The Hotel Restaurant Baseltor in the old town of Solothurn has been awarded ibex fairstay silver for the first time. What has been lived and implemented in the Historic Hotels member business for years can now be verified with clear parameters. The certification process also involved a rethink among employees.
As soon as you enter the dining room of the Restaurant Hotel Baseltor, you can sense a special, positive atmosphere. A conspicuously benevolent mood and friendliness for the industry is the result of a dedicated team at work here. On the walls, slate boards with beautiful handwriting actively communicate which regional products are used in the kitchen to create delicious dishes. Daily specials are also mentioned when the menu is handed out. The close contact with the producers is also communicated on attractively designed postcards. "Regionality has been anchored in our DNA for years," explains Martin Unternährer, Operations Manager of the three-star hotel since 2023. "We know many producers and work closely with them." For example, the need for special vegetables, such as artichokes, is discussed with the vegetable producer at the beginning of the year, which are then delivered freshly harvested. "Although we prefer organic products wherever possible, we value regionality and seasonality more highly when it comes to vegetables. This allows us to reduce the consumption of resources thanks to outdoor cultivation and short transportation routes."
Rethinking the team and purchasing
And yet the team was able to learn a lot during the certification process and beyond. "We have redefined our values. They serve as a guardrail for our actions," Unternährer is convinced. As an example, he mentions the value of "respect", which should not only count when dealing with guests and team colleagues, but also in the correct storage and processing of food. The purchasing guidelines were also set out in writing for the first time and the requirements for a product were clearly defined. This catalog of criteria helps with decision-making, whether it's putting together the wine list or switching to more environmentally friendly paper goods and cleaning products. It is not uncommon for a supplier to be asked to find a product that meets the requirements. In this way, the new knowledge is also guaranteed beyond the hotel walls and a rethink among the employees becomes apparent: "It's not the supplier who dictates what we should buy, but we define what product quality we want."
Action plan as a guide
"The award is both recognition and an incentive for us," Unternährer is convinced. Recognition for the efforts made up to this point - and an incentive to continue along the path and to question it again and again. Because: "Sustainability doesn't end with a label, it's much more of an ongoing, valuable process and a responsibility. The certification has shown us this impressively," says Unternährer. Thanks to the review across the five dimensions of management, environment, regionality, social issues and profitability, the company was examined holistically. The clear assessment of the situation resulted in measures that the team will continue to work on. Several of the clearly formulated goals are already being tackled with concrete improvement measures and will be duly celebrated when they are achieved.
With the ibex fairstay label, the Baseltor also achieves the highest level of Switzerland Tourism's sustainability label at Swisstainable III - leading.
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Further information on ibex fairstay certification can be found here.