by editor’s office, ch, tophotel
War of the hoteliers: Uwe Klaus, head of Octavian Hotel Holding, announced the withdrawal of Kempinski-run luxury hotels Taschenbergpalais Dresden and Schloss Reinhartshausen bei Eltville from renowned marketing organization Leading Hotels of the World (LHW).
This decision was triggered by the expulsion of Kempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin, another property run by Klaus, which was accused of “quality defects“ despite prior renovations amounting to ten million euros. Kempinski Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, too, was excluded from LHW, though this decision came as a surprise to no one, considering the building’s evident need for rehabilitation. Klaus described the decision made by the New York-based organization as “unprofessional”. LHW has yet to comment on the issue.
It is unclear how the loss of two additional hotels in Germany is perceived by Leading. Prior to the incident, there had been 33 German premium hotels among the members of LHW, including Brenner’s Park-Hotel & Spa Baden-Baden and Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg (both members of the honorable Selection of German Luxury Hotels).
Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden
Uwe Klaus, meanwhile, has uttered harsh criticism towards the management at Leading: “There was never any measurable benefit beyond that of a pure image boost to offset the cost of being a member of Leading. In the end, Leading helped us make a decision that was overdue.”
Schloss Reinhartshausen Kempinski Eltville
The Leading Hotels of the World, an organization comprising some 450 hotels around the world, is known for its strict quality checks. Its body of regulations was revised not long ago. Should a Leading Hotel not attain the required minimum score, a warning will be given. All shortcomings in the quality of service must be redressed by the next assessment, or, alternatively, there must be a binding investment plan to repair hardware damages. Otherwise, the property in question faces expulsion, as was recently the case for Atlantic Hamburg and Bristol Berlin. However, hotels that were forcefully excluded have the opportunity to apply for reinstatement.
Octavian Hotel Holding manages the Kempinski hotels Atlantic Hamburg, Bristol Berlin, Taschenbergpalais Dresden, Gravenbruch bei Frankfurt/Main and Schloss Reinhartshausen Eltville, as well as Mercure Parkhotel Görlitz. The Octavian Group is headed by realty investor Dieter Bock.
Original article courtesy of www.tophotel.de.
