HAMBURG: For a coffee, together with ...

The team of Apartmentservice has paid a visit to the Madison Hotel Hamburg, a privately owned and personally managed hotel that has become a significant actor of the city’s hotel industry. We have interviewed its owner Mrs. Marlies Head. 

Mrs. Head, you have quiet recently celebrated the 18th anniversary of the Madison Hotel Hamburg. The house is very appreciated by its guests and constantly enjoys a high level of booking. How can you explain such a success? 

I am a dedicated host, with heart and soul, and my team is a committed one with first-class educated team members. We daily make sure that our guests enjoy a unique experience during their stay at the Madison Hotel. Our house has a very special and unique style, characterised by individuality, a personal and cordial atmosphere and of course high quality aspirations. Furthermore, our guests appreciate the central and still calm location of the hotel, right between the harbour and the city centre.

Yet, you are far from resting on your laurels. Over the last year only, you have invested 835,000 Euro in the Madison.

A hotel has to be “in” at all times, in order to remain competitive. That is the biggest challenge. We do regularly change our look, in order for the hotel to be keeping with the times. Therefore, we have entirely renovated the fourth floor over last 12 months. There, we have designed special business studios, of which furniture fully matches the needs and expectations of business travellers.

Thinking about the very first years of the hotel, what has changed in terms of guests’ expectations?

Hotel guests have generally become more critical. The hotel service comes under great scrutiny on their part, as they have become more demanding, in particular regarding comfort, furniture and service. That is why we constantly brainstorm in order to understand how we could match modern demands, state-of-art technologies and practical aspects that are important for the guests, with the design and typical atmosphere of our hotel.

Be it at the reception, as a sales responsible or a restaurant staff: we perceive a certain pride on the part of the people working in your team.

Our 80 collaborators consider themselves as a single team and share their successes, to which each of them contribute directly. We communicate a lot, quick and direct. Decisions are being applied on the spot and we enjoy our way of working together. At the Madison Hotel, it is the guest that is the centre of attention. And you know well: a satisfied guest is the result of the entire team’s performance.

Families are generally wary of booking in a hotel. What is your experience there?

It is particularly on week-ends and during short holiday periods that we definitely notice a rise in bookings made for families, meaning parents and children. A combination of both Serviced Apartments and hotel rooms, just like we offer it, is ideal for them. The spacious double rooms and suites with their fully equipped kitchen units constitute the ideal comfortable temporary living. Of course, we provide our younger guests with additional sleeping facilities when needed. It is a service that is being increasingly asked for.

What are the moments in your daily work that you appreciate most of all?

I love to be in direct contact with guests and collaborators. It is the best way to directly exchange views. I also like to motivate younger members of our team and I enjoy seeing them earn the success of their work. And every time I arrive to the Madison Hotel, I feel that same tingling that makes me think: “Hey! Let’s go for it!”

What are the things that your guests should certainly not miss?

In Hamburg: a stroll around the swimming pontoons (Landungsbrücken) and through the old tunnel the “Elbtunnel”, and of course the fantastic panoramic view of the city from the other side of the river. In the hotel itself, the view from the penthouse terrace overlooking the roofs of the city and perhaps also a drink at the bar.

Thank you very much Mrs. Head. All the best!