The Austrian Hotel Association describes the four-star hotel as a "best-practice example of energy management in the hotel and restaurant industry". The aristocratic builders chose a spectacular location for this 12th century castle. It is encircled by mountain peaks and nestled in lush Ennstal meadows. Before Ernst and Gerlinde Schrempf bought it in the mid-1980s, Thannegg Castle went through changeable times, even being used as a poor house, and became severely dilapidated.

With energy and perseverance – but also with love and passion – the Schrempfs converted the former ruin into an elegant hotel with 20 rooms. In the meantime, daughter Katharina has taken over the management. Anyone looking for a unique place to spend their holiday – be it to find tranquillity or to pursue sporting activities – is in the right hands with her and her team at Thannegg Castle – simultaneously saving the environment in doing so.

From the very beginning, Ernst and Gerlinde Schrempf attached great importance to environmental sustainability and compatibility, which is why they chose a sustainable energy source for their heat supply. Since then, two Hoval Thermalia  heat pumps have been at the heart of the system: one for underfloor heating and one for domestic hot water heating. A deep well of ground water provides the primary heat source. In addition, heat is extracted from wastewater. Ernst Schrempf adds:

This degree of environmental protection has attracted attention time and time again: Thannegg Castle, and thus Ernst and Gerlinde Schrempf, received the "Energy Globe Styria Award", a coveted environmental distinction award in the province of Styria.

Daughter Katharina continues to run the hotel with the same ecological awareness: "Energy efficiency is more up-to-date than ever," she says in an interview with "lobby", the magazine of the Austrian Hotel Association, and adds: