Culture
Things are happening in Lech. When Zayad Shah's nomadic Kyrgyz tent makes a guest appearance in Lech - this year from 10 th of December for the fourth time - Arlberg guests have a different idea of what a living room should offer.
So far at The Yurt: sometimes guests feel so comfortable in the handmade, Kyrgyz yurt that they don't just come on one evening of their holiday week, but several times. But it can also happen that guests with an affinity for music link up - wisely after the host has released the speakers - and play their private playlist to the best of their ability. This is the exception, but the English guest DJ, who did this for two consecutive days, did not call The Yurt his favourite living room in the world for nothing.
Just don´t call the yurt an igloo
It may have something to do with the fact that "there's an igloo like no other on the whole Arlberg" - or so a German couple was advised. They open the wooden door, tilt their heads slightly to get inside the red-painted willow dome, which is bigger than it looks from the outside, and see people in T-shirts. The fireplace crackles, the Japanese Roku gin mixes with the great tonic from Le Tribute. Before you know it and have awakened the other spirits from the Japanese "House of Suntory", (Toki Whiskey or Haku Vodka) the time spent is a good one. It was no different for the German couple when they came back with the rest of their family, from their 20-year-old grandchildren to their 80-year-old grandparents.
Time out for digital nomads
During the summer, Kyrgyz nomads move from one pasture to the next, while during the winter months they usually stay in the same place for 4 - 5 months. They come to rest. You can do this particularly well in The Yurt. If you venture inside, you will notice that the charm of this round living room might have a lot to do with its host Zayad Shah and his understanding of lived communication. Whether from the Alpine region or from overseas, guests enjoy talking to him and his team at least as much as meeting real people again away from Zoom. They sense that exciting conversations are lurking just one armchair away.
Simplicity before stars
A deliberately simple nomad tent in the middle of Lech, on the forecourt of the renowned 5* Superior Hotel Arlberg. Even in the third season of The Yurt, this is still an announcement on the Arlberg, arousing curiosity among guests from all over the world. The tent is operated with low power and wood for the fireplace. The yurt's felt blanket stores the heat well. It gets warmer with each new guest, a maximum of 35. The CO2 footprint remains exemplary. No wonder that the directors of the Hotel Arlberg Benjamin Schneider and Patrick Krummenacher were taken with the concept of the yurt: "The Yurt is a refreshing addition to Lech and the offer of our hotel. Guests come to the tent for a drink before dinner or for a nightcap afterwards," says Benjamin Schneider, "Like us, Zayad Shah focuses on quality, understatement and the joy of hosting."
Meets well
As young as the history of the yurt is far, the temporary bar has quickly developed into an event space. The tent can be used in many ways, such as for fireside chats about the future of gastronomy and tourism, birthdays or company celebrations. The round nomads tent is of course also an ideal space for pop-up shops, which is why the yurt opens the doors from Wednesday to Saturday already at 10 a.m. where selected pieces by SILVIA GATTIN and g-lab can be shopped over café and croissants. As in previous years, friends of Zayad Shah, such as SILVIA GATTIN and Jürgen Trummer, will visit and present their fashion or wines and sell them together over the course of the season.
Low tech, high feel
When you realise how well a yurt fits into the respective landscape, that no area is sealed or destroyed and that a yurt can be dismantled within one or two days, Zayad Shah opens up potentials that make you want more. For as good as it is to rest in The Yurt, it is also possible to do so much more privately. For example, in a glamping variant, a more glamorous version of camping. Those who appreciate the temporary bar are also open to spending a few nights in it in the right environment and entering even deeper into nomadic life. One thing is certain: with The Yurt, something has opened that is not only good for Lech. Where the journey will take us remains to be seen.
When?
December 2023 until April 2024
Opening hours
Tuesday & Saturday from 4 p.m. till 11 p.m.
Sunday and Monday will be closed
Where?
Open to the public on the forecourt of the renowned 5* Superior Hotel Arlberg, in the centre of Lech am Arlberg