THE HOSTEL

The history of our house

Long before the time at the current location, there was, according to old photos, a hostel for cost-friendly overnight stays in Meiringen.
Based on the historical photos we were able to determine that our hostel today is not in the same location as it was back then. After consultation with our village chronicler, Walter Schmid, we determined that the photos available to us must be a location on the western side of the village entrance. The exact location can no longer be evaluated. But it must be the land parcel between today’s “Migros” and the terrain of the former “Hotel Oberland”. It can only be guessed if there was a cooperation between the hostel and the Hotel Oberland at that time. It is quite imaginable that the hostel was part of the whole hotel concept.

From the construction of the hostel…

After the end of the Second World War, the association “Swiss Youth Hostels” acquired an independent and permanent building right from the municipality of Meiringen at its present location and built the first youth hostel in the eastern part of the village. The building lease contract is dated September 30th 1948.

According to the records available the start of operations took place in early 1948.
A first reconstruction of the hostel took place only four years after opening.
We assume that the new offer met with great interest and that the hostel quickly reached the limits of its capacity.

In 1971 was the next renovation, during which the current company apartment and the garage were built.
In 1972 and 1974 the Swiss Youth Hostels Association invested in a new and modern kitchen.

Finally in 1979 the hostel was connected to the regional wastewater treatment plant in Meiringen.

In 1988 Simon Frutiger started as the Hostel Manager. At that time Maria José Castro was already an employee at the hostel. Gemeinsam führten Simon und Maria José die Herberge in den folgenden acht Jahren als Angestellte des Vereins Schweizer Jugendherbergen.

Über die private Übernahme der Herberge

In 1996 there was a turning point and therefore probably the biggest change in the history of the hostel.

The Swiss Youth Hostels Association decided at short notice to no longer operate the hostel in Meiringen.
As Simon Frutiger could not understand this decision and saw the great potential of the hostel and the associated tourism, he decided to rent the hostel from the association for the time being and run it on his own account.

Only a short time later Simon decided to purchase the hostel, or rather the building rights, and to operate the hostel under the new name “Simon’s Hostel”.

After two years Simon rebuilt the hostel one last time until today. The dormitory on the first floor was raised and with that smaller rooms could be realized and the comfort for the guests could be increased.

At the present time

As Simon was slowly but surely approaching his retirement age he began to think about his succession plan. In all den Jahren ist unter seiner Leitung ein für die Region sehr wichtiges und einmaliges touristischen Angebot entstanden und hat sich auf dem Markt gefestigt.

Mit Stephan Dummermuth fand er einen jungen und begeisterten Menschen, der die Herberge gerne kaufen und in seinem Sinne weiter betreiben wollte.

After 33 years Simon sold the hostel to the newly founded Hostel Haslital AG.

Part of the succession plan was that Simon and Maria José would continue to live in the company apartment and support the new owner for some time.

Sadly, Simon passed away after a short, serious illness in August 2023.

Maria José took her well-deserved retirement at the end of the 2023 season and has been enjoying her home in Spain ever since.

Into the near and far future

What the future will bring is written in the stars.

Stephan Dummermuth is a convinced tourism expert and is already planning further renovations.
The basic concept of the hostel will certainly continue to exist. However we always want to meet today’s guest needs in the best possible way and will also renew structurally.

For 75 years the hostel has been offering a highly demanded offer and knows how to convince with its perfect location.

Simon Frutiger and Maria Jose Castro have put their heart and soul into running the hostel for 35 of these 75 years. Even though Maria Jose is now in Spain, she is still happy to support the new team.

We look forward to continuing the history of the hostel and providing our guests with unforgettable days in the Haslital.