From a silo hotel to forest cuisine: these hotel newcomers are setting new standards

New ideas, strong concepts, great effect: The Tophotel Newcomer Award 2025 reaffirms how much innovative capacity and design quality are now found in hotels in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 8 hotels and restaurants from more than 50 entries were honoured. They both capture and shape the spirit of modern times – for example through urban surprises, alpine retreats and culinary concepts which are well out of the ordinary.

Overview of the Award winning hotels:

John & Will Silo-Hotel by Guldsmeden, Bremen
Categorised as a "Hotel Opening City" – and certainly different: the former port silo was turned into a 117 room hotel with striking industrial architecture, sustainable Guldsmeden DNA and a Danish hygge factor.

Seegut Zeppelin, Friedrichshafen
"Hotel Opening Leisure": an ensemble comprising four new buildings and a villa which combine architecture, biodiversity and regional Slow Food cuisine in a harmonious balance – with a view of Lake Constance.

Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski, Dresden
"Hotel Reopening City": following extensive renovations this traditional hotel bridges the gap between baroque history and technological comfort – classic, refined and highly functional.

Berghof St. Johann, St. Johann im Pongau
"Hotel Reopening Leisure": new suites, roof top spa, alpine nonchalance. A retreat which superbly combines modernity and a sense of reality.

Brunfels Restaurant, Mainz
Honoured in the category "Group/Chain Hotel Restaurant": modern product cuisine which impresses with its clarity, quality and atmosphere – incorporated in a well-rounded general concept.

silva – Taste the Forest, Leogang
"Private Hotel Restaurant": a fine dining concept which not only brings the taste of the forest onto the plate – but is also deeply rooted in terms of architecture, emotion and craftsmanship.

Special Awards for courage and attitude:

Tin Inn – Special Award for Innovation
Built circularly, designed modularly, implemented digitally: Tin Inn has created a hotel concept which systematically takes sustainability one step further – and is already reality in towns such as Hückelhoven and Heinsberg.

eriro Alpine Hide, Tirol – Outstanding Hideaway
Just 9 suites, maximum reduction and alpine authenticity: eriro focuses on silent luxury – and therefore captures the spirit of the age.

What the Tophotel Newcomer Award involves

The Award is presented by the trade magazine Tophotel which belongs to the Freizeit publishing company (Holzmann Medien). The Award honours hotels and restaurants in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol which were newly opened in the previous year or repositioned after an extensive relaunch.

Judging took place in six categories, supplemented by two Special Awards. Jury members: experts from architecture, hotels, restaurants and business management

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Photo credits: Faye Schicht