliers
Alpienne: body and massage products from Tyrol
Dermaviduals: Schloss Elmau’s signature skincare from Germany
Neom: body products, candles and room diffusers from the UK
Niance: premium skincare from Switzerland
Team Dr Joseph: natural skincare line
La Biosthetique: haircare
Und Gretel: natural make-up brand from Berlin
OPI: hand and footcare
Kath Hudson is a regular contributor to Spa Business magazine.
Email: [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Thomas Klein
Senior living, family resorts and urban retreats are all on the cards for Canyon Ranch says COO and president Thomas Klein. Katie Barnes finds out more
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 2018/19
Spa Business’ predictions for the future include vegan spas, blue light antidotes, home wellness and plastic-free facilities
Interview: Dietmar Mueller-Elmau
The owner of Germany’s Schloss Elmau tells Spa Business why music, culture and spa feed the mind and soul
Promotional feature: Living Earth Crafts
Living Earth Crafts has distinguished itself with furniture for the spa industry that combines high design with seamless functionality. Brian Paris gives us insight into the company’s stylish new introductions
Event report: GWS 2018 - Bella vita
An Italian inspired Global Wellness Summit featured fashion, food, fitness and spa… and cameos from Hugh Jackman and Oprah Winfrey. Spa Business gives its highlights
Research: Growing up
Spa is the fastest growing sector of the US$4.2tn global wellness economy according to the latest GWI research
Event report: WTA Conference
What do wellness travellers want? And what issues need to be addressed as the wellness tourism sector grows? Anne Dimon reports from the inaugural meeting of the Wellness Tourism Association
Fitness: Inhale the future
Ashley Neese tells Spa Business about the possibilities of breathwork and opening up the practice to more people
Guests are attracted by the spa, nature and sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, says Mueller-Elmau
Guests are attracted by the spa, nature and sport, so the cultural side is a new thing for many, says Mueller-Elmau
The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, but mental health detoxing is fast becoming the most important offering
The TCM Medical Spa is very popular, but mental health detoxing is fast becoming the most important offering
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Culture and spa are an innovative and perfect combination: you can relax in the spa and then clear your head for new ideas, music and literature, says Mueller-Elmau
Children stay for free and the resort offers a huge ‘edutainment’ programme
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Trybe Trybe was founded back in 2020, and the past five years has seen Trybe become the fastest growing al [more...]
