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The outdoor terrace at Hotel Hammermühle can now be used regardless of the weather – enabling better planning, higher turnover and delighted bridal couples

Guests at Hotel Hammermühle no longer have to wait for a hot summer day to sit in the beer garden for a few hours until late in the evening with friends and family. The outdoor terrace at this family-run hotel in the Westerwald region can now be used irrespective of the weather thanks to a cleverly designed solution – which significantly extends the outdoor season and above all makes it easier for the hotel to plan its outdoor business. The solution comprises 8 XXL sunshades and 16 roller windows from the company Gerz GmbH that are made of industrial grade UV and weather-resistant PVC. These transparent curtains can be opened and closed wirelessly – and almost silently – depending on the guest’s wishes or the weather. It is made possible by the sun protection drives from the manufacturer Becker-Antriebe. This solution has increased the value of the outdoor seating area many times over.

“Thanks to its idyllic location directly on the lake, our hotel is considered the number 1 wedding venue in the region and many bridal couples even make their wedding vows here with us. It was thus even more important to us that our guests could also enjoy this really special atmosphere in the countryside later on at their wedding reception without any worries. This is when we came up with the idea of creating a sort of outdoor ballroom. In cooperation with the company Gerz from the neighbouring town of Luckenbach, we thought long and hard about the best way to implement our concept”, remembers Marcel Mertgen. Together with his parents and sister, he manages this 3 star superior hotel that has been owned by the family for 3 or 4 generations, respectively. And the hard work has paid off: The versatile outdoor area can now be used irrespective of the weather and today generates a huge amount of added value for the hotel. It has been impressing guests since July 2021 and has helped the hotel take even more reservations than before.

A dry space out in the open air for 140 people

A total of 140 guests can fit under the 8 huge sunshades. They not only cover the outdoor terrace, which measures approximately 25 x 10 metres, but also the connected lake terrace measuring 8 x 8 metres. The sunshades can be quickly enclosed – with 16 tailor-made roller windows that are fitted with automated drives from Becker and connected to sliding rails – as soon as it starts to rain or when a storm is brewing. “Our roller windows are not only highly flexible but also extremely stable. They provide reliable protection against the wind and weather as soon as they have been lowered. The roller windows can also be manually locked to a lower rail where necessary to provide additional protection against the wind. In this case, the drive raises the roller window slightly to tighten it before switching off.” says Dominik Hörter to explain how the system works. As head of the roller window division at Gerz GmbH, he was heavily involved in the planning process and is delighted that the newly designed outdoor area has been so well received by the customer and also by guests of Hotel Hammermühle. The fact that this very special project also posed some challenges makes him even more pleased with the results: “Our roller windows are usually installed in private homes to e.g. protect a covered patio or balcony against the weather. In the catering sector, however, we naturally have to think in much larger dimensions and consider all kinds of different issues so that the final solution is stable, the lighting works properly and, for example, any rainwater is reliably channelled away from the terrace by the sunshades.” In addition, Gerz was responsible for installing 3 lockable, dual swing doors so that service personnel can still freely access and walk around the outdoor area when the system is closed.

The windows are lowered and raised via remote control

The 16 roller windows are controlled using a multichannel hand-held transmitter that was also provided by the company Becker. The wireless drives can be easily operated either individually or in groups at the push of a button – depending on the weather conditions or the guest’s wishes. “We have already been working together with Becker for more than 10 years and know that we can expect quality products from them. This is why we are more than happy to use their solutions for our customers.” says Dominik Hörter. The Mertgen family also all agree that they have made the right decision: “The last few years were not easy due to the coronavirus pandemic but we are now looking to the future with much more optimism.” However, it is surely the guests of Hotel Hammermühle who will be the most pleased in the end – above all those bridal couples who want to enjoy the happiest day of their lives at the hotel in the future. This is because the one thing that was impossible to control in the past was the weather. Thankfully, this is something that nobody needs to worry about any more: Guests are now able to celebrate late into the evening on this unique outdoor terrace from early spring until late autumn – with a view of the lake and in the safe knowledge that even a sudden change in the weather cannot spoil the occasion.