REGIONAL REPORT
ES
The breakfast room of the InterCity
Hotel in Frankfurt .
Deutsche Hospitality development chief Claus-Dieter Jandel says Germany is seeing increasing interest in midmarket segments .
THIS MONTH ’ S SECTION IS ABOUT
PEOPLE FIRST
Katherina Klimke , general manager of the 25Hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian in Munich , joined eight months after it opened in 2017 . As a strong believer in achieving support and buy-in from her team , Klimke wanted to ensure every team member understood the importance of their role and how they contribute to the property ’ s overall success .
“ It was very important to me to increase transparency and communication ,” says the Berlin native . “ Speaking openly to all team members about our goals , financial results , projects and challenges was key , combined with flat hierarchies and a true hands-on mentality .”
The property ’ s operational success comes from having motivated team members who are encouraged to develop on a personal level and who have been allowed to take ownership of ideas , she says .
One challenge is finding the right fit when a job opens up . As well , Munich ’ s cost of living is high and the housing market tight . “ Everyone in the industry is facing challenges to fill open positions and getting people excited to choose a career in hospitality ,” she says . “ Having a strong employer brand that people can identify with is crucial .”
She adds , “ We are confident that we have been able to create a competitive advantage and will also reach our goals in 2020 — with the team that we have in place .” a focus on key strategies is essential . In recent years , we have significantly increased the spectrum of Deutsche Hospitality ’ s portfolio to five brands covering the segments from luxury to economy and therefore providing varied choices . This allows us to offer tailor-made products to our customers .”
INCREASE IN MIXED-USE Gesa Rohwedder , head of hospitality Europe at real estate consultancy Drees
& Sommer , notes that mixed-use developments are also seeing an upswing , along with a 60 % inventory growth in long-stay and serviced apartment projects and the potential for further increases . Another segment of interest is hotel resorts , currently dominated by private operators , i . e ., family businesses , but becoming more attractive to investors and operators .
Germany , however , has witnessed the continuous increase of construction
Katherina Klimke
March 2020 hotelsmag . com 33