Which artist would you like in your room?

When owner Franz Staffler completely renovated the Laurin in the 1990s, he insisted on original works of art throughout – including in the rooms. Together with art historians Carl Kraus and Andreas Hapkemeyer, he selected original drawings, woodcuts and watercolours for each room. ”I grew up with art; it’s part of my personality,“ says Franz Staffler. The collection comprises some two hundred 20th-century artworks, ranging from the opening in 1910 to the millennium. The artists are from the Austro-Italian cultural sphere that nurtured the Laurin, and to which it still belongs. Franz Staffler has a special soft spot for contemporary South Tyrolean artists, and knows them all personally.

The choice is yours. Which artist would you like to meet (or revisit) at the Laurin?

At the Laurin, we keep things guests forget until they return. We seal every pacifier, glasses case, T-shirt, cuddly toy or beauty case in its own plastic bag, label it with the date and room number and hang it up in the foyer. This is our place for forgotten objects, created by Giovanna Zanghellini and Mariagiovanna Di Iorio from Designuni Bozen. A place where possessions wait patiently for you to collect them. For years, if need be.

If you encounter an elderly gentleman in a peaked cap and a worn apron at the Laurin, that will be Herbert Schrott. Mr Schrott has been with the Stafflers for 61 years now, in the hotel’s very own cabinetmaker’s workshop. During that time he has repaired every chair, every window and, every bedside table at the Laurin. ”They look after things here,“ he says approvingly. Today we find him in the Mirror Room, where something has happened to the original parquet floor from 1910. After that he’s wanted on the fourth floor …

Just below the ceiling in the bar, King Laurin is in a tight spot. He’s fallen for a beautiful young lady who is definitely not interested. Back in 1910, artist Bruno Goldschmitt took a very tongue-in-cheek view of South Tyrol’s most famous saga, as you can see all around the walls.

While the elevator in the movie Grand Budapest Hotel was a reconstruction, Laurin guests can still use the original elevator from 1910. The seats are still there; only the lift operator has disappeared.