It was not until the economic upswing commenced in the 1950s and Pontresina burgeoned into a winter sports resort with the Diavolezza cable car in 1956 that Hans Walther gave up his role as a leaseholder and became the owner of «Hotel Walther-Palace». In 1963, Barbara and Christian followed as the next generation and fixed structural issues with considerable renovations.By shortening the name to «Hotel Walther», they were distancing themselves from the plush and lavish image of the “Palace”, which had by then become somewhat run-down and was no longer viewed as one of the Engadine’s Grand Hotel heavyweights.For the next 40 years, Barbara and Christian Walther crafted a skilful mix of protecting the historic building and modernizing it with passion and continuity in mind. The result is that significant parts of the building still luxuriate in the Art Nouveau style and, thanks to creative structural and technical refinements, harmoniously blend into modern times – one of the main reasons it was recognised in 1993 by the prestigious, world-renowned hotel association Relais & Châteaux.