In the Christmas season of 1979, a cozy, 37-room, European-style lodge near the Covered Bridge opened its doors for the first time. This may not have seemed like very big news in a 17-year-old ski town where new lodges often opened, closed, or traded hands.
However, the opening of the Sonnenalp hotel turned out to be seminal moment in the Vail Valley story. It is a story that has its roots in Europe yet branches into nearly every aspect of life here. It is not only a tale of the growth of a family business, but also how a caring and dedicated family has given decades of their time, vision, and leadership to grow and sustain our vibrant community.
That is why today, the Vail Valley Foundation announced that Rosana and Johannes Faessler are the 2022 Vail Valley Citizens of the Year. The couple, who are proprietors of the Sonnenalp and the Sonnenalp Foundation, will be honored at the 2022 Black Diamond Ball at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa on February 18, 2022 (BlackDiamondBall.com).
Since their very first days in the valley, Rosana and Johannes Faessler have been exceptionally active contributors to, and creators of, a wide array of nonprofits and institutions that are now pillars of the community.
They have provided lasting support to the Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Health, ECO Trails, Vail Valley Partnership, Vail Veterans Program, the Vail Religious Foundation, the VVF Community Fund, and the VVF Engagement Committee. They established the Sonnenalp Foundation and the Sonnenalp Breast Imaging Center, they host the annual Scramble Against Cancer and the Casual Bicycle Classic, they have been leaders in creating more sustainable and environmentally friendly business practices, and they are active in nearly all aspects of charitable giving, volunteering, and leadership in our valley.
“In Rosana and Johannes we have an example of what can be accomplished when caring, thoughtful people have the ability to understand the needs of their community and follow through on providing those needs with steadfast, long-lasting support, vision, and leadership,” said Ann Smead, Chairman of the Vail Valley Foundation, who administers the award on behalf of the community. “Once they put their support behind a cause or a project, they follow through and find success.”
