Welcome to respectful and responsible engagement
Our philosophy.
The best-known definition of "sustainable development" comes from the Brundtland Report of 1987. The key message is that truly sustainable development meets the needs of the present generation without depriving future generations of the opportunities and conditions to meet their own needs.
Regionality, authenticity, unspoiled nature, the preservation and celebration of cultural roots - hardly any other industry thrives on these components as much as the hotel and catering industry. In the hustle and bustle and challenges of everyday life, we are increasingly looking for time out and special experiences.
Our aim is to continually sensitize all players in tourism to the need for sustainable commitment. We want to inspire our guests with sustainable offers and provide them with valuable experiences during their stay. So that your guests say: I'll be back. Sustainability is lived here.
Living history and valuable experiences.
The methodology of the former ibex label was developed by the Ö+ association back in 1998 to make the sustainable performance of a hotel comparable and to promote it. In the first few years, the label was only awarded to establishments in Graubünden, but soon hotels and hostels throughout Switzerland were certified. In 2007, grischconsulta AG in Maienfeld took over the "Steinbock Certification" project and set up an independent office for this purpose. A major milestone was the comprehensive revision and expansion of the methodology in 2009 and the brand relaunch as "ibex fairstay" in 2012.
In January 2017, the Ö+ association was dissolved and all rights to the certification methodology were transferred in full from the association to grischconsulta. Since 2020, businesses can be awarded both the ibex fairstay label and the international TourCert label. The ibex fairstay label is also recognized for Swisstainable Level III - leading, the highest level of the Swiss sustainability programme.
The ibex fairstay team
The ibex fairstay office is your first point of contact. We offer you support in your decision for sustainable certification, accompany you through the certification process and beyond. Would you just like to know how sustainable your business is? We will also be happy to advise you on how to gain an overview of sustainable measures or take our non-binding sustainability check.
Martina Hollenstein Stadler / Managing Director ad interim
After completing her basic training in the hotel and catering industry, she moved into the management of Alpine destinations. As Tourism Director of the destination Engadin Samnaun Val Müstair, she was responsible for the award as the first sustainable destination in Switzerland and set up the new sustainability department at Graubünden Ferien. Martina Hollenstein will act as an external consultant in the interim management of ibex fairstay from the end of April 2025.
info@ibexfairstay.ch
Anita Gschwind / Head of Methodology & Quality
As a qualified restaurateur-hotelier HF and adult educator, she knows the catering and hotel industry from the ground up across all levels. With roots in agriculture, the sustainable and careful use of natural resources is very close to her heart. Anita Gschwind has been working at the ibex fairstay office since August 2016 and is your contact person for everything to do with the sustainability label and the certification process.
agschwind@ibexfairstay.ch
Alexandra Stettler / Head of Secretariat & Accounting
Having grown up in a vacation destination, she takes a close connection and respectful interaction with nature for granted. In her private life, she enjoys trying out popcorn creations and is often out and about in the mountains, preferably on long-distance hikes and snowshoe tours.
Alexandra Stettler has been supporting the ibex fairstay team as Head of Secretariat and Accounting since April 2025.
info@ibexfairstay.ch
Alle Stellen besetzt - und trotzdem offen für Visionen.
Unser Team ist aktuell komplett und voller Leidenschaft, Kreativität und Engagement für unsere Kunden da. Doch die Hotellerie und Gastronomie leben von neuen Perspektiven und Menschen, die nachhaltig etwas bewegen möchten. Wenn das auf dich zutrifft, dann freuen wir uns auf deine Initiativbewerbung und wer weiss, vielleicht können wir gemeinsam über den Tellerrand schauen.
Our auditors
The team of auditors is made up of independent experts who are at home in the accommodation and catering industry. The auditor checks the information you have entered on paper and on site. He hands over the audit report with the award recommendation to the certification committee.
Audit manager Jürgen Walch is assisted by two auditors, Florian Schelbert and Christine Kretschmer.
Jürgen Walch / Audit Manager
Having grown up in his parents' inn in Vorarlberg, he trained as a hotelier before moving to Switzerland. As a host, he has known the industry for more than 25 years. He has experienced the challenges of day-to-day operations and knows what it takes to make guests happy. We are proud to have him as an independent auditor for ibex fairstay since October 2022. With his management consultancy "walch-coaching - for strong hosts", he supports hotels and restaurants in the development of the company and a sustainable strategy as well as in project management.
Florian Schelbert / Auditor
Florian Schelbert is a trained chef and qualified hotelier. He has worked in various businesses in the catering and hotel industry as well as the hierarchical levels from employee to manager. With the CAS in Methodology Didactics at the ZHAW Winterthur, he has the basis to pass on his knowledge professionally. As the father of two children, the careful use of our resources is very important to him.
Florian Schelbert joined the team of auditors at the beginning of 2023.
Christine Kretschmer / Auditor
Christine Kretschmer got to know the mountain hotel industry from the ground up at Hotel frutt Lodge & Spa. What began as Vice Director and Quality Manager for ISO 9001 and 14001 developed into Managing Director of Frutt Resort AG. She has undergone further training in various areas and knows how to inspire people and achieve common goals with them.
We have been able to count you among our team of independent auditors since March 2023. We are delighted to have such an experienced hotelier on board.
Neutral and objective.
ibex fairstay certifies according to the so-called 6-eyes principle. Three independent levels are involved in the certification process: The self-declaration of the business, the audit by the external auditor and the review of the audit report by the independent certification committee.
They guarantee the seriousness, neutrality and credibility of the ibex fairstay label. This clearly distinguishes ibex fairstay from the large number of so-called "seals of approval", where it is not clear whether and to what extent compliance with the criteria is checked.
The Certification Committee.
The Certification Committee (ZeKo) is made up of experts from science, business and tourism. They examine the auditor's application and decide on the award and the award result. The Certification Committee monitors the sustainability philosophy and decides on the further development of the ibex fairstay methodology. The members of the Certification Committee are Dr. Roland Zegg (President), Hans Egli, Thorsten Fink, Monika Lustenberger and Daniel Schwarz.
Dr. Ing. Roland Zegg / President ZeKo
He has been committed to the idea of sustainability for many years and, as President of the Certification Committee, is primarily responsible for compliance with our standards.
In 2007, he took over the office of the former "Steinbock Label". The company he founded, "grischconsulta AG", based in Maienfeld, has been the bearer of the sustainability label ever since. At the beginning of 2017, the rights to ibex fairstay were transferred in full to grischconsulta AG.
Hans Egli / Member ZeKo
The hotelier and environmental consultant EFA runs a seminar center sustainably, in the true sense of the word, according to ecological, social and economic principles. He was one of the first hoteliers to have his business certified with the ibex fairstay label (formerly the ibex label). He later became involved with the sustainability label as an auditor and is now a member of the certification committee.
Thorsten Fink / Member ZeKo
The qualified construction and real estate manager and business economist (FH) has been involved in hotel development for several years. His main focus is on the ecological and economic refurbishment and repositioning of hotels in Switzerland.
In addition, he has many years of experience as a host and managing director in the 3-, 4- and 5-star hotel industry and has already successfully guided several businesses through the ibex fairstay certification process, which led to his involvement in the certification committee.
Monika Lustenberger / Member ZeKo
Monika Lustenberger has completed a classic training and further education in the hotel industry. Her professional background is reflected in over 30 years of self-employment in hotel management and the development of 4- and 3-star hotels in the business and tourism sector. The entrepreneur herself was responsible for quality management, social balance and regional anchoring in the hotels. As the mother of three grown-up sons, careful and conscious use of our resources is important to her. As a long-standing HotellerieSuisse hotel classification auditor and quality coach, she is well aware of the issues in the hotel industry.
Daniel Schwarz / Member ZeKo
Daniel Schwarz is Team Guide Sustainability at Familie Wiesner Gastronomie AG and is a proven expert in the field of energy and environmental technology as well as energy and sustainability management. As a trustee of the FWG Foundation, he also deals with social issues as well as organizational and employee development.
Daniel Schwarz is very familiar with the important aspects of sustainability. He has also represented the needs of the catering industry on the certification committee since January 2025.
The advisory board of ibex fairstay.
The Advisory Board is a committee with an advisory function and can make recommendations. It is made up of experts from science, business, the environment and/or hotel management. The Advisory Board acts as a superior recourse authority vis-à-vis companies in the certification process. The members of the advisory board are Prof. Urs Wagenseil, Prof. Dr. Christian Baumgartner and Roland Schmid.
Prof. Urs Wagenseil
With 15 years of practical experience in tourism, including as tourism director of Lenzerheide, Urs Wagenseil has been a professor and head of the tourism competence area at the Institute of Tourism Management (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts) since 2005. He is involved in teaching, consulting and applied research, with a focus on destination management and sustainable development. Urs Wagenseil is involved with TourCert and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council GSTC, including as a trainer.
Prof. Dr. Christian Baumgartner
Christian Baumgartner has been working in the field of sustainable tourism and regional development for 25 years. He has many years of experience in the NGO and scientific sector, but is also active on several business and certification advisory boards. Baumgartner has been Professor of Sustainable Tourism at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden since 2018. His heart beats geographically for the Alps on the one hand, and for the Balkans and Central Asia on the other.
Roland Schmid
Independent consultant, speaker and mentor in tourism since 2016. Previously, the business economist FH with NDS (Communications & Leadership) was head of communications, sustainability and crisis management at TUI Suisse for 17 years. In 2009, Schmid was a founding member of the Futouris sustainability initiative. In the Swiss Travel Association (SRV), he heads the Environment & Social Affairs Committee and represents it on national and international committees.
Meaning ibex fairstay.
The name "ibex fairstay" stands for genuine, lived sustainability and is made up of the words "capra ibex", the scientific name of the Alpine ibex, and "fairstay", symbolizing a beautiful vacation stay in high quality at fair prices. Even after the brand relaunch of the former ibex label, the ibex still stands as a symbol of foresight, naturalness, strength and courage both visually and textually in the market presence.
