The year 2018 is marked by a beautiful anniversary: Our Aparthotel Arabella in Nauders turns 40! This is reason enough to browse through our family album and to look back at the beginnings and changes over time.

Josef Moritz built the Aparthotel while he worked as a teacher and general merchandise dealer. His parents laid the foundation and built the "Arabella" with seven holiday apartments in the middle of the village of Nauders on a beautiful plot of land. Their son Josef took over the renting responsibilities. At that time, he was still a teacher and helped in his parents' grocery store. For him, that meant a hundred hour week: "The neighbours saw that the light was still on in my office at night and ironically dubbed it: The eternal light," he says with a smile. In no time, all of Josef's labour was needed full time, which is why he gave up his job as a teacher.

A little later Josef met the love of his life, Monika. She comes from a well-known family of hosts and hostesses in Ried and she attended the Hotel Management School in Innsbruck. They got married in 1985. Today, Monika remains the Arabella’s heart and soul and she’s always there for her family, the Arabella team and the guests. Josef's brother Erwin also played an active role, providing a level head in turbulent times. The two brothers went through thick and thin together, taking their mother's advice to heart: “Held together, two sticks are harder to break than one."

Josef and Monika Moritz’s two children, son Christoph (born 1988) and daughter Verena (born 1994), grew up in the family business and found many friends among the guests' children. Christoph later attended the Hotel Management School in Innsbruck, studied economics, management and leadership and worked as a management consultant in Innsbruck. He went to Washington DC, Florence and Canterbury for study purposes. In the meantime, he has put his heart and soul into his work as managing director of the Arabella. As a child, Verena always wanted to become a lawyer. She went to university immediately after graduating from the Business Academy and completed her law studies in 2018. On the weekends, she works diligently at Arabella when she is not abroad to continue her studies. One thing is readily apparent: The Moritz family's has ambition in their genes!

At the very beginning, the hotel looked completely different, styled much the way they used to build in Tyrol and Nauders. From the original seven holiday apartments, the number of apartments increased in several stages. In 1988, the property received one of the region’s most beautiful indoor swimming pools, which was large and bathed in light. In 1991, a further ten apartments were added and the characteristic rotunda was built. In 2010 and 2016, everything was completely renovated and completely redesigned. In addition, further apartments were added, so that 29 guest apartments are now available. Today, the modern architectural characteristics of Arabella can be recognised from afar. Stepping over the threshold, there is something for all the senses: The scent of pine in the Zirbenstüberl, the feeling of walking on beautiful oak floors, and the warmth of bright colours. The furnishings are straightforward, of high quality and inviting and thus correspond exactly to the values of the host family Moritz.

The most rewarding form of recognition for our efforts these past 40 years has always been the satisfied smiles of our guests. When they say goodbye to us on the day of their departure in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, already dreaming of coming back, we know everything has gone according to plan. But official recognition has also been more than forthcoming. In April 2018, our family was surprised and delighted to receive a certificate from the Tyrolean Governor and the Economics Minister in thanks and recognition for valuable achievements towards the health of the Tyrolean economy. It was a great evening and provided us with the opportunity to exchange ideas with other tradition-rich companies in the region, not to mention allowing us a moment to briefly catch our breath.  Of course, great thanks are also due to our long-standing employees, who have carried the load with us these past 40 years at Arabella. Without them none of this would have been possible. We would also like to thank our many regular guests for the countless moments and happy meetings. We couldn’t imagine the Arabella without them! In closing, we have only one wish for our anniversary: May the next 40 years of Arabella Nauders begin!