About Us
In June 2022, we, Sabrina and Jonas Rotzler, took the big step together with our children and moved from Basel, Switzerland, to picturesque Skålsjön in Hälsingland, Sweden. Our deep passion for nature and our strong commitment to sustainability inspired us to realize our dream of a simple and quiet country life in Sweden. By taking over the Skålsjögården holiday resort, we were able to put our vision of freedom in the Swedish hinterland and independence into practice.
Our emigration to Sweden is an exciting adventure in search of true freedom, which we found in the vast and sparsely populated Hälsingland. Here we live in harmony with nature and enjoy the peace and untouched nature that life in this region has to offer. Join us on our social media channels and experience our exciting journey first hand - from the first idea to daily life in the middle of the Swedish wilderness. Discover what it is like to start a new life as a Swiss family in Sweden and enjoy real nature experiences.
Sustainability
You only value what you know. You only love what you value and you only protect what you love! We want to offer sustainable holiday experiences that bring our guests closer to nature. We want our guests to have a good and relaxing time in the beautiful nature of our region. When they return, our guests should be motivated by the beautiful nature experiences of their holidays to take more care of nature in their everyday lives and to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. All of this should happen just through the formative nature moments during their stay with us.
organization
Sustainability is a top priority for our company. As managing directors and owners of Sålsjögården Timber Lodge, we personally ensure that what is written on paper is implemented.
energy
We get our electricity mainly from hydroelectric power plants. We use wood chips from regional, sustainable forestry for heating and hot water. We do not need any other energy sources to operate our plant.
Buildings & Infrastructure
Our buildings are well insulated in accordance with regional conditions. Heating and hot water come from a modern wood chip heating system, which supplies all buildings as central heating. We have introduced concepts for saving electricity in lighting and other areas.
Active promotion
On the one hand, our sustainability concept means that we pass on the idea of sustainability to our guests and that they help to spread it. On the other hand, an ambassador project is planned with the team from the local UNESCO biosphere reserve. In this project, we can contribute to spreading the idea of sustainability as a model company.
resources
We strictly separate the waste according to the best method offered by our partner company in the field of recycling. In the restaurant sector, we have concepts to counteract food waste. In purchasing, we look for local products and try to avoid packaging waste as much as possible.
vision
We want to be an integral part of the local community in Skålsjön and the municipality of Ovanåker. We want to add value to the community and, together with the locals, make the region interesting for families and young people. We want to be a role model for sustainable business and be in constant exchange with the community. Our business activities should enable us to live a sustainable and good life in the community, in harmony with our neighbors and nature. We want to achieve this through an offer that mainly brings tourists from urban areas in Sweden and Switzerland to the region. We want to offer these guests an unforgettable nature experience to teach them the importance and beauty of nature. This message should be brought back to the urban areas by our guests and thus make the world a little bit better.
Goals
Become a full member of the community.
Bring new guests to the region.
Establish partnerships with local small businesses.
Build a sustainable business model.
A very high level of satisfaction among our guests.
mission
Why - We want to live a sustainable life close to nature. We want to leave a sustainable livelihood for our children and grandchildren. We want to share our experiences with others to make the world a little bit better.
How - We look for possible partnerships with local people and companies in all our activities. We try to find new ways of sustainable tourism and we try to involve the community in it. We live from and with nature, or rather from and with our land. We do everything we can to ensure that we do not waste nature, our most valuable resource, and we only use it in a way that does not harm it.
What - We will open the café at Skålsjögården to everyone. We will offer catering for events that we organize ourselves or in partnership with others. We will raise the standard of the hotel rooms to be prepared for foreign guests. We will set up a program for local guides who can offer guided tours to our guests. We will set up a range of leisure activities, especially for cross-country skiing guests in the winter.
Principles
The focus is always on people, be it guests, employees or competitors.
We do not compete with our competitors, we build our own segment with our own activities and our own guests.
Our business idea is to promote other companies in the region, as they can also benefit from our activities and we can benefit from theirs.
We are looking for partnerships with local people and local businesses.
What doesn’t work is changed or discarded, what works is retained and expanded.
We always know what is in demand and focus on the needs of our customers.
We partner with others and value relationships and community over our bottom line.
