Read the judge's green questionnaire on Stanglwirt

A riot in pine, the Stanglwirt is a huge wood and stone hotel 10 minutes from the ski resort of Kitzbuhel, 750m up the Austrian Alps.

The first manifestation of the hotel was 250 years ago, when it was a stop-off on the road between Innsbruck and Salzberg.

Twelve generations of the Hauser family later and the hotel has mushroomed from one building to a sprawling 150-roomed collection of properties with its back to the main road, looking up to the 4,000 metre Wild Emperor mountains.

Multimedia

The big expansion began 40 years ago, when current owner Balthasar Hauser looked to grow the five rooms he inherited at the age of 17. It was he who added the Biohotel prefix.

Inspired by a book called The Green House, he designed and built an hotel without nails on his farmland. “It really fits into the region - we are blessed with nature,” says his daughter, Maria, 26, one of four siblings, all now involved in the hotel.

He is still active, buying up land around the hotel to conserve the area and protect the fabulous views to the mountains and up the valley.

“My father is collecting land only to preserve the village - when guests come, he says they have to experience nature.”

The Stanglwirt is now up to 150 rooms, with 25 more suites to be completed by Christmas (the bio hotel only now pertains to the original big build).

But the suites will be the end of the building, says Maria. “Then we will focus on increasing the quality in the existing hotel.”

Around 80 per cent of guests are German, with occasional British, French and American voices heard on my visit.

Many are drawn by hiking in the valley. The Tyrol region, which includes Stanglwirt, is introducing a Naturewatch hotel scheme, and two guides working for the hotel are currently being certificated to lead guests on guided walks - equipped with £2,000 Swarovski binoculars.

Times recommends

• The 10 best bits of travel gear
• Soho's classy, cheap new townhouse
• Germany's perfect Christmas city