Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

The Stanglwirt has become the first tourism company to be awarded the renowned "Entrepreneur of the Year" prize by the audit and consultancy organisation EY.

A great honour for the Hauser family: Balthasar and his family are among Austria's top entrepreneurs of 2017. For the twelfth time, EY – a global leader in auditing, tax, transaction and management advisory services – has recognised outstanding entrepreneurs in Austria. As the first-ever professional from the tourism sector to receive the award, Balthasar Hauser's success in the "Services" category is proof of his exemplary business acumen. "It fills me with pride and deep gratitude that the road we chose to take with the Stanglwirt has earned such wonderful recognition," said Balthasar Hauser. Over the past 50 years, the 71-year-old and his family have transformed the Stanglwirt into one of the biggest names in the European luxury hotel industry and is considered a green pioneer. Ever since the 1980s, the Green Spa Resort Stanglwirt has relied on its own environmentally friendly biomass heating plant; the first hotel in Austria to do so. Outside of the hotel grounds, the Stanglwirt is also committed to climate and environmental protection around the world, in collaboration with its partners the WWF and the University of Natural Resources in Vienna. The original house was gradually expanded over the years to become the Green Spa Resort and today caters to a wide range of clients with its variety of different rooms and comprehensive range of leisure activities.

Since 2006, EY has been awarding the title "Entrepreneur of the Year" to Austrian entrepreneurs who have the ability to recognise opportunities, and who continually and responsibly develop their businesses through innovative solutions. An independent jury consisting of leading representatives from the worlds of science and economics, as well as trade associations, select the winners based on the following five criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, business development, innovation, leadership, and the sustainability of the business. The award has honoured 110 entrepreneurs in its history and is the embodiment of the diversity and competitiveness of the Austrian economy. Never before has a tourism company been awarded this honour.