Andreas Heidingsfelder has worked his way up from a trainee chef to his first post as general manager in Starwood's first hotel in the Czech Republic. He tells ABTN how his boyhood dreams have come true
As a boy of six or seven, Andreas Heidingsfelder dreamed of being a cook. He hated school and was relieved to leave at 15 to take up a three year apprenticeship as a chef in a catering school in his home town of Ansbach, southern Germany.
It was the star of a rising career in the hospitality industry which saw him installed this summer in his first role as general manager in Starwood's first property in the Czech Republic. Mr Heidingsfelder, now 41, describes his new property, the Sheraton Prague Charles Square as a stylish boutique hotel set on the edge of the Old Town sector of the Czech capital.
What is surprising is that it has taken Starwood so long to open a hotel in this hugely popular tourist destination and blossoming business destination. The hotel consists of four linked buildings around a courtyard, the oldest dating back to the late 19th century.
It has been a hotel for the last 50 years but has been closed for the 18 months while the place was re-furbished and the number of bedrooms increased from 70 to 160, including 38 luxury suites. The hotel re-opened in March and Mr Heidingsfelder arrived at is new GM in July.
"We have combined the old historic feature with new facilities. The staircase is a 100 years old and so are the mosiacs. But the bedroom are brand new," he said.
Located near the business quarters where companies like Ernst and young, KPMG and PwC have offices, the bulk of the hotel's guests during the week are on business. Many are from the US, drawn Mr Heidingsfelder said by the Starwood brand, but there are also business travellers form Germany, the UK and France.
While the hotel attract leisure guests at the weekend, Mr Heidingsfelder acknowledges that it would not survive without its business travellers. These are mainly consultants, bankers and accountants but also, Mr Heidingsfelder has noted, a growing number from pharmacy companies like Pzifer.
For these vital travellers, the hotel has two meetings rooms holding up to 90 people, a business centre, free WiFi in the hotel lobby, high speed Internet connections in all the bedrooms - although this is charged for - flat screen in all rooms and a 24 hour concierge, laundry and room services. The hotel's spa and fitness centre is also proving popular, the GM said.
But if the hotel is sparkling new, business is not as good as hoped. Mr Heidingsfelder said that business both in terms of occupancy, rates and use of meetings rooms could be better although he added that in the current economic circumstances, he was "quite happy."
Prague has suffered as much if not more than many other European capitals in the recession with a 28% drop in occupancy in the last year and an inevitable drop in average daily rates (ADR). "But things are getting better every month. August has been our best month so far and September is looking better.
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Sheraton Prague Charles Square |
"But the recession is still ongoing and I am not sure what will happen next year. It is difficult to decide what to do. Occupancy could stay low but I am afraid that if ADR drops, we will lose money."
Part of the problem, he believes, is that there are too many hotels in the city. "Many properties have opened in the past five years but once a contract is signed, you can't stop it," he said. It is a problem that many cities in East and Central Europe are facing after a surge of new building to accommodate the arrival of new tourist and business travellers, post 1989.
After his three year training course, Mr Heidingsfelder got his first job as a young chef in a five-star property in Weisbaden. After a break for military service, he moved onto to various jobs in Munich, Nurembourg, London and Dubai, gradually rising up th ea ladder form chef to chief steward, assistant floor manger and acting services manager.
He returned to Germany to work as a banqueting manager and then as F&B manager before deciding to throw it all in for a while to work as a waiter on a luxury cruise ship travelling from Sydney to Hamburg. "I thought I might be too old to do it but I loved it," he said.
He again worked itinerantly in Frankfurt and Hamburg before taking up the post of F&B director at Le Meridien Country Club outside Moscow in 2006. "It was a heavy stay, a tough time. I survived 18 months. I am not sure it was the right decision. I asked to go home and I returned to Germany at Le Meridien in Munich," he said.
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A deluxe room at the Sheraton Prague |
He took up the post of operations manager of Le Meridien in Munich and moved from there to Prague in July.
"I dreamed of being a cook when I was six or seven but I changed my mind because I felt I could do better. I go down to our kitchen everyday but I don't cook anymore. Our chef is the Czech chef of the year.
"But the best part of this job is working with people. I go into the lobby and talk to the guests and see how they are doing. I have created the GM's Connect every Thursday where I meet all the guests in the roof top terrace which has amazing views of the C castle.
"It is great. We talk to them and make contact. I can find out if there are any problems coming up so you can sort them out before they become complaints.