Positive business development in 2023 / Leading topics sustainability and digitalization

“Very satisfied and optimistic” is how Erik van Kessel, Managing Director Operations at Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH seems to be as far as the business development in the past financial year 2023 is concerned. “We have finally overcome the crisis situation after Covid, and we are looking back at an extremely successful year with numerous trade fairs and congresses, conferences and large events at the current 24 German Maritim sites. In total, occupation rose by a solid eleven percent, and the room rates were around seven percent higher than in the previous year.”

“With preliminary sales of 377 million euros in 2023, the hotel business was clearly higher than the result of the previous year by a solid 77 million euros, which of course was still impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” explains Martin Friedrich, Finance Manager (CFO) at Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH. “Of course, we still had international crises in 2023 and global economic situation put a lot of pressure on our business, due to exploding energy prices and inflation, for example. In spite of all that, we have managed to significantly exceed our expectation, which we are very happy about,” Friedrich says in conclusion. What pays off here is that we plan conservatively and have a strong equity ratio; that way, we can act in an agile manner and, for example, service liabilities from the Covid crisis much faster than initially planned,” the finance expert adds. In addition, both the hotel portfolio and internal structures and processes have been significantly improved and designed to be more effective.

Yet the current 2024 financial year is still a challenge: The uncertain global political situation and rising prices in almost all business areas such as purchasing, logistics, services and personnel add up to an enormous burden. In this regard, Managing Director Operations Erik van Kessel says that “Naturally, we can only pass on the increased cost structure to our customers to a limited extent, because despite the general price increase, we need to act in line with the market. That will not be easy this year for all companies and sectors, but especially for the hotel industry;” he further foresees that “For this reason in 2023 we will focus more on the huge topics of sustainability and digitalization in order to make ourselves even more efficient and future-oriented.”

Maritim in Germany: Courageous and forward-looking with sustainable goals

The area of sustainability is being expanded even further with a variety of packages of measures. To offer our guests accommodations that are as climate-friendly and environmentally-friendly as possible, all Maritim Hotels in Germany have undergone an elaborate sustainability check. For this project, Maritim Group has teamed up with a partner experienced in matters of climate protection: ClimatePartner based in Munich. Issues like energy consumption, waste volumes and emissions were inspected, and a so-called Corporate Carbon Footprint was determined. An individual measures catalogue will be derived from the results. A big advantage here: All empirical values and initiatives will be transferred and implemented throughout the chain. To control this process, a sustainability council has already been established for all Maritim Hotels. In addition, Henning Jünke has been appointed to take on a new position of “Sustainability Director” at Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH.

In this regard, Managing Director Erik van Kessel says that “In the future, we will invest up to two percent of our chain-wide sales in our ambitious sustainable corporate goals. We are therefore taking a courageous and forward-looking stance as far as ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is concerned: As a German owner-managed company, we have the advantage of short coordination channels and quick chain-wide decisions. We will use this to position ourselves as a sustainable player in the market,” explains Kessel.

E-charging stations at all Maritim Hotels throughout Germany

Another milestone on the way to even more sustainable offerings is the nationwide expansion of e-charging stations at Maritim Hotels. By the end of the year, Maritim guests should be able to fill up on electric power at all German locations and thus contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

The Maritim “Pro Tomorrow” initiative supports sustainable hotel stays as well. This means that guests have the option of resigning from room cleaning and thus promote regional and social projects. In 2023 alone, donations totalled 237,875 euros.

New digital solutions for even better contact with guests

A small “digital revolution” has started at Maritim along with the new year 2024: To provide for quicker, better and more customer-oriented contact with guests, we have just introduced several new digital systems. The entire MICE area will also benefit from these new digital solutions. Currently, the Maritim Hotel Düsseldorf is the pilot hotel, and little by little, all the other Maritim locations will be changed over. “For decades, Maritim hotels have been the top addresses in the German conference market. We want to stay that way and offer our customers a unique experience from the inquiry to the realisation of the event,” explains Roland Elter, Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH. How do we get there: Data-driven decision making. Roland Elter’s take on this: “The world around us, especially the customer perspective, changes very quickly. New technologies should be used to further improve the guest experience - yet we must make sure that the personal human elements which quite simply are the building blocks for warm hospitality, do not get pushed into the background. “Thanks to data evaluation, employees can for example gain insight into seasonal trends, plan venues more effectively and generally make sound decisions, which in turn leads to improved operational efficiency and increased guest satisfaction,” Elter explains as he presents the advantages of the new systems,” adds the Maritim head of sales.

A successful start: Maritim Hotel and Congress Center Ingolstadt

As of June 2023, business guests and private travellers can check into a new Maritim Hotel and enjoy a one-of-a-kind top location right on the Danube. The hotel has 223 state-of-the-art rooms and suites, including 191 double rooms in the Classic, Comfort and Superior category as well as 32 suites in the luxury segment with up to 133 square metres of living space. The new Maritim Hotel Ingolstadt is connected to the recently finished Congress Centre, which is also operated by Maritim Hotelgesellschaft. The large state-of-the-art hall with stage and gallery is a highlight here. A total of 1,274 guests can be seated here. In addition, there is a conference area on the 2nd level, which offers eleven differently sized rooms including a lounge, stretching over a total area of 1,292 square metres.

Director Jan Lohrmann looks back at the past few months with great satisfaction: “Our Events Department has more than enough to do. We receive inquiries every single day, whether it’s for conferences, large events or congresses. I am very grateful to have such a motivated and above all professionally competent team here. We were able to get off to an excellent start with a number of brilliant events and are looking forward to welcoming even more guests in 2024. André Kreutzmann former head of F & B has recently joined Jan Lohrmann’s team and now supports him as deputy director.

Maritim abroad: Opening of Maritim Hotel Amsterdam

Starting summer of this year, the first guests will be able to check into the new Maritim Hotel Amsterdam. The 110-metre high hotel building with 579 rooms and suites has already become a ‘landmark building’ in Amsterdam. Attached to it is a cutting-edge conference and congress centre with 18 conference rooms that can accommodate more than 4,400 visitors. The large conference room fits up to 2,200 people.

The Skybar, Amsterdam’s highest bar, invites you to stay and enjoy the breathtaking view of Amsterdam and the IJ river, while a variety of excellent restaurants serving national and international specialities and a luxurious wellness floor indulge their guests.

With its modern facilities and good accessibility, the Maritim in the north of Amsterdam will become a new point of attraction. It is only 20 minutes to Schiphol Airport and there are excellent rail, road and boat connections. A five-minute ferry ride across the River IJ takes you to Amsterdam's beautiful 17th-century canal district.

“Our fantastic team is constantly growing, and we took good advantage of the pre-opening phase to establish a very good reputation even before the official opening,” reports hotel director Caroline Receveur. The advance booking situation is more than satisfactory and customers are very interested in the meeting and conference capacities. “Now things are getting serious, we are currently planning the opening for July of August – if all goes smoothly at the construction site. We are counting down!” the experienced hotel director happily adds.

Maritim successful in Bulgaria with sustainable hotels

With some diverse environmental protection measures and the so-called “Green All-inclusive Offers,” the Albena Resort on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea has made a name for itself. Two Maritim Hotels welcome German guests in particular who appreciate the sustainable concept and the numerous sports and wellness offers on site. “The Maritim Hotel Paradise Blue Albena and the Maritim Hotel Amelia are two very successful 5-star hotels in the Maritim foreign portfolio, which are a perfect match for our high service and quality demands,” stresses Peter Wennel, Managing Director of Hotel Management Services (HMS) GmbH. As a subsidiary, HMS has been responsible for the foreign activities of the Maritim Hotelgesellschaft for nearly 20 years. “The multi-generation holiday is a real trend, meaning that grandparents, parents and children spend their free time together, as our Resort Hotels offer activities for any age, be it tennis, golf, water sports, as well as diverse relaxation activities and a wide choice of healthy meal options. 60 percent of the food that ends up on the table in the seaside resort grows in the gardens and fields of Albena. The German and Austrian guests in particular appreciate this ‘green mission’ very much,” notes HMS Managing Director Wennel. Targeted waste avoidance, electricity from solar systems and the general reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions are also part of the holistic concept.

HMS GmbH has also been active for years in Albania and currently manages three hotels, and the Maritim Hotel Tirana is the first officially classified 5-star hotel in the country. Just recently, the classification was renewed by the Ministry for the Environment and Tourism and extended until 2027. “The Maritim Hotel Marina Bay in Vlora is especially well developed. A new, chic beach restaurant was recently built there,” reports Peter Wennel, and adds that “As a travel destination, Albania is becoming more and more trendy. Although the majority of our guests come from Albania itself or nearby Italy, more and more tourists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are discovering the special beauty and extraordinary flair of Albania as a holiday destination. Major tour operators also keep this in mind.”

Egypt is still a popular destination, especially with families and diving enthusiasts. Since 2007, Maritim Hotel Jolie Ville Resort & Casino Sharm El Sheikh has been receiving its guests with freshly renovated rooms. “Great location, right on the Red Sea at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Water sports enthusiasts get their money’s worth here, but it’s also great for families, since the flat beaches mean lot of fun for the children,” says the tourism pro, highly recommending the region.”

On the other hand, the three Maritim Hotels in China are visited by Chinese guests mostly. The Maritim Hotel Group has been active on the Chinese market since 2010. Last year, the Maritim Hotel & Conference Center Taicang opened its doors as yet another 5-star hotel in the emerging economic zone. The city of Taicang has been officially designated a “Chinese-German base for business cooperation” by the Chinese Ministry of Economic Affairs and is developing very dynamically, especially in the automotive and electrical industries as well as in the energy sector. Already in 2021, the Maritim Hotel Taicang Garden was opened with 257 rooms and suites, and a contract for a second Maritim Hotel with conference centre was signed.

In this regard, Dr. Monika Gommolla, Chairperson of the Board and owner of Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH: “More than 400 German companies already have subsidiaries in Taicang. The location therefore has the potential to reach international business guests as well. Our Chinese partners are particularly impressed by the high-quality service provided by Maritim Hotels in Germany and decades of experience in the conference and event business. That is why we have also won the contract for a new Maritim Hotel & Conference Center Taicang with a total event surface area of 4,000 sq. metres.” The Maritim Hotel & Conference Center is located in the centre of Taicang and offers 150 rooms and suites on six floors. The hotel, built in the style of a castle, is part of the so-called Rothenburg Complex, an investment that was built based on the model of “Rothenburg ob der Tauber,” a German city.

“The Maritim brand continues to enjoy great trust at home and abroad and stands for the top service quality, warm hospitality and reliability. We can see this not only in the very good business development, but also in the consistently high number of trainees at our facilities. I am particularly happy about the fact that this has not changed even with the extremely difficult Covid period. Employees as well guests have not let difficult times take away the joy they feel in the world of hotels. This also makes it clear how important our industry is for social interaction in general – both in the private and business sectors,” Dr. Monika Gommolla concludes.