“People have top priority, either as guests or as staff members,” points out Managing Director Klaus Michael Schindlmeier, a trained chef who has been running the hotel for seven years now. “And this approach has turned out to be our key to success. Today, our hotel boasts an occupancy rate of more than 65%, a figure that is really impressive, given the strong competition in our region. But we have embodied a policy of emphasizing strong staff motivation. Our employees have contributed immensely to our success and our upward development recently.”
In particular in an economically strong region with a broad hotel offering, it is essential to stand out from the crowd. “We focus on young and talented staff that become role models for other young employees and demonstrate how fast careers can take off,” stresses Mr. Schindlmeier. “Katja Mannsbart, for instance, who joined us as an apprentice three years ago, has now become my personal assistant.”
The hotel provides a variety of offerings to motivate staff members. Apart from stress management training, it organizes sports activities and even operates its own drama group. “The actors in the drama group are coached by a professional actor, and two or three times a year they tackle general hotel situations,” adds Mr. Schindlmeier.
Palatin Hotel has received various awards in recent years, including Best Conference Hotel, Best Event Management and Best Convention Center, and it received the Ecofit award for its commitment to environmental sustainability. “The PLUS in our hotel name indicates that we are more than a mere hotel in the BEST WESTERN group, hosting conferences and events,” says Mr. Schindlmeier. “We have introduced our own boarding house with 14 comfortable studios, two junior suites and three exclusive suites, which address long-term guests.”
For corporate customers, Palatin Hotel offers a range of team-building seminars. “‘Create your event together’, for instance, is a special team-building event that is directed by our team of specialists. Within a given time, the group has to organize a complete evening event, including decoration, seating, welcoming drinks, buffet and so on,” points out Mr. Schindlmeier. “We have had quite a few bookings for this seminar recently, mainly by companies which have just experienced a merger. Nevertheless, we can offer all kinds of cultural and corporate events that are customized to corporate requirements.”
Mr. Schindlmeier is highly optimistic that the unique combination of hotel, boarding house, conference center and cultural events will remain a success, not least because of Palatin Hotel’s unique staff.