Enjoy a relaxing outdoor season thanks to Becker-Antriebe

Hotel Hammermühle's outdoor terrace can now be used regardless of the weather - for better planning, higher sales and happy wedding couples.

Guests at Hotel Hammermühle no longer have to wait for a hot summer day to spend a few hours in the beer garden with friends and family until late in the evening. Thanks to a cleverly designed solution, the outdoor terrace of this family-run hotel in the Westerwald region can now be used regardless of the weather - significantly extending the outdoor season and, above all, making it easier for the hotel to plan its outdoor activities. The solution consists of 8 XXL awnings and 16 roller blinds from Gerz GmbH, made of UV- and weather-resistant PVC of industrial quality. These transparent curtains can be opened and closed wirelessly - and almost silently - depending on the guest's wishes or the weather. This is made possible by the sun protection drives from the manufacturer Becker-Antriebe. This solution has increased the value of the outdoor seating area many times over.

"Thanks to its idyllic location right on the lake, our hotel is considered the number one wedding venue in the region and many couples even take their wedding vows here with us. So it was even more important to us that our guests could also carefree enjoy this very special countryside atmosphere later at their wedding reception. Then we came up with the idea of creating a kind of ballroom outside. In cooperation with the Gerz company from neighboring Luckenbach, we thought long and hard about the best way to realize our concept," Marcel Mertgen recalls. Together with his parents and sister, he runs this 3-star superior hotel that has been owned by the family for 3 or 4 generations. And the hard work has paid off: the versatile outdoor area can now be used independently of the weather and today generates enormous added value for the hotel. It has impressed guests since July 2021 and led to the hotel taking even more reservations than before.

A total of 140 guests can fit under the 8 enormous parasols. They cover not only the outdoor terrace of about 25 x 10 meters, but also the connecting lake terrace of 8 x 8 meters. As soon as it starts to rain or thunderstorms flare up, the awnings - with 16 custom-made roller windows equipped with automated drives from Becker and connected to slide rails - can be closed quickly. "Our roller windows are not only very flexible, but also extremely stable. They provide reliable protection from weather and wind once lowered. Where necessary, the roller windows can also be manually locked to a lower rail to provide additional protection from the wind. In this case, the operator lifts the roller window slightly to secure it before it is switched off." says Dominik Hörter to explain how the system works. As head of the roller window division at Gerz GmbH, he was closely involved in the planning process and is delighted that the newly designed outdoor area has been so well received by the client and also by the guests of Hotel Hammermühle. The fact that this very special project also involved some challenges makes him even more satisfied with the results: protect a covered terrace or balcony from the weather. But in the hospitality industry, of course, we have to think in much larger dimensions and take all kinds of different things into account so that the final solution is stable, the lighting works properly and, for example, any rainwater is reliably drained from the terrace by the parasols." In addition, Gerz was responsible for installing 3 lockable, double swing doors so that service personnel can still freely enter and walk around the outdoor area even when the system is closed.

The 16 roller windows are controlled by a multi-channel handheld transmitter also provided by Becker. The wireless drives can easily be operated individually or in groups at the push of a button - depending on the weather conditions or the guest's wishes. "We have been cooperating with Becker for more than 10 years and know that we can expect quality products from them. Therefore, we are happy to use their solutions for our customers." says Dominik Horter. The Mertgen family also all agree that they made the right decision: "The last few years were not easy because of the coronavirus pandemic, but we now look to the future with much more optimism." However, it is certainly the guests of Hotel Hammermühle who will ultimately be the most satisfied - especially those couples who want to enjoy the happiest day of their lives at the hotel.