In Heiligenblut, a village of 960 residents in the Austrian Alps, Hermann Tribuser runs a family business that has earned a 10 out of 10 rating on Booking.com, according to more than 170 reviews. Booking.com, in its communications with partner properties, introduced Hermann Tribuser and the secret of his success. Read this lovely story, which may inspire other hosts as well…
Hermann Tribuser manages five apartments in Heiligenblut, a village of 960 residents in the Austrian Alps. The property has belonged to his family since 1688. On Booking.com, he maintains a perfect review score of 10, across more than 170 verified guest reviews. We asked him how he did it—and what the Traveller Review Award means for the family that continues a 300-year legacy.
You grew up in this property. How did you end up coming back to run it?
My parents ran the business until around 2010, when they retired and handed over the reins. My brother wanted to run the business and I was happy about that. I lived in Vienna for more than 25 years and it wasn’t in my plan to return. But when my brother decided not to take over the business after all, my parents were very upset. They wondered, “What should we do? The only thing we can do is sell it.” And I knew that if my father were forced to sell this farm, it would be the end of him. So I knew I had to go home.
I went home and thought, “Okay, I have to renovate it. I have to bring this house into the future.” My father was very upset at first and said, “no, that’s not necessary, everything is fine, just open the bed and breakfast and continue like this.” But I told him that this would no longer work. So we moved ahead with a full renovation.
At first my father was very upset, but then he saw guests flocking in. He saw people from the village saying: “Oh, Hieserhof is once again one of the best houses in the village.” Now my parents are happy, because everything they did in their lives has meaning and their legacy continues.
What does hospitality mean to you?
For me, tourism is not renting a bed. Tourism gives the guest a special, exciting, unique experience. That is always the number one thing on my mind when I come into contact with my guests.
I love my guests. I have guests who return and it’s like meeting friends again. If someone calls me at night and needs toilet paper, I bring it to them in 5 minutes. I only have apartments: no sauna, no breakfast or anything like that. But that never prevented my guests from feeling that hospitality at my property was something much more.
What is it that turns a great stay into a perfect one?
What is it that turns a great stay into a perfect one?I was talking with a guest a few weeks ago about ratings. He said—and it’s what I have in mind: “the apartments are 9.5 out of 10. The rest of the rating is you.” So I think it has to do with my personality and it has a lot to do with energy.
I want guests to feel that they are not strangers in a strange place. I want them to feel like they are coming home and meeting a friend. When you come to a place you haven’t been before, and there is someone who welcomes you with a smile, shows you everything, explains everything, and truly takes care of you. I don’t just give the feeling that I care about them. In reality, I take care of them. They can feel that.
What does being honoured with a Traveller Review Award mean to you and your family?
My father is now 85 years old and has nothing to do with computers or mobile phones. But Booking.com is very well known and he understands the importance of Booking.com for travellers around the world. He knows what it means to have positive reviews on the platform. My mother is more connected. Every time I receive a new review, I send her a screenshot. She reads them all and is always very proud.
When my father reads his newspaper every day and sees his name there because of this achievement, he feels great satisfaction. When my mother receives messages from friends in the village, she comes to me and her joy is obvious!
I think my parents are living the dream now. I came home after 25 years. I take care of them, we all live together, we take care of each other. My small children run around. For them, this is the best they could ask for.
What does it take to achieve such a score in every stay?
Everything starts with the property itself. I took on the cleaning myself and I have been rated 10 in the cleanliness category. After 5 years and hundreds of guests, my apartments still look like new. My guests arrive and say: “It’s so nice, it’s so clean, it’s even better than the photos.”
Inside, I have a few things from the old farmhouse, like authentic wooden beams that are several hundred years old. I have an old wheel from the farmhouse that now serves as a coffee table. I made a table from a piece of stone that my father knocked down many years ago. Behind anything in this apartment there is a lot of thought. It’s not just a piece of furniture, it’s energy. Many guests say: “The place is very warm and welcoming, it seems that whatever you do, you do it with love and care.”
When I have guests here, everything I do is to take care of them—not for the reviews, but to make them happy. That’s why I do it. The nice review comes as a result.
