Ingo C. Peters, one of the world’s top luxury hoteliers helms Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Exclusive Interview)

How would you the define the DNA of the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Hamburg) which has been preserved to this day?

The DNA of Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is defined by its employees. My team is the heart and soul of the hotel. Each individual character, whether they have been part of the family for 6 months or 30 years, build the personality and culture of the hotel and make it the special place it is today. The mix of employees from different generations is critical  senior colleagues pass on the tradition to the younger, preserving the culture once created by the founding family

What makes a Grande Dame hotel like Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten maintain desirability? 

As mentioned before, most important is to always invest in the software, but it’s also very important to invest in hardware in order to stay desirable. Finding the right balance between history & tradition and a precise blend of Innovation & Modern transform any stay relevant at all times.

Fine tuning is the key. If you keep the right balance between the two, you can achieve anything – staying desirable for your regular guests, but also attracting new ones. We pay very close attention to what motivates the choice of our hotel by each guest – some may be seeking the experience of a home-away-from-home, some may be enticed by feeling pampered in an aspirational home.

How would you define luxury hospitality? How do you achieve excellent both in service and product? How do you ensure consistency in time? 

Luxury hospitality is to feel at home. Experience a stay without any worries, relax at its best and enjoy the individual service tailored to your personal desires – make up a flawless luxury hospitality offering.

Again, it’s important to constantly invest in the hotel software – if your employees are happy, love what they do and work with passion, they will make your guests happy and they will become ‘ambassadors’ of the hotel, both in terms of the finest product and heartfelt service.

Motivating your team is yet another essential, communication is key to ensure that everyone wants to participate in the every day hotel life thus making them appreciate, value and respect their job.

What makes a hotel reliable? And how important is reliability when it comes to the perception of a hotel? 

Continuity and consistency make up reliability. One always has to give one’s very best, aiming for the highest standards but at the same time try to improve and learn every single day and always focus on achieving to be the best version of oneself.

Reliability will be noticed and felt by your guests and they will (even if they’re unaware of it) get the feeling for that and thank you later for having had an exceptional stay.

Often times, hoteliers motivate the lack of renovations or even maintenance with the lack of investment by owners. 

Of course, mostly this is the reason for no new renovations or refurbishments. If you do not have a reliable backbone it gets very difficult. We are very lucky with our ownership. Our owners, the Dohle family have always been by our side and continue to invest confidently in the future of FHVJ and its people.

With the pandemic, how has the relationship with owners changed, if in any way?

The relationship got even closer. We are incredibly lucky with our owning family and could not ask for better owners. Our owners considers every member of the hotel as part of their family and it became clear from the beginning that we will go through this difficult time together as one big team.

I think, every difficult situation, just like the pandemic or the unexpected & unbelievable war bring people closer day by day and this is what just happened to the relationship with our owners

Do travelers / guests have different expectations nowadays when it comes to luxury?

They do! Sustainability is more important than ever. Taking responsibility for our actions must be visible and transparent. Honesty is essential !

Hygiene measures have moved to the forefront. Guests are looking for unique experiences they will remember and only then they are willing to pay for their self gratification and pampering. Quality time and a new level of appreciation, with the aim of achieving the ultimate personalisation. Turn the smallest details into bespoke experiences.

Looking ahead, what are the novelties we should be expecting in the near future / 2022-2023

FHVJ is always up to a lot of new surprises especially as we celebrate 125 years this year. After a major overhaul and renovation of our lobby, we are soon finalising our brand new Royal Suite which will be a game-changer of world class ultimate luxury standards. Expect novelties in the offerings of our state-of-the-art-spa. After the iconic perfumery Krigler opened a unique boutique at the hotel, we are exploring new partnerships.

Find more about Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Hamburg) here.

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