PERSONALITIES
Schroeder leads
Kempinski with more humility
Bernold Schroeder is bringing his Asian experience , driven by a great sense of humility and an owner ’ s perspective , to help stabilize Geneva-based Kempinski ’ s reputation in the luxury hotel sector . The product is there , the people are great and luxury-style service is deeply engrained in the company ’ s DNA , he says . Now , heading into his second year in the role , Schroeder plans to lead humbly , and perhaps , in true Asian style , under-promise and over-deliver .
The German-born sports enthusiast likens his management role to sports : “ The coach must agree with the owners on a longterm plan , but thereafter think from game to game . And obviously the
THE FOCUS NOW COMES FROM AN OWNER ’ S PERSPECTIVE , SAYS THE CEO WHO TRAINED EXTENSIVELY IN ASIA AND HAS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO REACH 120 HOTELS AND HOPEFULLY ENTER THE U . S . MARKET .
by JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
team results must be better than in the previous season . Likewise , I see our general managers as coaches of their teams , and they have my full trust to run the season without interference as long as the team moves forward .”
The good news is that Schroeder says the group has weathered COVID fairly well and , again , has all the ingredients to excel as it tries to overcome internal and development missteps , as well as bad press generated by two of the three Kempinski leaders over the past seven years . Schroeder , who previously served as the company ’ s COO for Europe , is determined to drive results .
“ I try to tell people every single day , you must think from an owner ’ s perspective . It is my Asian education and experience that is very helpful ,” says Schroeder , who prior to joining Kempinski held senior management positions in key growth markets with
42 hotelsmag . com January / February 2022