Alpine Club huts forecast another rise in overnight stays

The Austrian Alpine Club expects overnight stays at its huts to rise by 5% this year after a record 2025, ORF reports. Drought and cancellations by guests with reservations were among the challenges during the season.

The club’s 223 huts have about 10,000 sleeping places and receive around one million visitors each year. They recorded about 384,000 overnight stays last year, a record.

The club says more young people and international visitors are staying at its huts. Alongside guests from Austria and Germany, visitors increasingly come from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. The number of guests from outside Europe, including the United States, is also rising.

Cancellation rates reached 30% to 40% in June but later eased, the club said. It attributed the improvement to awareness campaigns and stable weather. However, some guests still book several huts and decide at short notice based on the weather, while others do not cancel reservations they will not use. As a result, beds were left empty despite high demand.

Drought particularly affected huts at high elevations and in karst regions. The club said it kept affected huts operating through measures including limiting access to showers and asking guests to help conserve water.

Bedbugs also remained a concern. The Austrian Alpine Club launched an information campaign with Alpine clubs in Germany and South Tyrol to help prevent the insects spreading between huts. It received six reports of suspected bedbugs in summer 2026 across its 223 huts.