Christoph Hoffmann, CEO of 25hours hotels: in travel, empathetic human contact is still a key differentiator
Regardless of the travel destination, one of the most important questions on every trip we take is where we want to stay. Over the last years, there has been a noticeable increase in city trips and equally the demand for affordable but extravagantly styled hotels has spiked.
In this boutique hotel segment, the success story of the Hamburg-based 25hours Hotel Company speaks for itself. With a personal approach, an eye for detail and supported by a big player in the accommodation industry — AccorHotels holds 50% of the company’s shares — lifestyle brand 25hours is on an expansion course. It runs properties in many of Europe’s most attractive cities and will open its first hotel in Dubai next year.
We sat down for an interview on the topic of travel with CEO Christoph Hoffmann, who is a globetrotter by definition and the mastermind behind the hotel brand.
Travel & Mobility Tech Radar: How has technology changed the way you travel over the last five years?
Christoph Hoffmann: The smartphone has become much more important as the focal point of my communication, work, and scheduling. Everything needs to work on my device. And, along with this, there has to be WLAN everywhere and at all times.
“While administrative processes can easily be handled technologically, travel also has a lot to do with services and contact with people”
Travel & Mobility Tech Radar: In your opinion, which areas in the travel process should remain “analog” in the future?
Christoph Hoffmann: In something as emotional as traveling, empathetic human contact is still a key differentiator. While administrative processes can easily be handled technologically (booking, paying, checking in), travel also has a lot to do with services and contact with people. It should also be recognized that crisis situations always require an analog point of contact — and for those who don’t travel a lot, the threshold to a ‘crisis-type situation’ is very low.
Travel & Mobility Tech Radar: Is there any aspect of the travel chain that still needs to be solved technologically and thus is long overdue?
Christoph Hoffmann: I see the biggest problems in integration and interfaces. Many industries and service providers have systems or technological and digital solutions that are good in themselves. We still can’t speak of a holistic travel chain.
“The most critical factor in the aviation industry — from the passenger’s point of view — is time”
Travel & Mobility Tech Radar: Looking at other industries — is there anything in particular that the aviation industry urgently needs to learn or even imitate?
Christoph Hoffmann: For hoteliers, the aviation industry actually often serves as a good example of what we would like to imitate in terms of processes. Low-threshold and easy-to-use applications are particularly common with shared-economy service providers (e.g. Uber, Airbnb, Foodora). Generally speaking, an important aspect today is speed. When you buy something or decide to buy something, you want it now. This is where the logistics of various online shops come into play. The most critical factor in the aviation industry — from the passenger’s point of view — is time: the best flight times, waiting times at various locations… As in the hotel industry, the products themselves differ less and less.
Travel & Mobility Tech Radar: As the founder of 25hours hotels you are not only a hotelier but also increasingly a storyteller. How are you able to do this in times of rapid technological change, pervasive transparency through the Internet, and lower attention spans of travelers?
Christoph Hoffmann: It takes a lot of effort and there’s always a demand for new ideas. Creative development needs resources and the opportunity to try things without a concrete ROI, which often conflicts with economic requirements.
Thank you, Christoph!
In 2005, Christoph Hoffmann and his three partners founded the 25hours Hotel Company, which develops and operates individual, made to measure hotels with personality in metropolitan destinations. In autumn 2016, 25hours Hotel Company announced its strategic alliance with AccorHotels, and is now pursuing hotel projects around the globe.
Christoph as CEO is responsible for the further development and expansion of the 25hours hotel group and its brand. He serves as an Advisory Board member for the Lufthansa Innovation Hub since October 2018.
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