In the new design hotel in Dahn-Reichenbach, railroad fans get their money's worth. The comfort is also impressive: Uponor Klett underfloor heating and Uponor Unipipe PLUS multilayer composite pipes ensure a good indoor climate and clean drinking water.

Spend the night and have breakfast in a train station? What sounds unusual is possible in Dahn-Reichenbach in the Palatinate. The new "Ferienbahnhof Reichenbach" design hotel has been welcoming guests here since 2023. The name says it all: the hotel is a stylish replica of a railroad station building. In the foyer, a real train stands on an illuminated track bed, making the hearts of many railroad fans beat faster. It is a so-called Esslinger - a model that was manufactured by Maschinenfabrik Esslinger in the 1950s and now has classic car status. Guests can enjoy their breakfast in this train.

The hotel also has a lot more to offer: 20 rooms with shower and WC, an interesting industrial-style interior with wood and metal elements, a glass elevator and a Swiss stone pine sauna with relaxation area. The complex also includes three vacation carriages and the "Altes Bahnhöf'l" restaurant. The "train station" theme runs through the entire complex. In addition, there are the beautiful surroundings: Reichenbach is located in the Dahner Felsenland hiking region in the district of Südwestpfalz.

Good experience with Uponor products

Anyone who places so much value on an attractive concept also has high demands on the building technology. It was important to the Burkhart family that the guests should be comfortable all year round. The energy supply is provided by a combined heat and power unit and a gas condensing boiler. Uponor Klett underfloor heating ensures warm feet and an optimum indoor climate. The multilayer composite pipe Uponor Unipipe PLUS and the Uponor S-Press PLUS fitting system were installed for the drinking water installation. The products were installed by the heating and plumbing company Marco Schmölz from Erfweiler. The specialist company serves more than 1,500 customers far beyond the Dahner Felsenland region and specializes in the planning and implementation of heating and plumbing systems in detached houses, apartment blocks and terraced houses. "We have had good experiences with both the advice and the products from Uponor. Norbert Michel, sales technician in Uponor's field service, also supported us well with installation plans and calculation data for the project in Reichenbach," says owner Marco Schmölz.

Easy to install: Uponor Klett underfloor heating

The entire hotel - 850 square meters in total - is equipped with the Uponor Klett underfloor heating system. 9,000 meters of pipes were laid for this. "The Klett system is particularly appreciated by installation professionals because it is so easy to install," says Norbert Michel. This is because the Uponor Klett pipes are wrapped in a spiral with a Velcro tape that interlocks with the adhesive foil of the insulation board and thus fixes the pipes quickly and securely by pressing them into place. The wet construction system can be installed with virtually no additional tools. Its flexibility proved to be particularly helpful on the first floor, as the heating pipes around the Esslingen railroad train could be easily laid to suit the existing floor plan.

For optimum drinking water hygiene: loop-through ring installation with Uponor Uni Pipe PLUS pipes

The client and installation company opted for a loop-through ring installation in the wet areas to ensure the best possible drinking water hygiene. This enables hygienically perfect water exchange during operation, regardless of the tapping point from which water is drawn. As the tapping points are supplied from two sides, the installation effort is reduced as the installer can use one dimension for the connection pipes throughout. A total of 1,200 meters of Uponor Unipipe PLUS were installed in the building. This is a very easily bendable multilayer composite pipe without a weld seam. Because the bending radius is 40 percent tighter than that of conventional multilayer pipes, many changes of direction can be realized during installation by simply bending the pipe. This means that fewer fittings are required, which in turn shortens the installation time.

Construction began in 2022 and the Reichenbach vacation station was completed in 2023. "Lots of railroad romance with extraordinary charm": this is how the Burkhart family advertises their "adventure accommodation". More information can be found on the website https://www.ferienbahnhof-reichenbach.de