Newsroom

The timing perfect, the words accurate: Klaus Schwab's criticism of the lack of hospitality on the part of some people from Davos made the kind of headlines that no tourist professional likes to read about their town just before the WEF. “Why is he hurting Davos?” That's the question you heard about it. “Does he do that?” , is my counter question.

With an information and discussion evening, the Upper Engadin district is launching the referendum on the construction of a new care center at Samedan Hospital on Thursday, January 9, 2014: Initiators and experts present the project, then supporters and opponents will discuss and answer questions from the audience. The evening at the Rondo Congress Center in Pontresina starts at 7:30pm.

By handing over its operational tasks in the sports and event sector to the municipality, the St. Moritz Kurverein is redefining its tasks from 2014: The Kurverein remains the mouthpiece for tourist concerns and continues to operate the business with its protected brand St. Moritz. He will promote innovative projects and support the work of the new Municipal Tourism Commission. To this end, the Kurverein has launched the “St. Moritz 360” think tank. It is led by Christian Gartmann

Christmastime is the time of solidarity, giving and taking, and good resolutions for the new year. This was also the case in the Grand Council: The debate on the revision of the financial equalization was about a lot of money. Some should exist — others may take it. The term “solidarity” was often used in discussions.

Klinik Gut in St. Moritz has opened its new day hospital. In the presence of Councillor Christian Rathgeb, four ultra-modern care places were opened on Monday for care before and after operations and for pain management.

On November 24, the people of St. Moritz gave the go-ahead for the renovation of the traditional Olympic ski jump. Detailed planning and the building application are now being pushed forward quickly — the plant is due to go into operation at the end of 2015 with five new ski jumps.

Three times NO and once YES: The referendum over the weekend raises questions in St. Moritz. In the village discussion on Wednesday evening, municipality president Sigi Asprion presents himself to the population and discusses the municipality's strategy and possible scenarios for trade and trade, tourism and local development with external experts. The event at Hotel Schweizerhof is public and admission is free. The door opens at 19:45 h; the conversation starts at 20:15 h.

With a resounding YES, the people of St. Moritz have given the go-ahead for the renovation of an important infrastructure building for the winter sports resort of St. Moritz. Following the YES to the loan template, detailed planning and the building application for a new ski jump complex can be moved forward quickly. The plant is due to go into operation at the end of 2015 — bidding efforts for international competitions will be started immediately.

Community strategy, local development and the future of business are at the center of the third “St. Moritz Village Talk”: On Wednesday, November 27, Prof. Andreas Deuber (HTW Chur) and tourism developer Otto Steiner will discuss with local decision makers from politics, industry, tourism and the audience. The event at Hotel Schweizerhof is public and admission is free. The door opens at 19:45 h; the conversation starts at 20:15 h.

In May, the Federal Council allowed SRG to broadcast “important political, economic, sporting and cultural events” on the Internet as well. But SRG doesn't seem to really know yet what to do with the wonderful new opportunities.

Smartphones and new generations of devices are connecting us ever more closely to the internet. This connectivity is influencing the consumer behaviour of our customers and guests. Companies would do well to adapt to a new generation of mobile media users, because in the end, their reputation is what is at stake.

Do you remember? A group of pink plush bunnies with small drums in front of the pink bellies is marching and drumming. Little by little, the bunnies run out of battery power. Only one drums longer: It is the Duracell bunny. It has become a symbol of endurance and energy all over the world.

With the MobilBonus program, SBB wants to reward particularly eager users of general and half-fare subscriptions. They can now collect award kilometers on their smartphones and exchange them for vouchers. But the apps don't work. Instead of retaining the regular customer segment, it is once again annoyed.

Companies of the future will not only measure themselves in terms of short-term market shares or sales peaks: Anyone who wants long-term success looks at their performance self-critically and is constantly working on improvements. Customer reviews from the Internet are an important raw material for this.

“Grisons 2022" was probably the most sensational cantonal referendum that Switzerland has ever seen. Never before has there been so comprehensive information, never before have so many voters been addressed personally and never has a cantonal ballot had so much — including national — media coverage. The intensive work over twelve months brought positive and negative experiences. A few practical tips can be derived from this for future political campaigns in Swiss sport. *

If the economy stutters, the call for change is usually not far off. But for something to actually happen, a crisis must take on almost dramatic forms. Even in Grisons, too, too few new things are being created despite the crisis; the willingness to make changes is low. Are we still doing too well?

One year after London 2012, it is clear what effects the Games are having on Great Britain. In a representative on behalf of the BBC, the British are overall positive about the effects that have occurred. 74 percent of respondents would like Great Britain to hold the games again. 69 percent are convinced that public money has been well spent on the games.

St. Moritz should once again become a center of international ski jumping. A new Olympic ski jump and three smaller ski jumps will enable training camps and international competitions up to World Cups from autumn 2015. Of the project costs of 11.5 million francs, the municipality of St. Moritz is to cover 8.2 million — voters will decide on November 24.

Olympic participants Mike Kurt (canoe) and Fabian Kauter (fencing) launch the first crowdfunding platform to finance Swiss sports projects. The Internet platform “I believe in you” enables athletes, clubs and organizers to collect private microdonations. This addition to previous sports financing is intended to significantly improve the framework conditions for Swiss sport in the longer term.

Innovation and quality of St. Moritz as a holiday destination are the main topics of the second “St. Moritz Village Talk”: On Thursday, June 6, the President of the Hotelleriesuisse Association, a brand expert and a specialist journalist will discuss with local decision makers from politics, tourism, industry, hotels, restaurants and the public. The event at Hotel Schweizerhof is public and admission is free. The door opens at 19:45 h; the conversation starts at 20:15 h.

Despite new technologies, communication on social media and ever increasing amounts of customer data, successful retailers still depend on well-known figures: Motivated employees and a committed dialogue with customers are still the key success factors.

The diverse publicity effects were one of the main arguments for the Winter Olympics. Internally — i.e. in its own canton — tourism needs more understanding and acceptance again. Externally — among potential guests to Graubünden — Grisons needs recognition, a good reputation and authentic stories. Anyone who knows their guests can see Grisons through their eyes.

“Grisons don't exist,” commented Southeast Switzerland the day after the No vote, referring to the divide between south and east and north and west of the canton. Graubünden 2022 actually failed to break up the petty valley mentality and create a sense of togetherness.

The Grisons Association 2022 is to be dissolved. The Executive Board has instructed operational management to complete and document all projects, to prepare a final statement and to prepare for the orderly liquidation of the association. It is likely that several more months will elapse before this work is completed and the association is dissolved.