Sustainability and Ecology

Organic 4-star hotel

Retter Bio-Natur-Resort in the Styrian nature park Pöllauer Tal is one of the best organic hotels in Austria. It can be described as the leading company for sustainable tourism in Austria.
In the award-winning kitchen, which has been organically certified since 2004, only organic free-range animals such as cattle, pigs, geese, turkeys, sheep and chickens from farmers within a maximum radius of 25 km are processed in their entirety.

Quinces, apples and pears have been growing around the hotel in the organically certified farm for 30 years, which are processed into juices, distillates, liqueurs, jams and ice cream in our own production facility, the Retter BioGut. In the same building is the in-house bakery, where all the organic bread and pastries for the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood are freshly baked every day from regional grains. Courses on the processing of regional food such as bread baking, fermenting, distilling, soap boiling and rural handicrafts are held regularly for hotel guests and people from the region.

Since 2014 Retter has been collaborating with Labonca Pasture Abattoir, involving a private pasture of 100 pigs, stress-free slaughtering and the production of ham and sausages using phosphate-free and nitrite-free hot-frying processes. This cooperation ran until the end of 2023 and will continue in 2024 with the Hackl family with the Sonnenschwein pig and a Pöllau slaughterhouse.

The Retter Bio-Natur-Resort is a pioneer as an organic hotel for environmentally conscious guests. It offers seminars and holidaymakers a climate-friendly stay and impresses with its ecological construction and the closed food cycle with products from its own farm, which has been organically certified for 30 years. The company has an employee profit-sharing system for sustainable management, with bonuses paid annually. The motivation of employees is promoted through the joint development, achievement and celebration of corporate sustainability goals.  Lasting partnerships are also established with the trainers and companies who use the Retter’s extensive and award-winning seminar facilities and who value the venue as a showcase for service, quality and sustainability.  The latest seminar technology is employed, including the use of Weframe to enable hybrid meetings to reflect the new market reality.

Retter-Bio-Natur-Resort

Our measures for a responsible interaction with nature:

Low-temperature and Biomass heating system

Wood chips provide cosy warmth. An optimized energy concept, ceiling air conditioning and heating, helps us to cut our carbon emission by 1 million kgs per year.

Energy Efficiency and Fresh Air

All doors and windows are equipped with sensors which prevent unnessesary cooling or heating. All seminar rooms have CO2 sensors and guarantee a constant supply
of fresh air.

Domed Rooflights, Solar Lights und LED Lamps

Light-flooded seminar rooms and an easy to operate control and visualisation technology reduce our energy use.

Rainwater System

We flush our toilets and water our gardens with rainwater. Due to this measures we save 3 mio. litres of drinking water each year.

Retter Water turnes into „Water for Romania“

Instead of transporting mineral water from far away, we drink our own spring water directly from the Masenberg. This saves unnecessary transport costs and emissions as well as the purchase of goods. We donate the net proceeds to the ÖLRG Kinderhilfe (Austrian Life Saving Society), which supports children living in poverty in Romania.

Organically certified Food

Our orchards around the hotel are organically certified since 1992. Our goal is to cook for our guests only with organically certified food from our region.

Styrian solid Wood

In our 116 Nature Park rooms you will only find the best, that nature has to offer. Enjoy cosy solid wood funiture, pure wool floors, sheepskin carpets, high-quality sleeping systems and power activation.

Wellness area BIO | ORGANIC | SPA

Natural materials such as clay, glass and wood and the view of the apple tree crowns provide a desire to consciously enjoy the moment. This authentic place will empower you with new energy.

40 electric vehicle charging stations

During your stay at Retter Bio-Natur-Resort, all e-car owners receive free electricity from the charging socket. There are 10 electric charging stations around the hotel.

Green Globe Certification

In 2020, the resort was officially certified as a Carbon Neutral Hotel. In 2022, Retter Bio-Nature-Resort was successfully awarded exceptional scores once again by the Austrian Ecolabel with a rating of 260%, and Green Globe Certification with the hotel receiving an outstanding high compliance score of 97 %.

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