Innsbruck's Grand Hotel Europa Set to Glamorous Reopening in 2029
After years of stagnation, bankruptcy proceedings, and the headline-grabbing destruction of the historic Baroque hall, there is now hope for the Grand Hotel Europa. The Upper Austrian entrepreneurial family Hutterer is taking over the reins and plans to return the hotel to five-star status.
The Hotel Europa in Innsbruck, which has been vacant for years, is to be revived as a five-star hotel. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Dnalor 01 / CC BY-SA 3.0 AT (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/at/deed.en)
It was the premier address in town, a place where Queen Elizabeth II resided, and the Rolling Stones stayed after their concerts. But since its bankruptcy in 2020 and final closure, the Hotel Europa, built in 1869, has been more like a memorial to decline. After a change of ownership in 2023 and the shocking news about the destruction of the magnificent Baroque hall, there is now an official turnaround: the building is to be renovated and reopened as a luxury hotel, as reported by ORF.
A personal concern for the new owner
Behind the ambitious project is Upper Austrian entrepreneur Ernst Hutterer. The industrialist, who runs a boiler manufacturing company in Grieskirchen, has a personal connection to the Tyrolean capital – he and his wife studied here. The destruction of the Baroque Hall by the previous owners was one of the reasons for the purchase, in order to save the remaining heritage.
“This building belongs back in the center of the city,” Hutterer emphasized to the media, according to Faktum. The aim is to restore the building's “soul,” which had distinguished it for decades.
The return of the Baroque hall
A central point of the plans is the faithful restoration of the Baroque hall, as reported by Faktum. It had been destroyed in January 2021 under dubious circumstances, shortly before it could be officially listed as a historic monument. There were no legal consequences for those responsible at the time. The fact that this cultural loss is now to be reversed is expressly welcomed by city politicians. Mayor Johannes Anzengruber (JA – Jetzt Innsbruck) spoke of a “careful redevelopment” that would bring a new quality to the cityscape.
Timetable until 2029
Although construction work is expected to take around two years, the grand reopening is planned for the end of 2029. Until then, the building will not just stand empty: as a “first sign of the new beginning,” a large-scale façade installation will be put up. This initiative by the neighboring Wiener Städtische Versicherung insurance company is intended to symbolize that work is actively underway behind the walls to shape the future.
Innsbruck, which has not had a five-star hotel since the closure of the “Europa,” is thus looking forward to an important boost for the station district. Where Ukrainian refugees recently found a first point of contact, and the inventory was auctioned off, international luxury is soon to return.