Dorint also wants to open more hotels in Switzerland – Hotel Inside

Dorint Hotels & Resorts has been around for 65 years. At the moment there are five Dorint houses in Switzerland (Basel, Interlaken, Bad Zurzach, Beatenberg, Zurich). Last week the German hotel group celebrated its anniversary – and Rolf Westermann spoke to Dorint President Dirk Iserlohe. One thing is certain: Dorint is committed to “controlled growth” and wants to open more hotels in Switzerland.

Dirk Iserlohe, at 65 years old things are a little quieter for most people. What about Dorint?

We can’t talk about calm yet, but we will work with more caution. In 65 years of successful brand positioning, the Dorint Hotel Group has gone through all the ups and downs of economic and social developments and has been shaped by them. Dorint’s board of directors and management continues to strive for controlled growth in the DACH sector. In a fast moving and often uncertain world, we focus on offering our guests a high quality temporary home. Therefore, there is no peace and quiet – our focus is more on further sustainable development.

Dorint has had an interesting few years, including dangerous economic problems and the entry and exit of Accor. You once described the situation as riding on a razor’s edge. How volatile is the hotel industry?

The hotel industry is always a laggard in the economy, as it is largely responsible for the development of almost all economic sectors and at the same time has a high level of labor intensity. In the event of an economic downturn, private and business travelers are immediately faced with significant disruptions, both in terms of travel and additional costs.
Private individuals rarely refuse their vacations altogether, but they shorten the duration of the trip and reduce the demand for additional services and extras. Companies usually reduce their travel budgets for individual travelers, cancel conferences and promotions and are increasingly relying on virtual meetings through platforms such as “Zoom” or ” Team”. When economic conditions recover, travel budgets are usually the last to increase again. In addition, all types of costs have a direct impact on inflation. Therefore, the term instability is almost an understatement.

Is the company in safe waters now – three years after the pandemic? Their credit for several years has been under growth control.

The Dorint Hotel Group (DHI Dorint Hospitality & Innovation GmbH) has 62 hotels and resorts, of which 56 are in operation and six are under construction. Being in safe waters means that the organization, on the one hand, generates stable profits, has HR issues under control, is innovative, complies with ESG regulations and is competent adapted to future economic fluctuations.
The latter can only be achieved with a specific company size, which can compensate for regional differences in particular. Our aim is therefore to operate at least 80 hotels & resorts with a turnover of around 600 million euros by 2028. We are working hard on this, based on profits to be achieved from 2025 onwards.

Financial custodian Honestis and real estate asset manager Honasset work closely with Dorint. Is this a strength or a threat?

Thanks to the shareholders and the accumulated funds as a leading company, the financial investment Honestis AG is not a risk instead, it is a guarantee for a stable future, especially to overcome the ongoing challenges for The Dorint Group – as it is. the case is now. Honestis AG is therefore a strong foundation for the continued development of the group and the strengthening of equity.

Other hotel chains are growing faster. Where is Dorint going in the next five years? Will it stay with all three brands? How long should the extension go?

The question of comparing the growth rate with other hotel chains is too unspecific without a more detailed explanation of the criteria to be considered. It’s easy to compare apples and oranges. The growth of a German hotel company driven by owners focusing on DACH is not like a large, international hotel group that expands only through franchise agreements.
Nevertheless: After separation from Accor in 2006, the portfolio consisted of 42 Dorint Hotels & Resorts. After our reorganization within Honestis AG in 2000, the portfolio was significantly expanded and restructured. Today we operate our hotels under the three brands “Dorint Hotels & Resorts”, “Hommage Luxury Hotels Collection” and “Essential by Dorint”. These are continuously reviewed and developed in relation to our full service philosophy. The aim is to strengthen the Dorint Hotel Group qualitatively and quantitatively. Our top priority: safe jobs.

What is your best thing at Dorint?

There are many important milestones in our history: the separation from Accor in 2006 and the challenges associated with it, overcoming the economic crisis of 2008 and the subsequent banking crisis four years later, the group’s focus on business DACH and establishment and financial strengthening by Honestis AG in 2016.

But the most important thing for me is still our hotel heroes, and it’s worth starting anew every day. Creating a team that is consistently efficient and successful in surviving the almost inevitable Corona phase is a valuable path. The path is the goal. Even if it sometimes seems like a Sisyphean task, it is the moments of happiness of our employees when our guests are satisfied that make up the most beautiful scenes in the life of a hotelier.

My personal highlight was the restructuring of the real estate and hotel group into Honestis AG in 2016. By doing this, together with our shareholders, we laid the foundation for more growth and our resilience.

Caption Main photo: Dorint President Dirk Iserlohe.

to an overview