KarunaNews Story

Vienna’s Magdas Hotel opened on Valentine’s Day 2015, aiming to help refugees integrate into the job market by offering employment and training. “Here the people we employ are no longer guests but hosts, and can make good use of the qualities they bring with them,” says Gabriela Sonnleitner, who has been running Magdas for almost a decade. Building a self-sustaining business while serving a marginalized group comes with challenges. Ten years in, Magdas has integrated over 100 refugees into the job market and currently employs 43 people from all over the world who speak 20 languages. In autumn 2022, it moved to a new central location. The original will be reopened as a second Magdas Hotel in 2027, providing 42 training and employment opportunities.