Hosts & History

Our Owners & Management

Mr. Todt has been part of our house for many years – first as a seasonal employee, later as restaurant manager, then as guest relations manager, and today as operations manager. With great dedication and passion, he takes care of the well-being of our guests. Whether you have questions, suggestions, or words of praise – Mr. Todt always has a sympathetic ear and is happy to assist you at any time.

Owners: Nathalie Rehbein & Sebastian Banhardt
Operations Manager: Andras Todt / center of the picture

Thomas Banhardt: From the Allgäu across the world’s oceans to the Feldberg

Thomas Banhardt was born in Leutkirch in the Allgäu in 1958. His desire to discover the world led him first to an apprenticeship as a chef and later, via Stockholm, Miami and South Africa, to the Royal Viking Line. There, he took charge of several cruise ships and implemented numerous restructuring measures. Further postings, including Hong Kong, followed. It was at sea that he met his wife, Denise.

Thomas Banhardt had actually intended to take on a lease for a catering business in his native Allgäu. But then he came across an opportunity on the Feldberg, and his plans took a new direction.

A new chapter at the Feldberg

In May 1993, Thomas Banhardt initially took on the restoration of the Feldberger Hof. On 1 October of the same year, he purchased the hotel from the Reich family. In 1998, the Feldberger Hof joined the Familotel hotel group, an association of hotels specialising in holidays for families with children. This marked the start of its systematic development into a family hotel.

Over the following decades, he continuously expanded and modernised the Feldberger Hof. Spacious family apartments, varied children’s play areas, restaurants such as Fanny’s and the Almdörfle, as well as modern swimming and wellness areas including the Strudelino water park were created.

A particular milestone came in 2016 with the opening of the 4,000 m² indoor sports and leisure complex, Fundorena. This saw Thomas Banhardt fulfil a long-cherished dream.

Over three decades, he invested a total of around 50 million euros in refurbishments, extensions and modernisations. His guiding principle throughout was: “A hotel is never finished.”

The next generation carries on the life’s work

Today, the next generation is shaping the future of the Feldberger Hof. Nathalie Rehbein has been with the company since 2019. In 2020, she took over the management of the business together with her brother, Sebastian Banhardt. Since 2025, the two of them have also been the owners of the hotel and are continuing to run the family business with new ideas and tried-and-tested values.

What once began with a longing for distant horizons and big dreams has become an impressive life’s work. Thomas Banhardt recounts this extraordinary story in his autobiographical novel *From Farm Boy to Mountain Hotelier*: a personal journey full of courage, entrepreneurial spirit and unforgettable experiences.