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No ACs, Identical Suites for Leaders: Checking Into Schloss Elmau, ‘G7 Hotel’ Where Modi Will Stay

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to Germany, to attend the G7 summit along with other countries, in the background of a tumultuous global situation amid the Russia-Ukraine war. While a lot of speculation has been doing the rounds on the agenda of the summit, eyes are also on its location, as the G7 returns to the Germany’s famed Schloss Elmau.

Replete with history, the Schloss Elmau has been making headlines for its pristine and secluded location, peculiar features and more. News18 takes a look at the location of the G7 summit, where Modi will stay during his attendance:

Secluded Location

It is located in the very south of Germany, close to the Austrian border. Described as beautiful and remote, owner and hotel director Dietmar Müller-Elmau told DW in a report that “there are few places in Germany that can be protected as well as Schloss Elmau, which is very secluded but also not too far from Munich.”

The PM will be holding an Indian diaspora meeting in Munich ahead of the summit, his first such big event in a post-Covid world.

Arrivals and departures by vehicle or helicopter are prompt because Munich is only an hour and a half to the north.

What About Its History?

The hotel was constructed between 1914 and 1916, by builder Johannes Müller, who had a big impact on it.

The theologian, writer, and philosopher had mixed feelings towards the Nazi government, according to a report by DW. He was a vocal opponent of antisemitism while still believing that Adolf Hitler was a “God-sent leader.” Müller was found guilty by the Allies in denazification trials following World War II for “glorifying Hitler in speech and writing,” and the US Army seized the castle.

Müller’s children acquired ownership in 1961 following a successful appeal against their father’s conviction by the denazification court. Dietmar Müller-Elmau, a Johannes Müller’s grandson, is the current owner of the castle.

‘Identical Suites So No Head of State Feels Disadvantaged’

The main structure of the hotel, the Hideaway, includes 115 rooms and suites and gets its name from the abundance of private spaces one may discover in the common areas.

However, Müller-Elmau also wanted to build a hotel that would be ideal for a G7 summit. As a result, he constructed a second hotel, appropriately named the Retreat, within 100 metres (around 330 feet) from the Hideaway. This “hotel within a hotel,” as it were, is more intimate, smaller, and offers identically sized suites, ensuring that no head of state feels disadvantaged, the report states. With the 2015 G7 summit serving as its official opening event, it made a big entrance into the hotel industry.

No ACs, Plastic At This Hotel

The hotel’s intimacy makes it ideal for hosting heads of state, the report states. “They share meals and go swimming together. They essentially reside in a 47-room motel. Each person has five rooms to use in addition to a few more. The rest of their personnel resides at the castle, which is ideal because it houses both the staff and the world leaders, “Müller-Elmau told EU.

Schloss Elmau lacks air conditioning, which is rare for a high-end hotel. The Retreat, however, has a pollution-free cooling system that barely slightly alters the temperature. Aside from the cool mountain air, there is absolutely no air conditioning in the Hideaway.

The hotel is proud of its commitment to sustainability and has made it a part of many facets of its business. For example, it is the reason why plastic packaging is not permitted in the rooms. Christian Scheler of the hotel management staff told DW that cosmetic goods are dispensed from 5-liter pump dispenser bottles and then filled into 300-milliliter porcelain bottles. Snacks like candies or nuts are served in glass jars, which can be recycled for a deposit in organic retailers all around Germany.

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Source: News18