A vacation in your own city – this was possible in a special way in Munich this August. As part of the “Change of scenery” campaign, around 50 city hotels invited Munich residents to stay with them for a discounted night. The campaign aims to support Munich’s hotel industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Baumeister editor Theresa Ramisch took part in the campaign […].
A vacation in your own city – this was possible in a special way in Munich this August. As part of the “Change of scenery” campaign, around 50 city hotels invited Munich residents to stay with them for a discounted night. The campaign aims to support Munich’s hotel industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Baumeister editor Theresa Ramisch took part in the campaign and was able to stay in a room designed by Axel Vervoordt at Munich’s Grand Hotel Bayerischer Hof and met Innegrit Volkhardt, owner of the Bayerischer Hof, for a chat.
The German hospitality industry is facing a wave of insolvencies. This is the result of a survey presented by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) in mid-August. From January to July 2020, German cafés, restaurants and hotels recorded sales losses of 60.1%. For the year as a whole, businesses are expecting sales to fall by 51.0%. Restaurants and hotels in cities are particularly affected by the crisis. DEHOGA President Guido Zöllick describes their situation as “catastrophic”. While businesses in the vacation regions can already draw hope again, business travelers and tourists from abroad are still missing in the cities.
Munich has now responded to the crisis with the “Change of scenery” campaign. Supported by the local DEHOGA district office and the Munich Department of Labour and Economic Affairs, the Tourismus Initiative München (TIM) and the Munich Hotel Alliance (MHA) organized a unique offer that should at least provide the hotel industry with a small additional source of income. The promotional deal: from August 10 to September 6, 2020, residents of the city of Munich and the surrounding area were able to stay in around 50 Munich city hotels – including first-class and luxury hotels – at flat rates of 79 euros, 99 euros and 139 euros. The prices were per double room, per night including breakfast for two people. In addition, all guests received a Munich Card, with which they can visit Munich’s museums at a reduced rate and which is also a ticket for local public transport.
Munich’s grand hotel par excellence, the Bayerischer Hof, also took part in the campaign. The people of Munich were enthusiastic – within a very short time, the contingent was exhausted. “We thought it was a great idea and definitely wanted to take part out of solidarity with the other MHA members,” says Philipp Herdeg, Head of PR and Communications. This campaign does not cover the costs for the 5-star hotel – breakfast alone costs 42 euros per person. The advantage of the Bayerischer Hof is that it is debt-free. The Volkhardt family, who own the hotel, have always put 25 percent of profits into reserves and have been able to bridge the crisis comparatively well.
Security conference 2021 already planned at the Bayerischer Hof
The 5-star luxury hotel on Munich’s Promenadeplatz, which opened in 1841 and is managed by Innegrit Volkhardt in the fourth generation, has 337 rooms and suites, numerous restaurants and bars as well as a 1,300 square meter wellness area. From Empress Elisabeth and Sigmund Freud to Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz and Roger Waters – there is hardly a celebrity who has not stayed at the Bayerischer Hof. Then there are all the politicians, diplomats, managers and journalists who attend the annual Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof. Incidentally, this is still planned for 2021 – albeit much smaller than in previous years and with digital formats, as owner Innegrit Volkhardt reports in an interview.
The Bayerischer Hof stands for more than 150 years of hotel tradition and at the same time for intelligent, modern and authentic design – largely shaped by the Belgian interior designer, art collector and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt. Innegrit Volkhardt and Axel Vervoordt have been working together successfully for over ten years. Following the redesign of the Garden and Atelier restaurants, the Cinema Lounge and the Palaishalle, the renovation of the north and south wings was Vervoordt’s fourth and largest project at the Bayerischer Hof to date. Between 2016 and 2018, four floors were demolished, rebuilt and an additional floor was added to the building, which now houses the 350 square meter Penthouse Garden Suite. The main challenges here were statics, construction time and the maintenance of the “Komödie”, the theater in the Bayerischer Hof, which is located below the new floors. The investment volume amounted to twelve million euros and a total of 29 new guest rooms and suites were created.
From the large scale to the smallest detail, Axel Vervoordt succeeded in linking the new building with the old building. At the same time, he gave the project his own touch without detracting from the character of the Bayerischer Hof. The design strikes a balance between traditional and modern design – partly because Vervoordt works with his surroundings, not against them. The design concept for the new rooms was based on the direction of the windows: Vervoordt designed the south-facing rooms with light colors, fabrics and tones, while he furnished the north-facing rooms with darker elements. The rooms in the north wing also become increasingly lighter towards the top.
When designing the interior of the rooms, Vervoordt focused on natural and durable materials: the reveal of the room doors is made of stone, the doors themselves are made of poplar wood and the door handles are made of pickled steel. Beds, sofas, armchairs, chairs and cushions are upholstered with linen fabrics in natural and earthy tones. The furniture, made from old wood, is always unique and allows for corners and edges. This is what is striking about Vervoordt’s interior design at the Bayerischer Hof: while quirks and breaks are an absolute no-go for many other designers in hotel rooms, Axel Vervoordt allows them in his design. In this way, he brings naturalness and calm to the rooms. And they will not be his last project at the Bayerischer Hof: He is already working on the next conversion project, the event rooms in Palais Montgelas. The opening is planned for fall 2020.
At the age of 27, Innegrit Volkhardt took over the management of the Bayerischer Hof in 1992. Today, she is the fourth generation to run the Munich grand hotel in 28 years. And with success: from 2011 to 2017, the Bayerischer Hof was the hotel with the highest turnover in Germany. We spoke to Innegrit Volkhardt about the current situation.
Baumeister: Innegrit Volkhardt, there’s no need to discuss the critical situation in the hospitality industry. The situation is extremely serious. In an interview with Handelsblatt at the beginning of June, you were critical of Germany’s coronavirus policy and said that you don’t expect business to stabilize again until 2022. In your opinion, what does the hospitality industry need now?
Innegrit Volkhardt: The first step has now been taken with the extension of short-time working. This is certainly the most important step in order to preserve jobs, but also to have the opportunity to return employees to work when the order situation improves in order to meet the increasing demand.
Of course, it is also important that the industry itself engages in good or even better lobbying. The extent to which the hotel industry in particular has been affected does not yet seem to be clear enough in the minds of politicians or the general public. Unfortunately, explanations to guests about necessary adjustments to opening hours or the reduction of services that are simply not economically feasible due to coronavirus often dominate everyday life. The discussion about a further, often necessary reduction or hours of, for example, rent or other very high fixed costs for companies that are normally profitable is also more than regrettable. For some, it is a question of bare survival in these very difficult times.
B: You and the Bayerischer Hof took part in the “Change of scenery” campaign this summer. Why?
I V: It has always been very important to my family that Munich residents are welcome in our hotel. Almost 90 percent of our five restaurants, the comedy, the spa and the cinema are used by Munich residents, which is why we naturally wanted to take the opportunity to offer locals a great overnight experience. We provided a small contingent of two rooms a day for the campaign, which were all booked in no time at all. We have also received around 150 inquiries so far. However, as we have not been able to expand our contingent, we have of course referred to the other participants. The campaign is not cost-covering for us, but purely out of solidarity with the MHA and TIM.
B: Between April 2016 and January 2018, you had the entire part of the building above the Komödie in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof renovated. You commissioned the interior designer, art collector and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt to do this. A centerpiece of his work in your hotel is the Penthouse Garden Suite. A place to marvel at. Hand on heart: What is your personal favorite place in the Bayerischer Hof?
I V: I feel at home everywhere in the hotel. Everything is incredibly familiar. My favorite place to stay is the Penthouse Garden Suite, because it’s so quiet up there that you can even hear the birds chirping in the middle of the city.
I also particularly like the Blue Spa. I love my hometown and sitting up there on a beautiful summer evening, when the city and the cathedral are illuminated and close enough to touch and at the same time radiate a great sense of calm but also power, that is something very special.
