The Host Families

The family Grond

The history of the Grond family
The hotel with family tradition

The family coat-of-arms on the wall of the Gaststube shows 1416. The Gronds were residents of Val Müstair even before the Battle of Calven (1499) and have remained here ever since.

In 1921, grandfather Jakob Grond bought the farmhouse with stable and set up a modest inn. Father, Peder Grond, who had started to gain experience in leading hotels both in Switzerland and abroad whilst still a young man, recognised from early on that Val Müstair was destined to be a holiday area, so over the years he changed the simple guesthouse, bought in 1951, into a hotel. The Hotel Helvetia has now been run for over three decades by Norbert and Chantal Grond. Three out of four of their children also work at the hotel, as well as their partners.You're sure to see the grandchildren around, too, around the reception or buffet areas weighing up the guests! They are sometimes allowed to accompany their grandfather, Norbert Grond, on hiking tours organised by the hotel. His two sons, Pierre-René and Olivier, man the kitchen, allowing Norbert to train as a BAW (Graubünden Footpath Association) hiking tour leader as well as a monastery guide. It's his specialist knowledge about the valley and its culture that is much appreciated by the guests.

The Grond Families' aim is not just to provide its visitors with a varied menu, a 5-course evening meal and a sumptuous breakfast buffet, but also to bring their home, the Val Müstair, closer to you.