Frankfurt/Main (April 1, 2022). CEO change at Deutsche Hospitality: André Witschi and Marcus Bernhardt leave Steigenberger Hotels AG. Oliver Bonke becomes the new CEO. Wilhelm Bender is elected chairman of the supervisory board. The Chinese owner Huazhu probably wants to turn the tide, because the acquisition of the German hotel group has not brought him a cent so far.
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| The new CEO: Oliver Bonke. / Photo: Steigenberger Hotels AG Jana Kay |
"The aim of the group is to take off again after a challenging market phase and to exploit the full potential of the Deutsche Hospitality brands," the official statement reads. The changes were decided in a supervisory board meeting at noon yesterday. The top management from China has already been in Frankfurt all week.
Oliver Bonke has more than 30 years of experience in the hotel industry. At Shangri-La Group, he served as CEO for the Middle East, Europe, India and the Americas, based in New York, and as President & COO, based in Hong Kong. Prior to that, he served as Chief Commercial Officer of the US luxury hotel chain Loews Hotels & Co. He was also Chief Commercial Officer of InterContinental Hotels Group in the Americas and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing EMEA and previously Asia Pacific of Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
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| The new Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Professor Wilhelm Bender. / Photo: Steigenberger Hotels AG Jana Kay |
Jihong He, CEO International Business of Huazhu Group says: "Oliver Bonke is an excellent expert in the global hotel industry. He has proven his expertise in building and developing businesses on three continents. I value Oliver Bonke as an inspiring leader who continuously drives innovation in all areas. I am certain that he will bring new brilliance to our brands."
Professor Wilhelm Bender was Chairman of the Executive Board of Fraport AG for 17 years. Since then, he has been active in various supervisory boards and company advisory boards and is considered an extremely well-connected personality in Frankfurt. He says: "I have known Steigenberger since my childhood in Frankfurt and have always felt connected to the company. For me, it is a special honour to be active as Chairman of the Supervisory Board for Steigenberger Hotels AG as of today."
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| The outgoing CEO: Marcus Bernhard. / Photo: Steigenberger Hotels AG Jana Kay |
Marcus Bernhardt has already left the company at noon yesterday. "I would like to thank André Witschi and Marcus Bernhardt for their work and wish them all the best for their future tasks," says Jihong He.
This thank-you sounds a bit tight-lipped. Presumably Huazhu wants to force a turnaround, which cannot happen as quickly as Asians often hope from German or European companies. From various background discussions, hospitalityInside knows that the pressure from China increased as Corona's paralysis progressed. The expansion announced at the end of 2020 (up to 700 hotels by 2025) did not even come to fruition thanks to Corona - which, from the Chinese point of view, is a great loss of face after such an announcement.
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| The outgoing Chairman of the Supervisory Board: André Witschi. / Photo: Steigenberger Hotels AG Jana Kay |
Now, Omicron is in the process of crippling China (hotspot Hong Kong, lockdown in Shanghai), so that even Huazhu now has to tighten its belt in its own country as well.
If Marcus Bernhardt goes, supervisory board member André Witschi must also go. He had elevated Bernhardt to the CEO post in 2020 and positioned himself as Huazhu founder Qi Ji's right-hand man behind the German scenes. Insiders rumour that there have been plans for a change of supervisory board for some time.
It remains to be seen whether the new CEO Oliver Bonke will be able to turn the tide according to Chinese ideas. / map
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