Mieke Berkers, Independent Hotel Show Munich 2024
Aufgenommen: Beyond by Geisel, München
Germany14 Min Das Video kommt von YouTube und lädt erst, wenn du auf Abspielen klickst.
„Luxury is not only about glitter and glam, it's also about knowing someone's name when he arrives.“
Mieke Berkers, 01:55
Mieke Berkers bringt die Independent Hotel Show nach München, am 20. und 21. November im MOC. Im Gespräch mit Ronald M. Arndt und Katharina Beatriz Varga erklärt sie, warum der Markt sie reizt: In Bayern sind 91 Prozent der Hotels, rund 10.000 Häuser, unabhängig geführt. Dazu nennt sie die Trends der unabhängigen Hotellerie, von Boutique-Konzepten über Luxus mit persönlicher Note und Nachhaltigkeit bis zu KI im Gästekontakt.
Die Audiodatei kommt beim Abspielen von Spotify for Creators. Vorher wird nichts geladen.
Kernaussagen
- Zwei Jahre Recherche: Vor der Show stand Recherche, die vor zwei Jahren begann. Berkers sieht eine große Chance: Das Hotelgeschäft in der DACH-Region boomt, und in Bayern sind 91 Prozent der Hotels, rund 10.000 Häuser, unabhängig geführt.
- Luxus heißt Aufmerksamkeit: Luxus bedeutet für sie, den Namen des Gastes beim Ankommen zu kennen, freundlich zu begrüßen und eine persönliche Notiz oder ein kleines Geschenk ins Zimmer zu legen. Eine handgeschriebene Karte mit Geschenk hat sie selbst zum Wiederkommen gebracht.
- Nachhaltigkeit wird Pflicht: Nachhaltigkeit hält sie für ein Muss der Branche, nicht nur für einen Trend. Sie wirkt auch aufs Employer Branding: Leute wollen in Häusern arbeiten, die das umsetzen und kein Greenwashing betreiben. Bambusstrohhalme reichen nicht mehr.
- KI im Gästekontakt: Gäste fragen per WhatsApp nach einem Zimmer mit Blick auf den Park. Das Tool erkennt den Wunsch, ist mit dem PMS verbunden, nennt Verfügbarkeit und Aufpreis. Für Berkers ein gutes Werkzeug für den Umsatz.
- Personalstrukturen von 2004: Eine Studie zeigt laut Berkers, dass die meisten Hotels Kultur, Benefits und Arbeitgeberstrukturen noch so handhaben wie 2004. Dazu gibt es auf der Show eine Session über die nächste Generation und das Gewinnen von Personal.
Shownotes zur Episodeaus dem Podcast-Feed
With just 5 weeks to go, the Independent Hotel Show Munich is set to open its doors on November 20 and 21, 2024.
Following successful editions in London, Amsterdam, and Miami, the Bavarian capital will now become the fourth host city for this event series organized by Montgomery Group.
In this episode, Mieke Berkers shares the motivation behind bringing the show to Germany and unveils the trends currently shaping the independent hotel industry.
Mieke also gives us a sneak peek into the event agenda, including the sessions she’s most excited about. And here's a surprise: Katharina and Ronald will also be taking the stage for some real talk!
To explore what’s in store for you, visit www.independenthotels.de. Hoteliers can attend for free.
A special thanks to Maren Klinke and Michael Gossens for the opportunity to meet at the beautiful Beyond by Geisel – a truly wonderful venue.
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Transkript
Transkript öffnenTranskript schließen14 Min · Ronald M. Arndt und Mieke Berkers
Automatisch transkribiert mit AssemblyAI, Sprecher automatisch zugeordnet. Nicht redigiert.
- 00:00 Ronald M. Arndt
Mieke Berkers, welcome to the Hotel Podcast. Welcome to the Beyond by Geisel today and welcome to Munich as well.
- 00:07 Mieke Berkers
Thank you.
- 00:08 Ronald M. Arndt
Yeah. Nice to meet you here. The Independent Hotel Show for the first time Munich.
- 00:14 Mieke Berkers
Yes, first time.
- 00:15 Ronald M. Arndt
When?
- 00:16 Mieke Berkers
Where? So on the 20th and the 21st of November in MOC, for Messe Munich, the conference center. And yes, we have been working on it for a very long period now. It feels like My baby is coming soon.
- 00:30 Katharina Beatriz Varga
How long is the period we're talking about?
- 00:33 Mieke Berkers
So we started with research 2 years ago. Yes. And we saw a huge opportunity here in this market. First of all, the hotel business is booming in the DACH region. There's a lot of investment going on. And also, if you look at the Bavarian region, there's 91% of the hotels, around 10,000 properties are independently owned. So I just wondered, why have we never ever looked at this before? It's a really interesting market.
- 00:59 Ronald M. Arndt
Yeah, I think it's a very good choice as it is also next to Austria, to Switzerland.
- 01:04 Mieke Berkers
Yes, central location.
- 01:05 Ronald M. Arndt
Yeah, so we know the Independent Hotel Show from London, Amsterdam, of course, and even Miami. Miami.
- 01:14 Mieke Berkers
Yes, I haven't been in Miami myself, unfortunately, but I think I should for some research. But Miami is also a destination where the hotel business is booming. But I focus on the European motel markets.
- 01:27 Ronald M. Arndt
Okay, so let's talk about the European market quickly, about the trends and what can we expect during the 2 days, I think?
- 01:37 Mieke Berkers
Yes, 2 days. Yes.
- 01:38 Ronald M. Arndt
Tell us a little bit, Mieke.
- 01:39 Mieke Berkers
So trends, there are many trends at the moment, but the top 5 is, for instance, the boutique. hotel concepts. So interior design, but unique experiences.
- 01:54 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Pretty and unique.
- 01:55 Mieke Berkers
Very unique. Yes. You really have to leave a memorable impression to the guests. Another trend, of course, is luxury personalization. So luxury is not only about glitter and glam, it's also about knowing someone's name when he arrives and just welcoming them in a friendly way with a personal note in the room with maybe a small gift. you know, more personal attention. That's one of the other trends. Another trend is, of course, sustainability. It's a big topic and many hoteliers are struggling with it because it's sometimes a big investment, but the ROI might be even bigger because the future hoteliers— I'm sorry, the future guests, they are more conscious of sustainability. And then—
- 02:42 Ronald M. Arndt
Future hoteliers, it's also important. Important question.
- 02:45 Mieke Berkers
Yeah, yeah, yeah, indeed.
- 02:46 Ronald M. Arndt
Next generation and so on.
- 02:47 Mieke Berkers
It's also about employer branding. People want to work in a hotel that's more conscious about sustainability and putting things in practice and not greenwashing. You have some hotels in the past who had a huge marketing campaign about, we have bamboo straws. It's not about bamboo straws anymore. It's so much more.
- 03:02 Katharina Beatriz Varga
But would you say that sustainability is a trend or more like something mandatory coming?
- 03:09 Mieke Berkers
I think mandatory coming. Yes, indeed. Yeah. But a trend is not always hip and fun. Trend is sometimes also what people are looking for nowadays. And yes, indeed mandatory. I think a must-have for the hotel industry. And also in the past, hotels were consuming a lot of electricity or energy, so there's a big impact on the environment.
- 03:42 Ronald M. Arndt
Especially hotels from a higher quality, they need a lot of... Resources. That's an interesting topic.
- 03:50 Mieke Berkers
Definitely. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And you see so many sustainable initiatives now as well, labels, but also you have initiatives that if you don't want your, how do you say that, your towels to be washed, you get an extra point or you get a free drink in a hotel and in exchange, or they plant a tree for you. Yeah.
- 04:11 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Or even turning that topic around. So we don't automatically clean your room if you wish, then please tell us.
- 04:18 Mieke Berkers
Correct, indeed. And I must say, as a hotel guest, I've never even realized how much impact that would have to get my towels cleaned every day. It's also about consciousness. So I think it's a really, really important topic. And then another trend is technology, of course. You have artificial intelligence. What is that? It's very— many people use it now, But how can you implement that in your guests' journey? Yeah, guests who arrive, they can send nowadays WhatsApp messages with someone with the AI tool, like, hey, do you have a room looking out on the park? And then it automatically recognizes what the guest says and it's connected with a PMS system. And yes, we have a room available. This is the extra cost. Would you like that? You know, it's—
- 05:09 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah.
- 05:10 Mieke Berkers
It's a really, really good tool also for your revenue as a hotel.
- 05:14 Katharina Beatriz Varga
So you just told us that you spent the day at the exhibition at the expo today.
- 05:19 Mieke Berkers
Yes, correct.
- 05:20 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Did you find those trends at the exhibition or what was your feeling?
- 05:24 Mieke Berkers
I'm not sure if this event was focusing on products for hotels, but more connecting people, hoteliers and investors and how to You know, to, to provide solutions about expanding your business or— so, um, I haven't seen those products there. No.
- 05:43 Ronald M. Arndt
So there's some need for the hotel show in Munich next month. And, uh, of course we already had a, uh, look into, into the agenda. Uh, you invited, uh, yeah, smart hoteliers, uh, but also other, uh, professionals from the industry.
- 06:00 Mieke Berkers
Yeah.
- 06:01 Ronald M. Arndt
Uh, really looking forward to this.
- 06:03 Mieke Berkers
Yes, yeah. Well, I must say, we have many speakers lined up that I haven't personally met, but I heard a lot about. So I must say, yes, we are the event organizers, but we also have a few good partners here, local partners who help us out. And the, yeah, I think the few sessions that I look most forward to are, for instance, the luxury and personalization session. It's co-presented by Peter Winter from Madame Magazine and Julia Schneider, a luxury professor. That's one of my favorites. Another session I really look forward to is the opening session. It's about the customer journey and experience, so it's a bit broader, but she's a really good speaker and she's really inspiring. And we also have a hotel investment session because there's so many family-owned businesses here. And, you know, there might be some hoteliers who say, you know, no, revenue management, I leave that with my revenue manager, but I need to know the value of my property or how, what is, what are the trends? Can I expand my business? Or so, yeah, that's also a very good and quality session.
- 07:19 Ronald M. Arndt
Okay. Seems to be a nice mix of interesting people and, but also the most relevant topics at the moment and in the future. And even we both will have a session, Katharina.
- 07:31 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah, we will.
- 07:32 Ronald M. Arndt
Some real talk.
- 07:32 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah.
- 07:33 Ronald M. Arndt
Yes.
- 07:34 Katharina Beatriz Varga
So very excited about that.
- 07:36 Ronald M. Arndt
Go on the website and check out what, what we planned. Will be interesting as well. And thanks a lot for this opportunity.
- 07:42 Mieke Berkers
Yes, of course.
- 07:43 Ronald M. Arndt
Hotel Podcast.
- 07:44 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yes.
- 07:45 Mieke Berkers
I wonder who you're going to meet and what the questions are.
- 07:49 Ronald M. Arndt
How's your German, Mieke?
- 07:50 Mieke Berkers
Um, ich verstehe Deutsch sehr gut.
- 07:53 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Okay.
- 07:55 Ronald M. Arndt
But I think our session will be in English as well, the Real Talk session?
- 07:59 Mieke Berkers
No, of course the content will be mostly in German. 90% of our content is German. Yes, of course. And like I said, I understand everything. I'm just a bit nervous when I have to speak German, that's all.
- 08:09 Ronald M. Arndt
But okay, but during the 2 days, the content, as you said, will mostly be in German.
- 08:15 Mieke Berkers
Yes, correct.
- 08:16 Ronald M. Arndt
That's important to know, I think.
- 08:18 Mieke Berkers
Yeah.
- 08:21 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Hashtag guest experience. What about your personal guest experiences? Is there anything you would like to tell us?
- 08:31 Mieke Berkers
Well, I must say I had a very terrible sleep last night, so I'm not sure if it will be a positive answer today. I do have many good experiences too. I can make a long list with tips because I saw them somewhere, but I also have a few tips like what not to do. For instance? Well, you know, I'm I on purpose booked a double bedroom really because I want a comfortable sleep. And upon arrival, I just had a very tiny sheet on my bed with 1 meter by maybe 1 meter 80. I couldn't sleep at all. So I'm looking for a little bit more comfortable, comfort. So yeah, that was a bit disappointing.
- 09:12 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Which is like also well knotted to quality, right?
- 09:19 Ronald M. Arndt
Yes.
- 09:19 Katharina Beatriz Varga
So your arrival and then your experience in the room was not the best experience?
- 09:27 Mieke Berkers
No, I think that people want some luxury in a hotel. And like I said, it's not glitter and glamour, but I want a good sleep. And, you know—
- 09:35 Katharina Beatriz Varga
That's what it's all about, actually.
- 09:37 Mieke Berkers
Exactly.
- 09:37 Ronald M. Arndt
Yeah.
- 09:38 Mieke Berkers
And I book on purpose a double room by myself because— oh, double bed, sorry. A double bed because I want a good sleep. Yeah, so that was one of my less good experiences.
- 09:50 Katharina Beatriz Varga
But a positive experience? Let's change to the positive side.
- 09:54 Mieke Berkers
The positive side, yes. Oh, there are so many. I must say, there was one hotel when I arrived and there was a handwritten card, hey Mieke, I hope you enjoy your stay. Here's a little gift from me. And that gift is still at home. And when I look at it, I remember the hotel. So yeah, that made makes me come back because it creates a kind of a loyalty with your guests. And it's a very, just a little favor you do. Yeah.
- 10:18 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah. Not much work, but a big effort behind it.
- 10:21 Mieke Berkers
Yeah. Yeah.
- 10:22 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Correct.
- 10:23 Mieke Berkers
Yeah.
- 10:24 Ronald M. Arndt
Yeah. So let's wait another few days.
- 10:28 Mieke Berkers
What are you looking more for, most forward to at the show? Um, except for your own session.
- 10:33 Ronald M. Arndt
People, always people. I think it's, it's really nice to see that there's another exclusive platform now for the independent hotels.
- 10:43 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Mm-hmm.
- 10:45 Ronald M. Arndt
That didn't exist before, and that you also take the risk as entrepreneurs to come to Germany, to build a platform, to partner up with, as you said, very interesting network companies, people here. So yeah, it's nice to see someone from abroad coming here and yeah, to kick us a little bit in the ass, as you say, perhaps.
- 11:13 Mieke Berkers
Maybe to put a different light on it.
- 11:15 Ronald M. Arndt
Because as you said, there's so much potential in hospitality.
- 11:20 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah.
- 11:21 Ronald M. Arndt
And it's also part of our motivation with Hotel Podcast, also to motivate and also to motivate the next generation to To develop. To develop.
- 11:31 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Evolve new stories to—
- 11:33 Ronald M. Arndt
To reinvent a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. The products that already exist. So for 50, 60 years. Yeah. When the grandmother founded the hotel 60, 70 years ago. Yeah.
- 11:47 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah. And lifting that like to a more modern level, which is actually a beautiful story.
- 11:53 Mieke Berkers
Yeah, true.
- 11:54 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah.
- 11:54 Ronald M. Arndt
And you will. during the 2 days deliver so much inspiration. So that's—
- 12:00 Mieke Berkers
Talking about, about how long hospitality exists, there's also one session, um, about the next generation and attracting, yeah, the new generation hoteliers to the show, uh, to your hotel, sorry, for new staff. Um, there was some, has been some research and that has shown that we still, the most of the hotels still treat the employees and, and that The culture or the benefits and the, like the employer, how do you say that, structures are still the same as back in 2004. So talking about agility and evolution, I think that's a, this is a very important topic. Yeah.
- 12:45 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Although hospitality is actually talking about nothing else the last years than adapting to the 21st century. That, you know, all of them know that they're stuck in one kind of time, but—
- 13:00 Mieke Berkers
Yeah, change is sometimes scary.
- 13:02 Katharina Beatriz Varga
You have to change. Yeah, you have to also change and not only talk about the change.
- 13:06 Mieke Berkers
Exactly, exactly. Yeah.
- 13:09 Ronald M. Arndt
So perhaps in the end, just tell us the website where interested people can find more information about Hotel Show.
- 13:17 Mieke Berkers
Yeah, so it's called independenthotels.de. We wanted independenthotelsche.de, but someone bought the domain a long time ago. But we still don't know who that person is. We are still doing research on it. So independenthotels.de, but I'm 100% sure we have many Google Ads included. So yeah, if you Google Independent Hotel Show Munich, I'm 100% sure you'll get to a landing page.
- 13:41 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah, we will link the website as well, of course.
- 13:44 Mieke Berkers
Thank you.
- 13:46 Katharina Beatriz Varga
So click on the bottom.
- 13:47 Mieke Berkers
And all the musicians can come for free. That's an important one. You don't have to buy a ticket if you're in Hotellerie.
- 13:51 Ronald M. Arndt
Great. Yeah, thanks for this and all the best for the next weeks.
- 13:56 Mieke Berkers
Thank you.
- 13:56 Katharina Beatriz Varga
Yeah, we're looking forward to meet you at the exhibition.
- 14:01 Mieke Berkers
I look forward to your session.
- 14:02 Ronald M. Arndt
And next time I have an idea where you can stay, just here at the Beyond by Geisel. Thanks a lot also that we could record the podcast here, the short one, and see you soon, Mieke. Thanks.
- 14:14 Mieke Berkers
Okay, see you gleich.
- 14:15 Ronald M. Arndt
Bis gleich.
- 14:16 Mieke Berkers
Bis gleich.