How Mama Keeps Warm: Renewable Energy at Hotel Zermama

Before Mama came to life, the building was called the Admiral and run as a simple bed and breakfast (Garni). In 2018, Sandrine Julen took it over from her aunt. With the support of her entire family, she turned it into a modern design and lifestyle hotel. The doors closed after Easter 2019 and reopened right on time for the winter season. Seven months during which the building was stripped down to its shell and completely rebuilt from the inside out. Rooms, kitchen, restaurant, bar, laundry room, wine cellar: everything brand new. The breakfast room of the past now serves as a co-working space during the day, for guests and locals alike.

Construction was built on a solid foundation. Back in its day, the 1978 building was the best-insulated house in Zermatt—a result of the oil crisis, which had already prompted Sandrine’s family to rethink their approach. This foresight continues to pay off today.

Wood pellets. Nothing else. Thanks to modern insulation, heat recovery, and the switch to renewable wood energy, the CECB energy efficiency rating of the five-story building jumped by four levels, from F to B. Hotel Zermama requires around 40 to 45 tons of pellets per year, delivered every two months in two tank loads of three tons each. It involves more logistics than the old oil heating, but once the storage is filled and the heating is properly adjusted, the effort is minimal.

From the region, more specifically from the Upper Valais. Between Zermatt and Täsch, a fully automated pellet factory processes storm-damaged and waste wood into pellets around the clock—wood that the municipality previously had to pay heavily to dispose of. Everything is delivered by specially developed electric pellet trucks and blown directly into the storage facility, completely noise- and fossil-free.

Waste heat from the laundry room and electrical appliances is recovered to generate energy.

Organic waste is collected twice a week and fermented into biogas.

Room temperature and lighting are sensor-controlled and can be managed via an app at reception.

Even the patio heaters on the terrace run on local, renewable energy.

The hotel industry is energy-intensive. On average, energy costs account for around three percent of revenue, and often significantly more in the mountains. Despite this, only a fifth of Swiss hotels have undergone comprehensive renovations. Sandrine Julen puts it this way: The investment paid off quickly, especially now with rising energy costs. For you as a guest, this means a stay at Mama’s that is warm, cozy, and leaves the smallest possible carbon footprint.