Daniela Grasmück gave up her well-paid job in Singapore to manage a guesthouse in an Austrian village with 450 inhabitants. 20 years ago she would never have contemplated such a move.

“My guests come as strangers, but they leave as friends. That is what motivates me”, says Daniela Grasmück. The Swiss citizen manages a small hotel in Seelendorf Nesselwengle, a village of 450 people in Austria. She came to the business without any experience of the hotel industry when she took over the property a couple of years ago.

Daniela Grasmück and her husband both had successful careers in finance. Their career took them to Hong Kong and Singapore, where they became familiar with the Asian culture as well as being successful in their careers. However, this success brought a lot of pressure. Daniela Grasmück decided to change her life.

A lucky coincidence enabled her to take over the guesthouse in Nesselwengle. The first day was a baptism of fire as it was high season and the hotel was booked out. However, she has grown into her role as a host since then. And a lot more besides: “I do certainly lead a much slower-paced life now. I notice this whenever my husband comes for the weekend. That’s when I see that other people still live at an entirely different level to me”, she says.