WERK4 is an architectural exclamation mark. Not only because of its height of 86 meters, with which the building even towers over the adjacent Umadum Ferris wheel. The black façade radiates a calm elegance from afar. However, if you stand directly in front of the building, as we do on this day with Marcus Praschinger, Benno Vogel and Benjamin Plahl, the gray sheet metal cladding in the lower part of the high-rise signals that this building has a more complex design. From now on, Praschinger, Vogel and Plahl are direct neighbors. While Benjamin Plahl runs a climbing and bouldering hall in old potato flour silos, Marcus Praschinger runs a hostel with 500 beds. And the third member of the team, Benno Vogel, is responsible for a premium apartment hotel with 234 studios and apartments and a unique view over Munich.
Benjamin, what did you think when you heard that an entire hotel was to be built on top of your climbing and bouldering hall, the Heavens Gate?
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): The idea didn’t really surprise me, as I’ve been in the area for a while. I think it’s an exciting idea and I’m curious to see what living together under our new roof will be like. The guests at Wombat’s Hostel are perhaps a little closer to our target group. But maybe we can also get Adina guests excited about climbing and bouldering.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. We already run a Wombat’s hostel at the main station. It couldn’t be more central. That’s the place to be. And here? How will it turn out? I couldn’t really imagine it at first. It’s different now.
Benno Vogel (Adina): We’ve been involved in the planning for a long time – since 2013. At that time, WERK4 wasn’t even planned that high. We already saw the potential of the location back then.
What actually makes a good hostel?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): The atmosphere that you can only find in a hostel. You meet like-minded people, and the spark usually ignites immediately. You meet in the café or in the Wombar and then it’s a case of: Where are you from? Cool, I’ve been there too. Good hostels bring people together.
Benno Vogel (Adina): That’s what I’ve always experienced when I’ve stayed in hostels. You don’t just go to a hostel because it’s cheaper, but also because you know you’re going to meet people. You go to the bar and know that you can talk to someone, and that this is even desired. That’s not the case in a hotel.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): We’re not that far away from that. The people who come to us for climbing or bouldering are just like that. It’s about getting to know each other and making contact. People are multicultural and have very different stories. How long do hostel guests stay with you on average?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Between 2 and 3 days. Groups sometimes stay longer.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): And at the Adina Hotel?
Benno Vogel (Adina): We are an apartment hotel, which means that every room has a fully equipped kitchenette and even a washer-dryer, but long-stay guests make up perhaps ten percent of our clientele. Our target group therefore also includes traditional business travelers and weekend tourists. On average, they only stay for 2.5 days. How many beds do you actually have at Wombat’s?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): 500.
Benno Vogel (Adina): Wow, how many rooms?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): 121. That’s the ideal size for us. How many beds do you have?
Benno Vogel (Adina): There are 570 beds in our hotel. How many people can actually come to you for climbing?
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Our hall is approved for a maximum of 199 people. So there should always be room for your guests.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): The view of your outdoor climbing wall from our sun terrace is brilliant.
Bennno Vogel (Adina): Will you actually have overhangs on the outdoor climbing wall?
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Yes, but only very slight ones because our terrace isn’t that wide.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): As soon as we’re open, you have to come to our café and try our espresso. I’m an espresso junkie and really happy about our coffee. We know where it comes from, from the bud to the roast.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): We also attach great importance to good coffee. That’s always been the case here in the hall. The coffee has to taste good.
Benno Vogel (Adina): The Australians are also such a coffee-crazy nation.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): We even brewed our own beer in the coronavirus era, the Wave Braker.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): To break the wave?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Exactly. Normally, we tend to be lone fighters. But to develop projects like this together with partners, to have a common focus, that really impressed me. We didn’t just do it over beer, but also over coffee or wine. That’s why I’m now also looking forward to our neighborhood. I mean, there’s a climbing gym right next door and I can send my guests straight there. Next door. That will be really cool. I’m sure we’ll do some great projects together.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Definitely.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): What do you actually do in your restaurant at the Adina Hotel?
Benno Vogel (Adina): The buzzword in our restaurant is Modern Australian Food. But not with kangaroo, as you might expect, but with a fusion cuisine that combines Australian and Asian influences. Just like modern Australian cuisine is.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): I believe that people will come to you simply because of the view.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Will you be running the restaurant yourself?
Benno Vogel (Adina): Yes, but I think that the restaurant will not only be very attractive because of its concept and location. The location in Werksviertel will also pay off.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): It’s impressive how the site has developed over the last five or six years, isn’t it?
Benno Vogel (Adina): That’s right. Speaking of the view. We also have a few rooms with a view of the Stadt-Hochalm in the neighboring WERK3. You don’t have that really wide view over the rooftops of the city from there. But you do have a view of the hustle and bustle on the Stadt-Hochalm with the sheep and chickens. We used to think that we might have to make these rooms a little cheaper. But now they could become the most popular.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Many people don’t see the added value of a place like the Stadt-Hochalm. How much it relaxes you. Sometimes, when I come into the district very early between five and half past five, I can hear the rooster crowing on the roof. In the middle of the city. That’s incredible.
Benno Vogel (Adina): You can sometimes hear the rooster during the day too. We have a model room with a view of the city’s Hochalm, where I always like to go to work. Once I was on a call and suddenly a woman asked: ‘Tell me, are you on a farm? Then the rooster started crowing again. He always crows for five minutes and then he’s quiet again. And then it’s the most beautiful rooster you can imagine. It looks like it’s been painted.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Of course, you also need people for such extraordinary projects who don’t always just look at the biggest possible profit.
Benno Vogel (Adina): That’s right. But these kinds of breaks, places that are different, are something that actually make a city.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): My hope is that investors and developers will develop more projects in the future that are not exclusively about maximizing profits. Perhaps less will be enough. I’m glad that we have a lot of upcycled furniture in our rooms, for example.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): That also makes the furnishings much more comfortable.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Yes, and it extends the life cycle of products. As a society, we need to move away from simply throwing away old products because new ones are cheaper. The silos you climb in already had a different purpose.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Yes, they are over fifty years old. And during the renovation, potato flour that used to be stored there still came to light, even though Pfanni stopped producing it in the mid-1990s.
Benno Vogel (Adina): How high are the silos?
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): The large ones are 30 meters high, the small ones 18 meters.
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Impressive. We’ll definitely come climbing with the team.
Benno Vogel (Adina): Us too.
Benjamin Plahl (Heavens Gate): Gladly.
Benno Vogel (Adina): Do you actually think we will experience a catch-up effect in terms of travel in the coming months?
Marcus Praschinger (Wombat’s): Honestly? I have no idea. I’ve gotten out of the habit of speculating about eventualities. So much has been revised over and over again in recent months … I think we just have to observe the current situation and make the best of it.
