Centuries-old inns adapt to survive as guests spend less

High prices and fewer paying guests are putting pressure on Austria’s traditional inns, ORF reports, but two establishments with histories dating back about 700 years are adapting to stay in business.

The Kirchenwirt inn in Leogang, in Salzburg’s Pinzgau region, and the Poststube in Traunkirchen, Upper Austria, are working together on celebrations marking their histories. The Kirchenwirt was first recorded in 1326, while the Poststube’s history dates to 1327 and it will mark its 700th anniversary next year.

Fewer people are going to inns regularly, and critics say the cost of food and drinks has become difficult for many people on average incomes. Traditional establishments are particularly affected. Salzburg has seen a decline in classic inns over the past decade, even before recent price rises. Statistics do not show how many closed or switched to other forms of food service.

The number of active food-service businesses in Upper Austria has remained broadly stable, but the Chamber of Commerce there has also observed a decline in traditional rural inns.

The Kirchenwirt has faced less economic pressure so far than some other businesses because it belongs to the higher-end hospitality sector. Its history reaches back to the “Taverne zu Sankt Leonhard”, first documented in 1326. Early customers included pack-animal traders transporting goods across the Alps.

Owner Hans-Jörg Unterrainer said the inn’s location on an important north-south route had been significant. His family took over the establishment in 1878, around the time the railway arrived and new businesses emerged.

The Poststube originally belonged to the Benedictine nunnery in Traunkirchen. Owner Wolfgang Gröller said he still enjoys hosting guests. In recent years, he has expanded the historic inn and restaurant into a luxury hotel.

Both establishments have endured wars, economic crises and social change, but changing customer expectations mean they must keep adapting. High staffing costs are a particular challenge, Unterrainer said. Inns can no longer afford to stay open from morning until midnight; instead, they need to open when there is demand and close when business is quiet.

Gröller said his strategy was to make sure his business secured a larger share as the overall market shrank. Their experience shows that a long history alone is not enough to ensure an inn’s survival.