Alesander Seiler (1819 - 1891)  was the founder of the Swiss hotel dynasty, now the Seiler Group, which still owns many of the hotels in Zermatt. Alexander originally studied soap and candle making and settled in Sion, but went to try his luck in Zermatt in 1851, when his brother, the local pastor, told him of the demand for hotel beds there.

He started his business with the Monte Rosa. Tragedy brought fame to both village and hotel in 1865: the English climber Edward Whymper stayed in the Monte Rosa before leading the first successful attempt on the Matterhorn, a feat better remembered for the disastrous descent, during which four members of the party were killed.

Surprisingly enough, the result was to bring more and more tourists to the resort, and Seiler leased or built more and more hotels, including the Riffelalp Grand Hotel, which he aimed to make the best mountain hotel in the Alps. It opened in 1884.

Since it was about a kilometer (half a mile) from the railway station, the Seiler family applied for a concession to run their own electric tram to bring their guests in comfort to the hotel - this at a time when the normal mode of transport was still by horse and carriage. It was the highest tramline in Switzerland - and still is.

The Riffelalp was burnt to the ground in 1961, but was rebuilt 40 years later, and the tram has also been brought back into use.