Spes Zukunftsakademie

What Spes Zukunftsakademie does

SPES Zukunftsakademie is an Austria-based private operating company (SPES GmbH, 99.8% owned by the non-profit SPES Verein) that runs an integrated hospitality, adult-education, and workforce-qualification business out of Schlierbach in Upper Austria, with a second acquired site in Grünau im Almtal. The founding vehicle is the SPES Zukunftsakademie (est. 1987), which delivers citizen-participation, municipal and regional development, family/generations, climate and mobility, local supply, moderation/training, and education/innovation programs to municipalities, regions, companies, institutions, and families. Ancillary to it, the SPES Hotel & Seminarhotel (operational from 1988, with a new passive-house-standard building completed in 2009) provides 44 barrier-free rooms, five "5-Fipchart"-certified meeting rooms plus smaller facilities, an organic/regional Panoramarestaurant, and the unique Dunkelgenussraum (dark-dining room operated by blind and visually impaired staff). A third unit, the SPES Arbeitsstiftung, delivers the AQUA (Arbeitsplatznahe Qualifizierung) workplace-based training program as an AMS Oberösterreich cooperation partner, with funding also flowing from Land Oberösterreich.

The business generates revenue across five streams: overnight accommodation (single rooms from EUR 98-105/night, double rooms from EUR 78-85/person), seminar packages (EUR 60-175/person for full-board, day, or half-day configurations), adult-education and consulting professional services to public-sector and corporate clients, paid workforce-qualification placements via the AQUA program, and restaurant/catering services including dark-dining experiences at EUR 17-70 per person and events for up to 150 guests. Distribution is primarily direct through the company's own website (spes.co.at, integrated with a Seekda booking engine), supplemented by tourism-board channels (Steyr Nationalpark Region, 360 Alpenland) and the AMS/Land Oberösterreich public-sector channel for AQUA.

Sustainability is a structural differentiator rather than a marketing layer: SPES was the first seminar hotel in Austria to receive the Austrian Environmental Label (1997), maintains the AMA Gastro Seal, BIO Austria organic sourcing, and an Austrian Ecolabel for Gastronomy, and the physical plant is the first passive-house-standard hotel in Austria. The 36-person headcount across three sites, the regional (Upper Austrian) market scope, and the 99.8% non-profit ownership combined with no disclosed revenue and no external funding rounds indicate a small, mature, mission-driven operator rather than a venture-scaled business.

Name

Spes Zukunftsakademie

Legal name

SPES GmbH

Website

https://spes.co.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Spes Zukunftsakademie operates an integrated seminar hotel, future academy, and workplace-training foundation in Upper Austria, delivering hospitality, citizen-participation and adult-education programs, and AMS-funded AQUA job qualification for municipalities, companies, families, and job seekers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seminar Hotel & Adult Education Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAGALAG

Conference Retreat Hotels

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Convention & Conference Hotels

SECONDARYTHAGAAAL

Integrated Full-Service Hotel Complexes (Mixed-Use)

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Hotels (Full-Service)

Keywords

• Seminar hotel services
• Adult education consulting
• Citizen participation programs
• Workplace training programs
• Conference facilities rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Schlierbach

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hotel Accommodation Services: SPES operates a professional seminar hotel with 44-47 modern rooms, offering accommodation with panoramic views of the Kremstal valley. Revenue comes from room rentals including single rooms (from €96/night) and double rooms.
2. Seminar and Conference Services: The company offers seminar rooms and conference facilities for 5-150 persons, with various meeting packages. Seminar packages range from €60-175/person including full board options. Five main meeting rooms are '5-Fipchart' certified.
3. Adult Education and Consulting: The Zukunftsakademie provides citizen participation processes, municipal and regional development consulting, family support programs, climate and mobility consulting, moderation and training services, and education and innovation programs for municipalities, regions, companies, institutions and families.
4. AQUA Job Training Program: The SPES Arbeitsstiftung operates the AQUA (Arbeitsplatznahe Qualifizierung) program, a funded training model for job seekers in Upper Austria in cooperation with AMS. The program trains participants in companies with theoretical education provided separately.
5. Restaurant and Catering Services: The Panoramarestaurant serves regional and organic cuisine, with buffet meals, coffee breaks, and dining experiences. Special dining includes dark dining experiences at €17-70 per person and celebration events for up to 150 guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SPES operates an integrated seminar hotel with 44 barrier-free rooms and five 5-Fipchart-certified conference rooms, the SPES Zukunftsakademie providing citizen participation, family, climate/mobility, and municipal development consulting, the AQUA workplace-based job training program for unemployed persons, and a unique Dunkelgenussraum (lightless dining experience). The hotel is the first in Austria built to passive house standard. The organization serves municipalities, regions, companies, institutions, families, individual travelers, and job seekers across Upper Austria.

Product overview

SPES is a combined education-and-hospitality center consisting of three integrated offerings: the SPES Seminarhotel (founded 1988, first passive house hotel in Austria) providing conference facilities and accommodations for up to 150 persons; the SPES Zukunftsakademie (founded 1987) offering citizen participation, municipal development, family support, climate/mobility consulting, and adult education programs; and the SPES Arbeitsstiftung (AQUA) providing workplace-based vocational training for job seekers in partnership with the Austrian Employment Service. The hotel's unique Dark Dining Experience (Dunkelgenussraum) serves as both a culinary attraction and a team-building/seminar venue staffed by blind and visually impaired persons. All offerings emphasize regional sourcing, organic products, and sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AQUA: Arbeitsplatznahe Qualifizierung (workplace-related qualification) - a subsidized training model for job seekers in Upper Austria, operating as cooperation partner of AMS.

Products and services

• SPES Hotel & Seminarhotel
• SPES Zukunftsakademie (Future Academy)
• SPES Arbeitsstiftung (AQUA Program)
• Dunkelgenussraum (Dark Dining Experience)
• Seminar- & Tagespauschalen (Seminar and Day Packages)
• Zimmer & Pauschalarrangements (Rooms and Package Arrangements)

Quantifiable outcome

• First seminar hotel in Austria with passive house standard
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AMS Oberösterreich (Public Employment Service Upper Austria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPES Arbeitsstiftung is AQUA cooperation partner of AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice). The AQUA (Arbeitsplatznahe Qualifizierung) program provides funded workplace-oriented training for job seekers in Upper Austria. SPES coordinates practical training in companies with theoretical education through vocational schools or other training institutions like Wifi and BFI.
• Tourismusverband Steyr und die Nationalpark RegionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism marketing partnership promoting the region and SPES hotel services to visitors of the Steyr Nationalpark region.
• Käserei Stift SchlierbachminorOthersNearby monastery cheese dairy provides regional cheese products for SPES restaurant and offers joint tasting experiences.
• 360 AlpenlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism platform partner listing SPES hotel and services.
• Haus der AchtsamkeitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPES GmbH operates the Haus der Achtsamkeit in Grünau im Almtal, a mindfulness and personal development center taken over from the Order of Marian Sisters in January 2024. The center focuses on mindfulness, personal, and spiritual development seminars with approximately 6 employees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schloss Prielau: Boutique seminar and event hotel in Zell am See combining accommodation, restaurant and conference facilities — comparable premium seminar-hotel positioning targeting corporate retreats and small events in Austria.
• Schloss Leopoldskron: Historic conference and seminar hotel in Salzburg offering meeting facilities, accommodation and team-building programs for B2B clients across the DACH region — directly comparable to SPES's seminar-hotel positioning and target customer segments.
• Schlosshotel Mondsee: Upper-Austrian/Nearby-region seminar and event hotel combining historic accommodation with modern conference facilities — a regional peer competing for the same corporate event and wedding/celebration segment as SPES.
• Gut Brandlhof: Large Austrian seminar and conference resort with extensive meeting-room capacity, sports facilities and team-building offerings — competing for the same Austrian and DACH corporate event market as SPES, with a broader leisure complement.
• Hotel Schloss Wildeck: Austrian castle-based seminar and conference hotel with comparable meeting-room infrastructure, sustainable operations and a focus on B2B retreats — closely overlapping SPES's seminar/conference + sustainability positioning.
• Hotel & Seminarhotel Rinner: Family-run seminar hotel in South Tyrol with comparable focus on sustainability, regional cuisine, and small-to-mid-size B2B seminar groups — directly comparable business model and customer mix.
• Stift Göttweig: Historic Austrian monastery operating as a conference and seminar venue with accommodation, dining and meeting facilities — closely comparable integrated hospitality/event model targeting Austrian institutional and corporate clients.

Emerging players

• Zebralog GmbH: Specialist consultancy for citizen participation, public dialogue and digital participation tools — competes for the same municipal/regional client budgets as SPES Zukunftsakademie's municipal and regional development services.
• IFOK GmbH: German/Austrian citizen-participation and stakeholder-consulting firm — directly comparable to SPES Zukunftsakademie's municipal consulting and citizen-participation practice, addressing the same institutional buyers with overlapping methodologies.

Broad incumbents

• Parkhotel Schönbrunn: Large, established Vienna-based conference and event hotel operating broadly in the Austrian meetings market — overlapping SPES's corporate seminar segment as part of a much wider urban hospitality portfolio rather than a specialist retreat.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SPESZukunftsakademie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spes-zukunftsakademie
• Instagraminstagram.com/spes_zukunftsakademie?igsh=MWx4bHY1cGFtamRqcA==

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spes Zukunftsakademie