Alex Perren Sr., the founder of Hotel Alex, was born in 1933. His maternal great-grandfather was Peter Taugwalder, the first mountain guide to ascend the Matterhorn with Edward Whymper. Taugwalder passed on his passion for the mountains and his talent for mountaineering to his great-grandson. Thus, it is hardly surprising that at the tender age of 19, Alex became the youngest ski instructor and mountain guide in Zermatt, fulfilling his long-held dream. He guided guests to his beloved Matterhorn and to other majestic four-thousand-meter peaks.

A tragic accident during a climb on the Obergabelhorn forced Alex Perren to give up his beloved profession as a mountain guide and embark on a new career direction. Determined, he ventured into the hospitality industry and opened Hotel Alex in the heart of Zermatt in 1961. From that point on, fortune smiled on Alex Perren again. In 1962, he met Gisela Becwar, who was born in Salzburg and worked as a secretary at Hotel Alex. They fell deeply in love and married in 1964. Over the following decades, Gisela and the down-to-earth Alex, as a charismatic and charming host couple, set unforgettable standards in the Zermatt hotel scene – a true power couple, as they would be called today. This innovative hotelier duo shaped Zermatt with numerous trends and made the “Alex” a focal point at the foot of the world-famous Matterhorn. No visitor would ever leave Zermatt without having visited the “Alex.” Over the years, Alex and Gisela consistently invested in the quality of their hotel, making the “Alex” today considered the jewel of Zermatt hospitality.

In 2005, Gisela and Alex handed over the management of the hotel to the next generation. Christina Perren and her husband René Hürlimann continue the family tradition and do everything in their power to make their guests feel at home in the “Alex.” Even the seemingly impossible becomes reality here.