When Armin Heinrichshofen’s horsehair spinning mill ceased operations on the hotel’s current property in 1878, the Melsung master locksmith Conrad Heerdt took over the property. Parallel to the existing building, he also built a restaurant with a garden area and a dance hall. The people of Melsung called their new restaurant in front of the Rotenburg Gate “For quiet pleasure” or “Heerdt’s Garden”. After a while, Wilhelm Spieß took over the management as tenant. In 1892 Conrad Heerdt sold the inn to the butcher Heinrich Sinnig from Kassel. Just five years later, the owner changed again and Christoph Batz from Kassel-Rothenditmold took over the business for two years in 1897. In 1899, Ms. Katharina Rentner from Kassel-Wehlheiden opened the restaurant under the same name as the new owner. Finally, on March 22, 1906, the waiter Jean Markolf from Odershausen bought the restaurant for 61,000 RM and called it “Zum Hessischen Hof”. This is where the story of a family begins, which to this day dedicates its work to gastronomy. Soon after the opening, Jean Markolf attracted a large number of guests. With nonsense, beer or a mug of beer, people gathered at the regulars‘ table or for a dance on the weekend. In 1908, electric light replaced the old petroleum lamps.

Jean Markolf set up the first coffee shop in town and when nearby Fulda froze over in winter, the waiter from the Hessischer Hof served the ice skaters grog and punch on the ice. After his four-year absence during the First World War, Jean Markolf devoted himself entirely to the economic recovery. He became chairman of the innkeepers‘ association, was a co-founder of the cooperative brewery in Malsfeld and became chairman of the Melsung economic party. After he opened the Eldorado cinema in his hall on August 18, 1919, he soon gave up this attempt because several cinemas could not exist in a small town. Due to the economic recession after the First World War, Jean Markolf sold half of his property in 1923.

On March 1, 1938, he handed the business over to his eldest son Hans. Shortly after taking over the business, war and imprisonment forced Hans Markolf to turn his back on his business for a long time. During the war years, his wife Käthe ran the business. When he returned from captivity, his business was confiscated by American troops. In 1948, Hans Markolf and his wife faced difficult times when they began to rebuild the business. After some renovations to the main house, a guest house was built in 1954 and the operation expanded to 25 hotel beds. The company founder Jean Markolf died in 1956 at the age of 77. The main house was thoroughly rebuilt and modernized in several construction phases from 1960 to 1970. Garages, oil heating, a new kitchen with a refrigerator, the first hotel rooms with shower and toilet, as well as a new entrance with a reception were built during these years. In 1978, Hans Markolf bought back parts of the property his father had sold and expanded the hotel to double its size with his son Herbert, who became co-owner in 1979 after founding a company. A new kitchen area, conference rooms and 15 new hotel rooms with modern facilities were created. In 1990 the building next door with its hotel rooms was renovated and the first rooms with balconies were added. After a successful and busy life’s work, Hans and Käte Markolf died in 1992 and 1995.

The administrative area of ​​the hotel was also adapted to developments over time. In 1995, IT was introduced and the company was completely networked, which significantly improved the efficiency of all work processes. The first homepage on the Internet was created and the hotel could be booked online worldwide. The years of the new millennium were marked by major construction work in the main building. Essentially, a completely new staircase was created, modernized rooms, some with their own sauna. Modern communication was also introduced in the intermedia area through the installation of Wireless LAN, an Internet terminal in the reception area. In 2006 the hotel was classified with three stars by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association for the first time and in 2010 it was equipped with one of the most innovative guest information and entertainment systems to date. But the course has also been set for a spatial expansion of the company for future development at the current location. As part of an extensive quality check, the hotel received the addition of SUPERIOR to its three-star classification in 2012 for a particularly high level of service offerings and services.

Today the company presents itself as a modern company that plays a significant role in the gastronomic development of our city. With Katrin and Amelie Markolf, the fourth generation took over this traditional company in August 2016.

The extensive outdoor terrace opened in May 2017 with a view of the greenery, a modern grill kitchen and a cozy lounge area by the fire.