Passing the baton

As Claus-Dieter Jandel, outgoing chief development officer of Deutsche Hospitality, prepares for his retirement with a one-way ticket to Majorca and the anticipation of spending more time driving his 1959 Porsche 356 on the open road, there is a sense that he will not be leaving the hotel industry just yet. 

As Jandel prepares to hand over to his successor, Marie-Noële Schwartzmann, he knows that the experience he has built up over 40 years with the company, that has grown from one brand — Steigenberger — to a portfolio of eight brands, will still be in great demand. 

"When you love your job, you always find something to be excited about and that is what keeps you going," he says. "I always had a short-term strategy and a long-term strategy. I achieved all my long-term strategies. You must always have a clear vision. 

"When I started, I wanted to become a hotel manager, which I did at the age of 28," he adds. "Then I wanted to take the next step, then the next. What gave me the most satisfaction was dealing with people. As a general manager, I was in the restaurant every night and talked to guests. I had the inner need to talk to the guests every day. I will miss that, but I can do more of my own travelling now, and I will not leave the industry completely."

Growing as a team

Under the Deutsche Hospitality umbrella, Steigenberger Icons represents the highest luxury hotels, while Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels combine the distinctive Porsche Design lifestyle with Steigenberger hospitality and service quality. House of Beats creates a stylish environment with urban flair, while MAXX by Deutsche Hospitality focuses on essential comfort. Jaz in the City mirrors a metropolitan lifestyle and is inspired by the local music scene. IntercityHotels provides a relaxed hub in the city, and Zleep Hotels promises a good night's sleep at an affordable price.

“The acquisition of Zleep, adding an economy brand to our portfolio, was definitely one of the major achievements,” Jandel remarks. “Since I have been heading the development department, we have been able to sign 120 new contracts for Deutsche Hospitality. When I took over the responsibility for development, we operated hotels in five countries in Europe. Today our portfolio consists of 165 Hotels in 19 countries on three continents.

“Change was always the most challenging part of the journey,” he adds. “So it was a kind of a logical evolution to turn the company from a family business to a successful international player. Things are changing all the time in this industry, so you have to be one of the moving parts, a part that accelerates the business. The environment is changing and the market is changing, and we now have brands in the luxury, economy and mid-market sectors, so a change of culture to adapt [to].”

Challenging times

In a 40-year career with Deutsche Hospitality, Jandel has seen his fair share of change and witnessed hard times for the industry. None, however, have been as difficult as the past two years, with the pandemic putting unprecedented pressure on the hospitality industry. For Jandel, however, every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow.

“Before the pandemic, worst case scenarios like earthquakes, storms, terrorism often referred to a single hotel,” he explains. “Covid-19 was something bigger [and was] not really foreseeable, which affected the hotel industry.

“We are doing well because we have a very good reputation among both customers and our employees,” he adds. “We used the time to reshape all of our brands and took the time to look at what each brand represents. But we kept our DNA while updating how people experience the brand.”

Overall, the pandemic has presented an opportunity to reflect on the needs of guests and how hotels need to adapt to satisfy the demands of their customers. In some ways, there has been a lot of change in the industry over the decades, but some things will always remain the same.

“Nothing has changed in terms of guest comfort and attentive service,” Jandel observes. “But in some ways the environment has totally changed. When I started out in the 1970s, guests sent letters or telegrams to book a room. You would take a reservation, then later check availability and then send an offer. So, it took a minimum of two days to book a room. Today, it takes just some seconds. All our availability is online and people can book directly.

“There is another thing that has not changed – I loved my job and our industry from the first day on and still do so,” he adds.

A new hand on the wheel

Jandel’s passion for the industry is shared by Marie- Noële Schwartzmann, the new CDO of Deutsche Hospitality. Having started out in finance and consulting, she soon moved into the hotel industry because of her interest in developing talent – a prerequisite of a good leader. Now, she is relishing the opportunity to build on the company’s core values as it expands the reach of its brands.

“What I need to discover first is the company’s internal culture,” she remarks. “It is very important to understand the current business model and its success story. Here, there is a quality mindset that is specific to the company’s DNA. The people here don’t realise just how ethical and how professional they are.”

Among the key priorities of the companies will be digitalisation, to meet the needs of increasingly tech-savvy and demanding guests, and sustainability. “Green is the new normal,” she remarks. “Being ESG-friendly is not an option – we need to be green. The companies that naturally go green will overperform. From construction to operation, we are asking for the highest standards in energy, water, waste and plastic use, and in the amenities in the room. Everything. That includes the way we treat our employees.”

Charged with strengthening the group’s presence in existing markets in Europe and the Middle East while expanding into new markets, Schwartzmann understands – just as Jandel did – that embracing change and retaining a quality mindset are the keys to success.

“To develop the group, I want to go more into economy, mid-scale and lifestyle brands because those segments are more dynamic and resilient,” she remarks. “It is a very important part of my job to meet external partners and stakeholders, to build relationships and to maintain our reputation on the market.

“For that, I have the support of my team and the support of Mr Jandel,” she adds. “This is an exciting opportunity. We always have to keep moving. No one has all of the answers, but we will find out on the way. A successful company is an agile one and we have a strong strategic vision. I am very grateful to Mr Jandel and it is a privilege to have him working with me during the handover.”

With a perfect blend of experience and passion, the development of Deutsche Hospitality seems to be in perfectly safe hands as one generation of leaders hands over the reins to another.