In conversation with Thies Bruhn, General Manager, Grand Hotel Heiligendamm (Exclusive Interview)

How is the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm positioned?

The Grand Hotel Heiligendamm – also called the German Hamptons, is positioned as the leading luxury-lifestyle hotel at the Baltic Sea and in Northern Europe. At the same time we must continue to build our leading position on quality, service, pricing strategy and finally the price-performance ratio, for our leisure and business travellers, family and cultural guests.

Is there a DNA of the iconic resort? How would you define desirability?

The DNA of the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm lives from the genuine cooperation between the managing director and the entire team. Giving life and soul to the house and creating a truly unique stay for our guests only works when we all pull together and further invest in the software but as well in hardware. To fine tune and to set new innovational goals is key to keep up the Reputation for our Grand Hotel Heiligendamm/ the German Hamptons.

Our main values within the team are People oriented, Entrepreneurial Performance, Being Straightforward, Passion for European Luxury and Creating Traditions.

The exclusivity of the resort is largely defined by its unique location at the Baltic Sea. In Heiligendamm, our guests find exactly the tranquility and relaxation they are looking for and this is exactly what distinguishes a new kind of luxury.

What is the profile of your guests? Has this changed with the pandemic?

We welcome mainly leisure guests in our resort, which are divided by nationality into 95% Germans, 2% Scandinavians, 1% Austrians, 1% Swiss and 1% Others. The amount of MICE or corporate business is increasing, as well as long-term bookings, especially in the summer months. In general, we perceive that our target group has become younger in the recent years.

Post pandemic, how has your property been performing? Are there challenges still persisting?

Immediately after the pandemic, we already had to deal with some restrictions, especially as far as events were concerned. But since a few months the demand is growing steadily, the house is well attended, certainly also due to our excellent rate structure and value for money perception.

Do your guests have different expectations? Is luxury perceived differently?

Of course, the expectations of our guests are high, because of our name and our excellent reputation.

Since the pandemic, people appreciate freedom even more and with our resort the guests will find a place where they can move undisturbed and enjoy their well-deserved time out.

Being positioned directly at the Sea sustainability is becoming also more important for our guests.

What has been your approach to service and consistency?

We are pleased that many of our employees have remained loyal to the company, despite the pandemic and short-time working. Employee engagement is particularly important to me because, as I said, the house is only as good as the individual employee.
Hotels/Resorts will not stay empty because of missing guests…they might stay empty because of missing talents… That’s why we constantly invest into our Software…a motivated team is essential, if my employees are happy and passionate in what the are doing, they transform this heartfelt service to our guests…It is all about the people. Consistency and service is there for one of our highest priorities.

How important are you dining and wellness Spa offerings?

Our guests are looking for exclusive luxury. We are constantly modernizing our food concepts, because sustainability and regionality are very important to us. We offer a wide range from star cuisine to modern food concepts like our Sushi Bar or our Food Truck.

As the first German seaside resort, Heiligendamm has always been a place of recreation. Therefore, it is important to us that our spa area creates exactly the relaxation our guests are looking for. On a total of 3.000 square meters they can enjoy an individually tailored program for beauty, care and vitality.

What about the upkeep (maintenance of the product)?

We constantly invest in our house, e.g. in our outdoor pool, boarding houses for our employees and talents, rooms, buildings facade and also in IT servies to make processes more efficient and digital.

Are there any noveleties you are planning for this year?

The largest novelty will be the reconstruction of our sushi restaurant, including a new name and a whole new interior. Our guests can look forward to a classic Japanese restaurant with 70 seats and live cooking under the direction of Handoko Umo Suaanto. The Indonesian-born sushi executive chef has gained many years of experience in Japan and around the world. Together with our existing sushi team, he will not only give the Grand Hotel an authentic and international flair, but will also make Japanese cuisine popular in the north of Germany.

In spring 2023, we will additionally expand the restaurant with a winter garden. Recently we also welcomed our hamam master Hassan Jebali from Pakistan, who takes our guests on a fabulous relaxing cleansing ritual from the Orient.

Tell us more about the destination and what should travellers expect?

Your journey to us is already promises to be special. Alleys lined with tall trees will lead you through endless fields and meadows until you reach our impressive ensemble. Our hideaway is directly located at the shore of the Baltic Sea, the air you breathe is fresh and fills you up with new energy. The location offers a wide range of activities, from horse riding, golfing, biking, hiking, to sailing, surfing or stand-up paddling – almost endless opportunities.

Grand Hotel Heiligendamm is part of Die Besten 101, Leading Hotels of The World, Selektion Deutscher Hotels Luxushotels

Thies Bruhn, General Manager, Grand Hotel Heiligendamm