Hotel planner Bardo-M. Feuring: “There are not enough real 5-star hotels in Berlin“

What makes a hotel a luxury hotel? The fact that it has five stars or that its guests are prepared to pay a lot of money for an overnight stay? For the Feuring Group, which was involved in the development of more than 400 first class and luxury hotels in Germany and abroad, one thing is quite obvious: not all 5-star hotels really are top hotels. The decisive factor is the room rate.

Less than a quarter of all 5-star hotels in Berlin really are top hotels
What makes a hotel a luxury hotel? The fact that it has five stars or that its guests are prepared to pay a lot of money for an overnight stay? For the Feuring Group, which was involved in the development of more than 400 first class and luxury hotels in Germany and abroad, one thing is quite obvious: not all five star hotels really are top hotels. The decisive factor is the room rate. "A hotel will only then belong to the luxury segment and be able to compete on an international level if it succeeds to achieve a continuous high average room rate", Bardo-M. Feuring says. In Berlin, this only applies to the Adlon, the Hotel de Rome, the Grand Hyatt, the Ritz Carlton and the Regent Hotel. According to the official classification system, there are twenty-three 5-star hotels in Berlin. According to Bardo-M. Feuring, however, a luxury hotel has to fulfil more than just the official criteria in order to achieve high room rates, i.e. rooms, especially bathrooms, should be generously sized, services should be of a very high standard, implemented materials of an exceptional quality; discretion and security should be self-speaking, and the hotel should be modernised regularly and respond to new trends in time.

Hotels which want to count Nicolas Sarkozy, Warren Buffett and Madonna to their guests will have to offer very special surroundings with high quality fittings and furnishings: "A generously spaced and equipped bathroom for example, with a bathtub, a shower and, as the case may be, a bidet is luxury which cannot be realised on five square metres", Bardo-M. Feuring says. Whether or not a hotel really belongs to the top market segment will really only become obvious over the years. "It is easy to reach a 5-star standard. But the art is to keep up this standard." For this reason, operators have to keep a close eye on the standard of their services and equipment and realise modernisations as soon as they become necessary – a long time before guests notice the need for them. The Adlon, for example, recently extended its services by creating a day spa and, in order to increase security, equipped all suites with bulletproof glass. In 2007, the Grand Hyatt Berlin had its conference area newly designed by the internationally renowned interior decorator, Toni Chi. Both hotels are also striking out in new directions with regard to food & beverage and have created new restaurant concepts.

Further potential for real top hotels
According to Mr. Feuring, the top hotel segment in Berlin has a lot of catching up to do on an international level and still does not have enough exclusive hotel products such as Mandarin Oriental or Shangri-La on offer. "The fact that real luxury hotels do indeed have good chances for success is proven by the existing hotels of this standard. In recent years these have all been able to clearly improve their figures for overnight stays and occupancy." One of the reasons for this high demand is the importance of Berlin as the capital city of Germany in view of the media, politics and the economy. There is a bustle of famous people from Germany and abroad who all want to live extravagantly and are prepared to pay the high prices that go along with this luxury.

Background: Criteria for 5-star hotels according to Dehoga (German Federation for Hotels and Restaurants)
• Single room 18 m², double room 26 m², suites
• 24-hour reception desk with concierge, multi-lingual staff
• Doorman- or wagon master service
• Reception hall with seating and drinks service
• Personalised welcome with fresh flowers or present in room
• Mini-bar and 24-hour food & beverage as room service
• Body care products in individual flacons
• Internet-PC in room and qualified IT-support service
• Selection of different pillows, central operation of room lighting from bed, safe in room
• Ironing service (within one hour), shoe shine service
• Evening turndown service
• Mystery men checks
(Source: www.hotelsterne.de)

Feuring (www.feuring.com) was established in Mainz, Germany in 1959. The company accompanies its customers from the first idea, over the market analysis and setting up of a concept, procuring a suitable hotel operator and drawing up the necessary contracts, organising and supervising a steering committee, fitting and equipping the hotel up to its turn-key handover and carrying out an investment examination. Up until now, Feuring has been involved in the successful development of more than 400 first class and luxury hotels at home and abroad on behalf of investors and hotel chains. The financial volume of current projects amounts to around one billion Euro. The Feuring Group publishes an online magazine about the subject of hotel developments which you can reach via www.feuring-emagazine.com.

Mr. Bardo-M. Feuring
Feuring - Visionary Hotel Development
Phone +49 6131 982220
email b.m.feuring feuring.com
www.feuring.com

This release was published on openPR.