The Family Behind the Sonnenhof
Family, a down-to-earth attitude, and the joy of hosting have defined the Sonnenhof for many years.
Since 1975
a family-owned business
For Steffi and Matthias Wildauer, the Sonnenhof is much more than just a hotel. It’s a family business, a home, and a place they shape with great personal dedication, down-to-earth values, and attention to detail.
Since 2011, Steffi and Matthias have been running the Sonnenhof as the second generation of the family. Together, they continue to develop the hotel while preserving its roots and embodying a style of hospitality that is personal, uncomplicated, and approachable.
Each brings their own strengths to the table and it is precisely this synergy that makes the Sonnenhof what it is today.
Preserving Our Roots, Shaping Our Growth
Let's
get to work together.
In the day-to-day life of the Sonnenhof, Steffi and Matthias are involved in very different areas.
With a keen sense of design, materials, and atmosphere, Steffi shapes the look and feel of the hotel. During renovations and expansions, she was closely involved from the very beginning in selecting colors, finishes, furniture, and details.
She makes many decisions very deliberately from colors and fabrics to special materials that give the hotel its warm atmosphere.
But Steffi isn’t just involved in the hotel’s design. She’s also right in the thick of daily hotel operations, helping out with service and making herself personally available to guests and staff.
Matthias, on the other hand, as managing director, oversees the organizational and technical aspects of the hotel. At the same time, he is someone who prefers to roll up his sleeves and get involved rather than just coordinate. Building services, outdoor facilities, handyman work, and the hotel’s own farm are all a natural part of his daily routine. He thinks ahead, pitches in, and always stays close to the hotel, the team, and the guests.
Agriculture as
a part of life.
Closely connected to the Sonnenhof is the Kendlhof, the family’s own farm.
There, Matthias lives and works with his Angus cattle, finding an important balance to his daily life at the hotel. For him, the morning hours spent in the meadows and around the farm are especially important moments of peace and renewal.
Steffi, too, has a close connection to the animals. Her horses have been a part of her daily life for many years. She takes care of the animals herself, tending to their needs, and finds her own sense of balance through riding.
For the family, farming is far more than just an additional line of business. It is part of their roots and also shapes their understanding of regional identity and responsibility.
The three children are also growing up with this connection to nature and farming, and from a young age, they experience firsthand how much work, time, and care go into running a farm.
Living Agriculture
A family in the midst
of everyday hotel life.
At the Sonnenhof, family and the hotel are virtually inseparable.
Their three sons—Georg, Simon, and Anton—grow up right in the midst of the business. Shared meals, the close proximity between family, the hotel, and the farm, and the natural expectation that everyone pitches in are all part of daily life.
For Steffi and Matthias, it’s important to set an example for their children by showing them what it means to take on responsibility, work together, and find joy in their work.
A history that lives on in this house.
Just how closely family and history are intertwined at the Sonnenhof is also evident in the individual rooms of the house.
A particularly special place in the house is the Anton Stube. The historic wood used there dates back to 1865 and originally belonged to the bedroom of the ancestor Anton Eberharter.
During the renovation, the old wood was carefully preserved, restored, and reintegrated into the house. Today, it gives the Stube its special character and connects the family’s history with the Sonnenhof of today.
Right next to it, the Simon Stube was created.
For the family, details like these are far more than just design elements. They tell a story of heritage, connection, and how the new and the old can coexist quite naturally side by side.
"Nicht daheim &
doch zu Hause."
Maria, the senior manager, once coined the company’s motto - “Not at home, yet at home” - a phrase that remains just as relevant today as it was then, carried forward by the next generation, who continue this philosophy with pride and passion.
Hospitality
across generations.
The Sonnenhof has been closely tied to the family since 1975. In 2011, Matthias took over the business as the second generation of the family and continues to run it today together with Steffi. Senior owner Hans is still a regular presence at the hotel and remains a familiar face to many regular guests.
This personal connection continues to define the Sonnenhof to this day. Steffi and Matthias are right in the thick of daily life, take time for their guests, and embody the down-to-earth hospitality typical of the Zillertal.
At the same time, they are constantly developing the Sonnenhof further without losing sight of its roots.
And if one of their children were to carry on the business someday with the same joy and passion, that would surely be the most wonderful continuation of this story for both of them.
