Kempinski Hotels will be headed by Barbara Muckermann in the future. The new boss of Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group comes from Silversea Cruises, the largest luxury and expedition cruise company in the world. Now she is the first woman to head the 127-year-old company, which currently has 82 hotels in 36 countries. She succeeds Bernold Schroeder, who surprisingly did not want to extend his contract last autumn.
As Kempinski announced in a press release, the German native has more than 25 years of professional experience in tourism, speaks five languages fluently and has a doctorate in political science and economics as well as an MBA degree from Columbia and London Business School. It will “herald a new era of luxury for our brand,” said René Nijhof, Chairman of the Board of Directors Kempinski Hotels, in the statement.
The hotel group, which includes the Hotel Vier Saisonen in Munich and the Adlon in Berlin, plans to open 34 additional hotels and residences in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East in the coming years. “I am delighted to be joining Kempinski Hotels as CEO at such a pivotal time and to play an integral role in the next chapter of this incredibly iconic brand,” said Barbara Muckermann in the same statement.