News From The Destination - 18. Sep 2025
Change of Ownership on Gemmi
Change of Ownership on Gemmi
Leukerbad, 17/09/2025 - After more than five decades of successful development and expansion, the Loretan family is handing over its traditional mountain railway company on the Gemmi to new owners. The company – comprising the Gemmibahn cable car, the panorama restaurant, the Gemmi Lodge 2350, the Daubenseebahn cable car and numerous summer and winter attractions – will now be managed by Gemmi Holding AG, based in Leukerbad. The majority owner is entrepreneur Roger Büchel, former CEO of the Kongresshaus Zurich, who has many years of experience in the tourism, event and hospitality industries. Gemmi Holding AG has a wholly Swiss shareholder base and is entrepreneurially oriented – without institutional investors involvement.
"We have built up and continuously developed the company over three generations with a great deal of passion. We are proud of what it has become – and we are convinced that we have found the right person for the future in Roger Büchel."
- Wolfgang Loretan, long-standing managing director
The Loretan family has shaped Gemmi for decades – with innovative strength, regional roots and a clear philosophy of quality. Under the operational management of Wolfgang Loretan, all infrastructure has been renovated, expanded and modernised in recent years – including the cable car facilities, the hotel with spa and the restaurants. Even after the handover, Wolfgang Loretan will remain with the company: he will continue to lead the company as director during the transition phase until at least the end of 2026 to ensure continuity for employees, guests and partners.
Handover to the Gemmi Holding Company
"We are handing over Gemmi with great confidence – and with the conviction that the new owners will carry on the alpine heritage of the company with care and entrepreneurial energy."
- Marco Negri, former Chairman of the Board of Directors
"Gemmi is a unique place. I am grateful for the trust placed in me
by the Loretan family and look forward to leading this extraordinary company into the future – with respect for what already exists and ideas for what is new."
- Roger Büchel, entrepreneur and new majority owner
With over 230,000 passengers annually, around 12,000 overnight stays at the Gemmi Lodge 2350 and a panoramic restaurant known far beyond the region, Gemmi is one of the most important tourist destinations in the region. The company is economically sound, well structured and sustainably positioned – both operationally and in terms of infrastructure.
The company also plays a central role in the overall tourist appeal of the destination of Leukerbad, one of Switzerland's most traditional alpine thermal and outdoor recreation areas with around 750,000 overnight stays per year. Gemmi complements the offering with an alpine nature and adventure area that is accessible all year round and has a supra-regional appeal.
The new owners will continue to run the company as an independent, family-oriented structure with the aim of further developing the alpine destination without losing its identity.
Contact for enquiries:
Roger Büchel, email hidden; JavaScript is required, +41 79 623 23 80
Wolfgang Loretan, email hidden; JavaScript is required, +47 79 475 92 00
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