"The First Sale"

It was August 1, 1974. We had quit our jobs because we had bought the forester's lodge. Punctually at "High Noon," we arrived there at noon. First of all, we were surprised that all doors were open and no one was in the house. Ten minutes later, the first two guests entered and ordered 2 Kölsch beers. How embarrassing – because now we had a problem: there were 3 taps, all looking the same. What should we do? We finally decided on the middle tap and hoped the right beer would come out. We served it. There were no complaints. The guests then wanted to pay – the next problem - no idea what a beer costs in the forester's lodge. Only after a long search did we find a drinks menu or something similar. - That was the first sale!

"When It All Began"

On August 1, 1974 – later that day a woman arrived with a fully loaded trunk and said she had already done some shopping for us. She was a waitress of the previous owner – a cheerful person who remained with us for many years. She first familiarized us quickly with all the important things in the house. (By the way, it was not the right tap for Kölsch after all.) In hindsight, this first day sounds quite amusing – but it was not, at least not for both of us – back then. We had fulfilled our shared wish and bought a small hotel with 12 beds and an indoor pool. However, we had imagined the first day differently – over the course of 50 years, many such days followed with other expectations. "Not every day is good, but in every day, there is something good." This attitude has inspired us to successfully run the hotel to this day.

"Clear Fog"

Our first waiter had to commute daily by car from the Eifel region. One day he was a bit late and said: "Up there in the Eifel there is heavy fog, that's why I was delayed – down here there is only 'clear fog'!!" – he meant "heavy haze."

"20 Liters of Water"

We had a couple we knew from before employed with us for several months. He helped out in service. One evening – I think it was a table with 11 people – this acquaintance dropped a meal while serving. Naturally, it fell on a woman's blouse and pants. He apologized several times very kindly to the lady. It was not that bad. A little dabbing was initially enough. The lady was satisfied again. Then our acquaintance got a 20-liter bucket full of water and a large cloth, went to the lady, knelt before her, made the appearance of wanting to clean the stains with lots of water and the cloth, and said he would also like to bring her breakfast in bed. The table bent almost with laughter among the guests. The next morning the phone rang, his wife answered, and the lady asked where the promised breakfast was. His wife replied: "My husband is not at home right now," which wasn’t true. She told him about the call, and he was not seen again until the guests left.

"How Times Change"

I remember quite well our first meeting in the house. We didn’t even have a closed room yet. Much was discussed at this meeting – however, tempers soon flared – why: probably not because of the topics to discuss – rather because from the beginning two bottles of "Malteser Kreuz" were on the table. Unthinkable nowadays.

In 1976 we added 2 federal bowling alleys and
in 1978 another 16 rooms, a restaurant with 100 seats, and our private apartment. "We will never forget New Year's Eve 78/79"

It rained heavily all day. Around 5 p.m. there was a report on the radio that the cold front had reached Düsseldorf. When a hotel guest named Ostermann heard about the cold front, he went to his car, removed the battery, took several cloths from the car, and brought a small can of thinner. Around 8 p.m., when the first guests wanted to arrive for the New Year's Eve ball, it started snowing heavily – and cancellations came from offsite guests who wanted to celebrate the New Year with us. It snowed heavily all night, and on New Year's Day, there was 25 centimeters of snow, minus 20 degrees, and bright sunshine. When the hotel guests wanted to leave, there was a surprise – not a single car could be unlocked – and even when the door lock finally worked, the doors still didn’t open. We had to warm the doors with hair dryers. No diesel engine would start anymore. Mr. Ostermann grinned as he went to his car, poured some thinner on the door seals, carefully lit it, and was thus able to open his car door. After re-installing the battery, the car started immediately – and Ostermann drove off laughing, the only car to depart immediately. That was a lesson for us! In the following years, we picked up guests with a large coach for the New Year's celebration.

"Dangerous Window Climbing"

Many years later, a large seminar took place in our house. We lived privately on the first floor and had a balcony in front of our bedroom. Suddenly, in the middle of a summer night, we were awakened by a dull thud. The balcony door was open and suddenly a man stood there. Half asleep, I asked him what he wanted and where he came from. He said he was mistaken. I then opened the apartment door to the hallway and let him out. On my way back, I found large drops of blood on the floor. I followed the blood drops all the way through the whole hotel. I thought it advisable to wake the seminar leader first – I sensed something bad. Together we then went to the room and questioned the man. It turned out that he had drunkenly tried to jump from a window on the 2nd floor to another window on the same floor to "window climb." Of course, that failed, he fell exactly one floor down and hit the balcony railing with his left and right leg. He had injured his hand because he held on to the lightning conductor. That was all; no other damage. What madness – so much worse could have happened. 5 centimeters further and he would have fallen completely down, which he probably would not have survived. By the way, at a subsequent seminar, the seminar leader told us the same man had also tried to "window climb" in Beilngries, Bavaria, stacking plastic garden chairs high enough to reach the second floor.

"How One Can Be Mistaken"

One afternoon, two young people stood in front of our menu. They looked quite down and out, with frayed short jeans, the woman with disheveled hair, somewhat unkempt. We thought guests who would only want a small bite or something similar. They came in and asked with a Swiss accent: "Good day – do you still have a room available?" We had availability and rented the room. Hours later, they came down in elegant clothes and wanted to dine. They ordered a 5-course menu with aperitif and wine and ate with pleasure. They were extremely nice guests; it was a pleasant evening. They were on their way through to southern France."

"Former Minister Blüm Takes to the Dance Floor in the Forester’s Lodge"

There was a weekend conference with about 15 people, in which the then Minister Blüm also participated. At the same time, there was a wedding in the house in the evening. Mr. Blüm went straight to the bride and asked her to dance. When the dance was almost over, the other guests only then realized it was the minister. The surprise was great. That shows how people look different on TV than in reality. Upon departure, his wife picked him up with his private car. She sat in the front passenger seat, and he got in the back – he immediately got out again with the following words: "Am I a fool?" – then took the driver's seat and drove off.

In the meantime we had joined a hotel cooperation with the first chairman Klaus Kobjoll – Schindler Hof Nuremberg. Kobjoll was awarded "Best Hotelier" for years. In those years he transferred much of his philosophy to us. He recommended we attend "Helf Recht" with his entrepreneurial planning methods or "Schmidt Kollege" – the Entrepreneur Academy – both very high-ranking seminars. We participated successfully.

In 1992 the Köhlerstube was created, a room on the 1st floor for about 100 people with its own small kitchen and tap counter. At the same time, another seminar room with about 30 seats was built – our studio.

"It Seems There Are Vampires After All"

It happened that a hotel guest ordered a trout "Müllerin". As a rule, we filet the fish at the guest’s table. But he did not want that; he wanted to do it himself – or so he said. Then he had emptied the plate, truly eaten everything, the entire trout with bones and head. It seems there really are vampires after all.

"What a Clothesline Can Be Good For"

When apprentices are newly hired, they are teased during the first days. So it happened that an apprentice had to string a clothesline across the kitchen. On this line, he was supposed to hang spaetzle evenly next to each other with laundry clips and then dry them with a hairdryer. He actually did it.

"Weather Caprices"

On Christmas Day at noon, we had two dining sessions – the first at 11:30 a.m., the second at 1:30 p.m. That worked well for many years – until one time. Then it started snowing heavily around 11 a.m., and most guests were about half an hour late. The next group arrived about half an hour early – so their place in the restaurant was not yet free. The large hotel lobby couldn’t handle the influx; we opened the hotel bar additionally and gave every guest an aperitif – which only partly eased complaints. After that, we stuck with one session; it was a lesson for us – after all, you should not force sales.

In 1996 we built another 12 double rooms above the bowling alleys. Now we could accommodate so many guests that the bus on New Year's Eve was no longer necessary. A few additional single bookings were enough.

"A Guest Made Himself Unpopular with Us and Other Guests"

Years ago, a couple won two overnight stays with half-board in a raffle. On the first evening, they ate normally like all other hotel guests at our buffet. Everything was fine. The next day, he came to us asking if he could also order à la carte because he hadn't liked the food the day before. We initially denied that with the note that if he wanted to eat à la carte, he had to pay for it. He was absolutely against that. Then he went from table to table asking other guests if they liked the food. The answer was always the same: "Yes, of course – there is very good cuisine here, it tastes very good." When he reached the 6th table, we took the liberty to point out to him that this behavior was not acceptable. We told him to stop. When he became angry, we asked him to leave the house. Later, when he was standing with his suitcases in the hotel lobby, the whole restaurant clapped – his rudeness had long been a topic of conversation.

"Who Has Ever Washed Salt?"

An apprentice was supposed to wash salt very carefully, "very carefully" so that there would be less salt. Salt was washed, and he actually wondered why there was always less.

"What Can You Say About That"

One morning, an apprentice drove up in his car. I looked out the window and watched him. The car had central locking and was a 4-door. He locked it with central locking but still checked all 4 doors including the trunk to be sure it was locked. Then he went into the hotel. It was still relatively dark outside. I saw that he had left the light on and walked away from the window. When he came inside, I told him he had left the light on. He thanked me, went back to the car, came back, and said he could make fun of himself. What I hadn't noticed was that he had already seen halfway there that the light was on and had already turned it off. Still, he went back on my instruction.

"From Restaurant Apprentice to Pastor"

We had hired a very friendly, nice, reserved apprentice. He was so shaky that even after a month he couldn’t carry a cup of coffee 5 meters without spilling. He was also extremely clumsy. At our coffee machine, there was a metal spout from which hot water flowed by turning a small wheel. We had normal teapots with a spout at the front. He tried to bring water to the pot with the spout pointing forward to the device, which didn’t work for distance reasons. He should simply have turned the pot slightly left or right so the spout looked to the side. I then said to him – rather ironically – that he probably had chosen the wrong profession and would be better off becoming a pastor. We then ended the training relationship together. About 6 years later, I got out of my car in a large parking lot. A voice called from afar: "Hello, boss." I went up to the man and recognized our former apprentice. He greeted me, thanked me, and said he had followed my advice. He is now a pastor and very happy with his career choice.

"Hans Guck in the Air"

We were renovating again and gutted a whole second floor. It was a room of about 250 sqm, completely empty. One could see from one end to the other. Only in the middle of this huge room was a small approx. 30 x 30 cm opening in the floor. Our then head waiter came for inspection out of interest. He strolled calmly, leisurely through the room, hands in pockets, head to the ceiling – and suddenly he disappeared without a word or sound as if swallowed by the earth. He probably stepped right into this hole. We found him with 2 broken ribs one floor below in the middle of the hallway.

"Warning – Scorpions in the Kitchen"

We received a delivery of fresh crayfish, delivered in a crate. We took them out to process them. A new apprentice was asked what animals they were. He firmly insisted, and initially could not be dissuaded, that they were scorpions.

"A Rock in the Surf"

Many years ago, there was a "Hürtgenwald original" who regularly reserved a spot at the Hubertus bar counter on New Year's Eve for many years. After eating, he stayed seated, didn’t get up, and drank and drank so much beer that the round lid had 2 full rows of marks. He stayed there even after closing time and watched the staff clean up. The large alcohol intake was not noticeable. He was then the first at breakfast and ordered 15 scrambled eggs at once. Then he went home safely.

"My colleague from Austria and I almost sold our hotels together"

A few years ago, a man from Benelux stayed with us for 2 days. He caught our attention because he photographed the house inside and out several times. A week later, we received an email from a broker claiming to have either a sheikh or an investor from the east of this world who wanted to buy our hotel. In the same year, I met a friend – a hotel owner and dear well-known colleague from Austria, near the Italian border. We met regularly during a tourism fair in Hamburg. Over a beer, I told him the story. In the middle of my narration, he interrupted me and said: "... and then you met in a North Italian town on a marketplace. This man wanted you to deposit gold abroad in a bank safe before the purchase – I experienced the same – me at the border to Italy and you at the border to Belgium/Netherlands." We then laughed heartily and had an amusing evening. After all, we are not committing money laundering crimes.

Kobjoll left the hotel cooperation, and we joined the Gut-Hotel group. It was and is to this day a very good step – we have never regretted the membership. We benefit from "good purchasing," associated commissions, buy cheaper, and exchange experiences with colleagues. Even a bank is part of the Gut group’s portfolio.

"From Diver to Head Chef"

Many years ago, one of our neighbors came regularly swimming with his son. The son was supposed to learn to swim. One day, the son said I should watch, he could now swim. However, I could only see that he could dive from one side of the pool to the other. Four weeks later, he could really swim. When I asked him then what he wanted to become, he said either a policeman or a cook. Years later, he decided to do his apprenticeship as a cook with us. After passing a very good exam, I was able to refer him to Harald Wohlfahrt, Germany’s best cook, in the Black Forest. His further career path went via the Kronenberg Castle Hotel, Medici Baden Baden, England, and many other stations, ultimately back to the forester’s lodge for some years.

"Flap Open Instead of Flap Shut"

We had a tour group as guests who came with a small bus. At departure, the bus driver packed all the suitcases in the rear luggage compartment at the back but forgot to close the flap. In any case, he drove off with the flap open, and I saw this at the last moment as he was already on the B 399. I immediately jumped into my car and chased after him. At the entrance to Hürtgen, I was able to stop the bus and pointed the driver to the problem. Not a single suitcase was missing. He and the guests were very relieved that I had noticed this.

"Broken Car"

We had regular guests in the house who annually stayed with us for a week in a double room. Then it happened that suddenly, the double room became a single – the husband was ill, and the lady traveled alone. She came with the husband’s car – an Audi 100 with which she also made excursions during her stay. Suddenly, around noon, the lady came to the reception, completely upset: "I think the car is broken and needs a workshop. The temperature gauge is in the red, and the engine is getting hotter." We went to the car, started it, and then laughed loudly. We went back to the reception and told the lady the engine was not broken – it would be better to refuel soon. She had confused the fuel gauge with the temperature gauge.

In 2001 we added 12 more rooms and an elevator. At the same time, the bowling alleys were gutted and widened, creating 3 new conference rooms in the **** star category. Also, 4 garages were converted into adjacent group workrooms, and the indoor pool was completely renovated.

Daughter Susanne Gübbels took over the hotel and continues to run it brilliantly – at this point, the seniors Barbara and Rainer Gübbels express their admiration for this enormous achievement!

"Earthquake in the Forester’s Lodge"

The ceiling was formwork, hundreds of metal supports stood, and the concrete was freshly poured. Then there was an earthquake in Hürtgenwald at night. The swaying in bed woke us up. At the same time, there was an extremely loud, incredibly shrill singing, rising in pitch until almost bursting. I shouted to my wife: "For God’s sake, the ceiling is collapsing." It was close. The next morning, I discovered that many of these metal supports could no longer be released, others had no hold at all, and many supports lay on the floor. The resulting damage was revealed later when laying the screed. It had to be compensated generously.

"Surprise"

A large group with many double and single rooms stayed overnight. The day after departure, a woman called and said she had left a pair of jeans and a red hairdryer in her single room. She asked us to send these items to her. We did. However, we were quite surprised. Correct: we found the jeans in the wardrobe. Incorrect: we did not find a red hairdryer – instead, we found a red plastic item with a battery, round, and about 18 cm long!

"Exam Passed"

A young apprentice was supposed to open the convection oven, which was steaming. He did. Suddenly a cook said very firmly that he had lost too much steam and should quickly get a bucket and go to the neighbor to get more steam. The apprentice looked at the cook puzzled and said: "How am I supposed to get steam in a bucket?" The cook replied: "By quickly putting on a lid." You could almost see the apprentice thinking hard. He slowly set the lid and bucket aside and said: "You want to fool me or make fun of me." Almost succeeded – exam passed.

"Chefs Swim Afterwards"

A few years ago, we had a head chef who had previously worked on the "MS Europa." There were often buffet dinners where he stood behind to assist guests. One day, a lady asked him if the chefs also slept on the ship – he answered: "No, the chefs swim afterwards." It also happened there that a lady asked about the black blackberry jam – there was no blackberry jam – there was black Beluga caviar.

"Bathing in Mud"

The large rear parking lot was fully parked due to a big celebration. A guest was late and apparently didn’t know where to park. He drove at night onto the wet grass at the back and realized too late that he couldn’t get through. We had to help free the car stuck deeply up to the front axle. The car had front-wheel drive. While pushing and in reverse gear, we all suddenly got completely covered in mud from head to toe. Still, the car didn’t move an inch. Next, we got our hotel bus to pull at the same time. At first, nothing happened – then we noticed the driver had put the forward gear instead of reverse. That wouldn’t work. When we told him to put the reverse gear, we were able to pull the car out of the mud. Afterwards, all helpers had to shower and change clothes.

"Tractors Pull Coach"

An English tour group was delayed for hours due to snowfall and slippery roads and arrived only around 9 p.m. The bus driver wanted to park his bus on the rear parking lot, drove there with a casual left turn, and landed fully on the grass. He got stuck and repeatedly tried to move the bus. The result was that the bus was stuck up to the axles. We got a tractor from the neighborhood to help, which also failed to free the bus. Only when we brought a very large tractor from afar could the bus be freed. The bus driver got his room only around 1 a.m.

In 2015 we moved out of the private apartment in the hotel and built a small bungalow in Vossenack. From the old apartment, 2 large modern suites were created.

"With Flying Colors"

Many years ago, we had a single traveling gentleman as a guest. After his departure in the morning, he apparently hung his suit neatly on the door handle of the right front passenger door of his car and seemingly forgot to hang it back inside the car later. In any case, we still observed how he drove past our house with the suit still hanging and flapping strongly on the passenger door and accelerated relatively quickly.

"There Are Occasionally Strange Guests – Thank God Only Occasionally"

A couple had checked in for 10 nights over Christmas and New Year's Eve. In the evenings, they were naturally asked about their drink wishes. He always ordered one beer, and she – nothing, every evening. However, on Christmas Eve, when there was a 5-course menu including the matching wines, it was different. They drank plenty, and the free coffee afterwards was not declined. – The same on New Year’s Eve – this time one glass of beer as usual – the whole evening and indeed a large bottle of water for her. When the gala buffet was opened, we noticed that the lady had probably participated in 100-meter runs beforehand; she could certainly run fast – she was the first at the buffet. When the first plate was empty, she appeared again at the buffet – pushing past all other guests, until she was again at the lobster tower. Fortunately, the lady did not get thirsty – the tap water in the forester’s lodge has excellent quality.

On August 1, 2024

We celebrated the 50th anniversary of the forester’s lodge in a small circle.

Looking back, there were many funny but also sad moments.

What remains ultimately is that the joyful moments prevailed and we never lost our joy in hospitality.

In 50 years, we have expanded the small, once nondescript hotel with 12 rooms into a **** star hotel with an international clientele, with 52 rooms and suites with more than 100 beds, and we are proud of that.

Hotels or hotel chains that are not privately owned, that meet modern standards but offer no defining experience, are always interchangeable. They lack the "heart and soul" that characterizes us family-run businesses.