Rocco Forte Hotels celebrates 25 years of European hospitality this year. Florian Steinmaier, the newly appointed General Manager of The Charles Hotel in Munich by Rocco Forte Hotels, tells TTN the secret of their success, “It’s all about family.”
“We were one of the few hotel groups in Germany to retain all team members during the Covid-19 crisis, and that really makes a difference. In a family company, you always have a long-term vision, not founded on short-term profitability.
“Being a family company, Rocco Forte Hotels held on to its team members during tough times, giving us a chance to really focus on our service, training, retraining. We also did some fundamental changes to our succession planning. We’ve just been awarded number one employer in Germany because of all the hard work that human resources put in.”
Steinmaier joined The Charles from Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt, where he was General Manager since January 2020. Now taking over The Charles Hotel in Munich, he talks about how Munich remains popular with travellers from the region.
”In the summer, Munich really changes; people want to go alfresco and enjoy the outdoors – and we have the perfect terrace to welcome them”
– Florian Steinmaier
The Charles Hotel is a great starting point to discover Munich and its most prestigious sites including the finest museums such as Lenbachhaus, Pinakothek and Glypthothek. In terms of retail opportunities, it has a close collaboration with the most prestigious shopping establishments in Munich: think Ludwig Beck, Oberpollinger and Lodenfrey. The hotel can arrange for private shopping if required but in any case is close to Germany’s most luxurious and exclusive shopping street - Maximilian street.
“The building site used to be the library for the old university, however, and that building was taken down and rebuilt. The hotel itself is named after Charles, a Forte family member, and even the presidential suite is called Monforte, paying homage to the Forte family roots.
“Having worked at all key properties in Munich, I can confirm that one of the big advantages of Charles is that we have a beautiful and green outdoor space. In the summer, Munich really changes; people want to go alfresco and enjoy the outdoors – and we have the perfect terrace to welcome them.
“We are working on implementing new room and suite categories. Our Executive Suites have been recently renovated and come summer there will be four brand new suites available to book. “We have a few standard rooms overlooking the park and we plan on knocking down four standard rooms on four floors, to make 4 Parkview suites with kitchenette – the works.”
The Charles Hotel employs Arabic speaking employees for the ease of Middle Eastern guests. “In the Middle East, people are always after a good deal and that is definitely something that we do.
“We also make sure we look after families with our connecting rooms and discounts on food and beverage. We can see a big trend at least in Europe and in the US, where after the pandemic, it’s multi-generational families traveling.
“The family segment is crucial for us as a family business,” concludes Steinmaier.