Traveling the world on the ski race circuit Pepi was impressed with numerous aspects of the towns and hotels he visited and hoped he would someday get the opportunity to open his own hotel. Pepi said, “Well I got the chance.” This came with partners Howard Head, Eddie Lynch and Cotty Davison. Opening a business in 1964 in Vail was a brave adventure. Vail was a fledging ski resort, with only a few businesses scattered along Bridge Street. The world had not yet discovered Vail and skier numbers were small.
With Pepi on the road ski racing, running the hotel fell to Sheika and she went to work to learn the business. Sheika enrolled in a business management course in Denver, tended bar at the Red Lion and managed the front desk at the newly opened Plaza Building. Pepi and Sheika called their new hotel, Gasthof Gramshammer to reflect the name of the owners and to convey the idea of a hotel and restaurant known in Austrian hospitality. In Austria, “Gasthof” is a term for “a house for guests.” Gasthof Gramshammer opened in December 1964. The rooms were complete, however guests had to carry the newly arrived furniture to the upper floors from the lobby if they wanted to sleep in their rooms. Those were the early days of Vail.
