of Dr. Wilfried Holleis
Dr. Wilfried Holleis was born on 9 May 1960 in Zell am See, Austria. His professional career combines an academic background in business administration with international experience in the hotel industry.
After graduating in Business Administration from the University of Innsbruck with summa cum laude, he became a university assistant there and earned his doctorate in Social and Economic Sciences. He subsequently completed postgraduate studies at Harvard University in the United States. Further career milestones included serving as Head of Controlling at Imperial Hotels Austria AG, whose portfolio included Vienna’s Hotel Bristol and Hotel Imperial, and working as a research assistant at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. During this period, he published three specialist books and numerous articles in his field.
From 1990 onwards, Dr. Holleis focused on expanding the Holleis Hotel Group. This began with the acquisition of Hotel St. Georg in Zell am See and the GRAND HOTEL ZELL AM SEE. The group’s first international project was the hotel island of Katarina in Croatia, followed by Hotel Miramar in Opatija and Kvarner Palace in Crikvenica. In Austria, he acquired the mountain hotel Rudolfshütte and the lift company operating the Weißsee Glacier World. In Italy, the Holleis Group operates a vineyard on Lake Garda, with plans to develop the property into a boutique hotel.
Dr. Wilfried Holleis has received several awards for his contribution to tourism. In 2011, the industry magazine Hotel & Touristik named him “Hotelier of the Year”. That same year, the State of Salzburg awarded him its Grand Decoration of Merit in recognition of his services to tourism in Salzburg.
Honours and Awards
In December 2003, he received the Silver Decoration of Honour for Services to Tourism.
In 2010, he was awarded the Decoration of Honour for Services to Tourism in Salzburg.
In 2011, the industry magazine Hotel & Touristik named him “Hotelier of the Year 2011” at the ninth Badener Tourism Talks in Baden, Lower Austria.
In November 2011, Dr. Holleis received the Grand Decoration of Merit of the State of Salzburg in recognition of his outstanding services to tourism in Salzburg.
Author: Grand Hotel Zell am See, published on 20 October 2026
