How does one recognize a luxury hotel? From it having a five star rating, or from the fact that it hosts guest who are willing to pay through their noses for a stay? For Feuring Company, which has been in charge of the development of over 400 first class and luxury hotels, domestic and abroad, it is obvious: By far not all five star hotels are also premium hotels. The number one criterion is prices: „Only in being able to maintain constantly high average prices for its products, does a hotel belong to the luxury segment and can thus compete at an international level“, says Bardo-M. Feuring. And that is only achieved by the Adlon, Hotel de Rome, Grand Hyatt, Ritz Carlton and the Regent Hotel. According to official classification, there is a total of 23 hotels rated at five stars in Berlin. For a luxury hotel to generate high prices, Feuring expands the official criteria to include generosity in respect of the rooms, especially bath rooms, service at high levels, furnishing with high quality materials, discretion and security, modernization measures, as well the adjustment to current trends.
Someone aspiring to host Nicolas Sarkozy, Warren Buffett and Madonna, for example, needs to offer something very special: „A spacious bath room with bath tub, shower and possibly bidet is luxury and cannot be realized in a bath room of merely five square meters“, says Feuring. Whether a hotel does indeed belong to the premium segment only shows after the course of several years. „The five star standard is easily attained. But the art consists in maintaining it.“ Managers must thus constantly inspect the quality of offers and equipment and apply measures of improvement when they are due – long before the guest deems them necessary. The Adlon, for instance, has recently expanded its range of offers with a high-grade day spa and equipped the suites with bulletproof glass for security reasons. The Grand Hyatt Berlin had its convention area redesigned by renowned interior decorator Tony Chi in 2007. In regards to gastronomy, both houses are going new directions, developing new restaurant concepts.
Further Potential for genuine Premium Hotels
According to Feuring, Berlins premium hotel industry needs a lot of catching up with the international competition, and the federal capital still lacks exclusive hotel products like the Mandarin Oriental of the Shangri-La. „The favorable prospects for real luxury hotels are evident in the existing houses, for they have been able to notably increase their rate of occupancy over the past year.“ One reason for the high demand is the importance of Berlin for media, politics and economy. The city hosts a large number of national and international VIPs who want to dwell luxuriously and are willing to pay accordingly.
Background Information: Criteria for Five Star Hotels According to Dehoga
• single rooms 18 qm, double rooms 26 qm, Suites
• reception manned 24 hours, with concierge, multilingual personnel
• doorman or parking valet service
• reception hall with seating-accommodation and beverages
• personalized guest welcome with fresh flowers or sweets in the room
• mini-bar and 24 hours meals and drinks with room service
• personal hygiene products in single flacons
• internet PC in the room and qualified IT support service
• choice of pillows, central accessibility of room lighting from the bed, safe in the room
• ironing service (inside of an hour), shoe shining
• turndown service in the evening
• mystery men checks
(Source: www.hotelsterne.de)
The Feuring company was founded in 1959 in Mainz. Feuring accompanies customers with hotel project from the initial idea, market analasys and conception over choices of managing personnel and contractual composition, construction and furnishing, to turn-key handover and investment inspection. So far, Feuring successfully helped investors and hotel chains develop more than 400 first class and luxury hotels, domestic and abroad. The financial volume of its current projects amounts to about one billion Euros. The Feuring Group maintains an online magazine for hotel development under feuring-emagazine.com.
Source: Editorial office, TopHotels
