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Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

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Seebichl

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Boating on Lake Schwarzsee Kitzbühel | Tow people sitting o the lake Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

Intro

With a centrefold spread of centuries-old viridian forests, soaring ridgelines and the scene-stealing mood-soaked mists of Lake Schwarzsee as its eternal canvas, the refugium Hotel Seebichl rests within a landscape of bluebird skies, light, water and rhythm. Poignantly poised on a grassy hillside between Kitzbühel’s old town and the gondola’s slow climb into the peaks, this inky-black basecamp is both grounded and ethereal: a hushed voyeur of the dramatic Wilder Kaiser and Tyrolean peaks.

Originally the creation of painter-architect Alfons Walde, the painter’s hand still lingers here; Walde’s palette of whites, blues and pine greens finds its echo in the Seebichl landscape, a living canvas framed by the same Tyrolean light he once immortalised. Later, moonlighting as film-maker Leni Riefenstahl’s editing studio, Seebichl continues the cultural dialogue as a casual custodian of design and the arts scripted by the cinematics of doorstep nature.

A place made for wandering thoughts, Seebichl is less a hotel than a state of mind, a sociable refugium for creative souls and quiet thinkers alike, a hideout for non-robots and free spirits who still live life in Polaroid mode. It is where analogue reigns, fostering long talks, emotional exchanges and the art of doing nothing at all. Books fill the lobby, handpicked music drifts through the air and the pace softens into daydreams. A resting place to simply be.

You might linger poolside as the light shifts across the lake, and as night falls, the Green Bar gathers the tribe. Familiar faces and soft laughter mingle over evening drinks before dining on the terrace as the air cools. When night folds over the valley, the house glows with candlelight, conversation drifts and everyone, eventually, retreats to bed: the water still, the peaks silent.

A place for lovers of unfiltered beauty, Hotel Seebichl is shaped by brothers Max and Sebastian Witzmann, two passionate collectors at heart who have curated a quiet analogue oasis for those who still remember the pleasure of being offline. It is a hotspot of nuanced human and warm-hearted souls and the kinda place that stays with you long after you leave.

The Green Bar gathers the tribe. Familiar faces and soft laughter mingle over evening drinks before dining on the terrace as the air cools

Interiors - the Antidote to Alpine Cliché

Eclectic interiors of mid-century furnishings and art works | Best Hotel lounges | Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

Inside, Seebichl reveals its quiet rebellion. Forget chalet tropes and over-styled polish; this house breathes with character. More than a thousand pieces of true vintage furniture sit effortlessly beside Austrian contemporary art and whimsical objets trouvés, all set against a palette of teals, whites and bursts of pomegranate red.

The philosophy here is simple: collect what you love, live with what lasts. Mid-century icons find harmony with Czechoslovakian Ton chairs by Antonin Suman, Danish sling loungers from the seventies and brasswork by Carl Auböck. You will find a Willy Guhl lounger basking in the morning sun, time-worn Thonet bistro chairs and terrazzo tables from the Gierer workshops grounding the space.

Walls hum with art and a Mascha Illich lamp throws a cinematic glow. It is a living collection; Bauhaus, Bohemia and a touch of Alpine eccentricity under one stylish roof, anchored by the occasional Persian rug. The dark façade with teal shutters was a deliberate act of mischief, an Alpine noir softened by balconies planted with tall architectural grasses.

Outside, handcrafted lamps in sunflower yellow and mint green made by a local blacksmith light the terraces where concrete, timber and laughter mix freely. On the deck, an army of burnt-orange Vitra Eames chairs catches the sun. Seebichl is tactile, imaginative and quietly cheeky, a dialogue between nostalgia and now.

Holistic Hushed Sleeps

Person reading in bed under contemporary artworks in red | Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados Tyrolean Mountains in the distance | Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

Sometimes original Alpine architecture needs little help to evoke the quiet essentials of rest. There are 26 rooms where walls glow with honeyed timber, linen drapes breathe with the breeze and balconies frame a theatre of forest, meadow and lake. The scent of pine drifts through open doors, while the palette stays grounded in nature’s own tones: warm woods, soft whites, honest textures.

The hotel bedrooms reflect the brothers’ affection for design classics; pops of Mondrian-coloured hooks and quirky bedside tables balance simplicity, peppered with Austrian contemporary artworks. Each room has its own character, gently shaped by the Witzmanns’ eye for design; a favourite chair here, a vintage lamp there, a giant freestanding bathtub and a sense that every piece has been chosen for its story as much as its form. The rooms carry that rare sense of déjà vu, as if you have been here before.

Schnitzel & Co.

Homecooking in the Alps | Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados Alpine Al Fresco Dining on a beautiful outdoor terrace with amazing mountain vistas | Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

The kitchen at Seebichl is its own creative studio. The chefs work with ultra-local ingredients that sound almost exotic, Austrian rice and peanuts among them, blending time-honoured recipes with playful modernity.

This is ehrliches food, honest, humble and deeply satisfying. The Wiener Schnitzel feels right at home here as does the undisputed champion of warm desserts, the legendary Kaiserschmarrn. Lighter fare drifts in from nearby waters with freshwater fish and a creamy Austrian mozzarella that proves simplicity still wins.

It is the kind of table that draws both locals and nomads, a meal here feels communal, where plates are passed, stories shared and time gently lost. Breakfast is a handmade affair with hams from butcher Fuchs, bread from Aurach, yoghurt from local farms and coffee by Viennese roasters Hornig. Lunch is relaxed, afternoons bring cake and evenings ease into convivial Alpine dining where conversation flows easily in the Green Bar.

Pool, Wild Swimming & Mountain Air

Five minutes from the Hahnenkamm slopes by private shuttle yet a world away from the ski-scene show, Seebichl sits reservedly above the Schwarzsee with views that roll into the Wilder Kaiser and Tyrolean peaks.

In summer, the call of water is irresistible. Jump into the wild of the lake where the cool moor water tingles, the sun soothes and time stretches wide open. Or slip into the hotel’s heated pool, the warm heart of the garden where mornings begin in mist and afternoons drift lazily between swims, sips and sun. The surrounding terraces and meadows carry the easy rhythm of the Alps, unhurried, golden and always a little social.

In winter, the sauna steams and the outdoor tubs tempt the hardy. Fog drifts, snow settles and silence reigns. Beyond the house lies freedom; snow trails, rain-slicked paths, the scent of water meeting peat. Here, rain has a taste, mist a texture and snow a silence of its own. Then back to Seebichl to recharge on the terrace in the low winter sun or float in the steaming pool as flakes fall, the peaks standing guard in perfect stillness.

The Bros. - Curators of the Good Life

Seebichl is the place of their childhood and, in many ways, still their playground. Max and Sebastian Witzmann are not your typical hoteliers; they are mountain lovers, outdoor adventurers and lifelong hunters of beautiful things. Devoted collectors, guided by instinct and affection rather than fashion, their world revolves around design finds, vintage treasures and the quiet thrill of discovering something rare, useful and true.

What began as their family home evolved into a creative basecamp, part studio, part sanctuary, where curiosity meets comfort. They collect with intent, live with what lasts and believe good design should be felt, not framed.

Now third-generation hosts, the brothers run Seebichl with easy charm, more espresso and sketchpad than clipboard and suit. The result is a place that feels grown-up yet playful, grounded yet a touch eccentric; a hotel that lives, laughs and breathes as they do, tactile, local and quietly offbeat.

Max and Sebastian Witzmann are not your typical hoteliers; they are mountain lovers, outdoor adventurers and lifelong hunters of beautiful things | Owners of Hotel Seebichl, Kitzbühel, Tyrol – Design Retreat by Lake Schwarzsee, Austria, The Aficionados

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