Acute staffing problems

Traditional inn has to close after 152 years

The Gasthaus Hametner in Bad Hall has been open since 1873. The restaurant closes on Monday(Bild: Gerhard Hütmeyer)

In the spa town of Bad Hall, Gasthaus Hametner will open its doors for the last time on Monday - according to the landlady, this is a temporary closure. The reason for this step is an acute shortage of staff. Regular guests from all over Austria and Great Britain are hoping that the traditional inn will continue to operate. 

A long era is coming to an end in Bad Hall. Next Monday, the lights will go out at Gasthof Hametner after 152 years. The hotel in the center of the spa town was granted a hospitality license back in 1791. Anton and Josefa Hametner took over the inn in 1873. Since then, the business has been run continuously for five generations under the Hametner name.

Guest rooms remain
Since 1996, Barbara Hametner has been the fifth generation to run not only the inn, but also the Innviertlerhaus with 13 guest rooms, which she took over from her maternal grandfather. After 29 years, she has now had to draw a bitter line: "With a sad and heavy heart, I will be closing our inn indefinitely. I will continue to run the guest rooms and pamper my guests. This is a very difficult step for me to take, but the current staffing situation has forced me to do so," says the passionate restaurateur.

Boss is still hopeful
But she is also hopeful: "Where one door closes, another opens." The regular customers are also affected. Guests have even come from Great Britain. "The Hametner inn is a piece of Bad Hall for me, especially the Hametner cake," said one guest.

The catering industry is struggling
Hametner is not alone with its staffing problems. At the end of June, Gasthaus Baumgartner in St. Marienkirchen an der Polsenz had to close for similar reasons.

Local plans in Kirchschlag fall through
Katzenjammer in Kirchschlag too. A new sports and leisure center is being built in the village of 2200 inhabitants instead of the "Sportalm". The plans for a restaurant had to be scrapped. No tenant was found.