History

The Park Hotel was constructed by the hotelier Friedrich Charles Immer and his brother Adolf who acted as the architect. It opened in 1913.

In 1942 the City of Bern acquired the hotel with the aim of converting it into a retirement home. However, plans did not materialize and Charles Immer continued to run the hotel on behalf of the City of Bern. In September 1943, it welcomed the Italian crown-princess Maria-José and her four children, including crown-prince Vittorio-Emmanuele, aged 7 at that time. They stayed at the hotel 'Montana' (as the hotel was then named) until the end of the October 1944. The royal family kept up its close friendship with the Immer family and the entire village of Oberhofen long after the second world war. In 1949, Charles Immer handed the management of the hotel over to his son Fritz. The former President (1969-1974) of the German Federal Republic, Gustav Heinemann, also stayed in the hotel around that time.

In 1982 the management of the hotel went to Peter Risi, first as an employee, then as an independent hotel-keeper. He renovated various amenities in the hotel and some of the guest rooms. However, the City of Bern, the owner at the time, had no plans for a total renovation..

In 1997, the hotel became the property of the Salvation Army which completely renovated the building over the next two years and constructed the brand-new multipurpose room next to it.

The present owners, Heinz and Doris Rüfenacht, both of them trained hotel managers, acquired the premises in 2004. Both are anxious to keep up the hotel's high standards. So far, they have renovated the junior suites and also the restaurant which since already became one of the best known gourmet restaurants in the region.