We’d like to introduce you to Tobias. He is Senior Area Director Operations at MEININGER Hotels, responsible for three regions as well as all hotel pre-openings in Germany, the Alps & Eastern Europe, and in Barcelona, Edinburgh, and Tel Aviv. But his journey began back in 2010, when he was still studying and working as a night receptionist at MEININGER. Since then, he has steadily climbed the career ladder. In this interview, Tobias shares his career path, memorable experiences, and favorite moments, and offers valuable advice for anyone just starting out at MEININGER Hotels.
Let’s start from the beginning. How did you first join MEININGER Hotels, and what were you doing at the time? Have you worked in hospitality before?
I joined MEININGER in 2010 while studying Economics and Geography at the University of Cologne. I was simply looking for a student job, have never worked in hospitality before and thought it could be great fun to work in a hostel. I started as a Night Receptionist and barkeeper. After about a year, I moved into the day reception.
The hotel in Cologne was incredibly charming. It was located right in the middle of a vibrant student area. It felt like a proper hostel: lots of backpackers, many dorms, and legendary bar nights. Back then, MEININGER was really still a start-up. Carnival was the absolute highlight every year. All employees were dressed up, and we basically celebrated together for an entire week. It was intense, chaotic, and incredibly fun. Unfortunately, the hotel is closed today, but it will always be where everything started for me.
What happened next? Can you walk us through the different roles and cities you’ve worked in over the years?
In 2013, I went to Brussels to support the pre-opening of the hotel in Molenbeek. Originally, I planned to stay six weeks. It turned into almost two years. I worked there as Reception Supervisor and learned French during that time. It was a very special phase for the company as well. MEININGER changed ownership for the first time, and MEININGER Hostels became MEININGER Hotels. Brussels became the new flagship property. For me personally, Brussels, as the capital of Europe, was the perfect place after university. Multi-cultural, vibrant, lots of live music, great bars.
At the end of 2014, I got the opportunity to join the Management Trainee Program. For 12 months I rotated through five hotels in Munich, Berlin, Salzburg, Amsterdam and London. I learned everything about hotel management, from operations, finance, and leadership to revenue and F&B. It was an intense year. I lived inside the hotels during that time, which meant you were basically always “on.” It was demanding, but incredibly formative.
After the trainee program, I became Hotel Manager of MEININGER Hotel Vienna Central Station and in early 2017, I was promoted to Cluster Manager, responsible for both Vienna Hotel Central Station and our largest Austrian property, MEININGER Hotel Vienna Downtown Franz, which was my first real large-scale leadership responsibility. In autumn 2018, I met our COO Thomas Hagemann in Vienna. Shortly after, he brought me to Berlin to take over the role of Pre-Opening Manager Europe. Working next to him was great fun and incredibly educational. Thomas taught me a lot about hotel development, structure, and execution.
And then came COVID. Despite the global shutdown, all our hotels opened on time. I was constantly travelling while the world stood still. Sometimes I was alone on airplanes. It honestly felt like flying in a private jet. It was surreal, but also a moment where I felt how resilient and committed our company was.
In spring 2021, I moved to Hungary and became Regional Director for Austria and Hungary. Over time, Poland and Switzerland were added. At the peak, I was responsible for eight hotels. That period really shaped my strategic and leadership approach, less operational detail, more performance steering, more people development.
In spring 2025, I stepped into the role of Senior Area Director. Today I am responsible for three regions and all hotel pre-openings in Germany, the Alps, Eastern Europe as well as Barcelona, Edinburgh and Tel Aviv.
What does a Senior Area Director actually do? What does your day-to-day look like now?
At its core, my role is to make sure our hotels have everything they need to be successful. That means resources, clear direction and support when things get difficult. I’m not involved in every operational detail anymore. But I also try not to become someone who only looks at Excel sheets from a distance. Staying connected to the hotels, understanding their reality, and being present for the teams is crucial to me.
Of course, the higher you move up the career ladder, the more important numbers become. Performance, cost control, profitability, forecasting, those topics are part of my daily routine. But I strongly believe that the real value of MEININGER is not in spreadsheets. It’s in the people. So a big part of my role is creating an environment where our leaders feel supported, where expectations are clear, and where employees can grow. Strong culture drives strong results.
The second major pillar of my job is hotel openings and development. Currently, we have three openings in their final phase: Edinburgh, Barcelona and Tel Aviv. And opening a hotel is far more complex than most people imagine. It starts with space allocation and layout decisions, continues with design alignment, operational setup, recruitment strategy, supplier contracts, compliance, training structures, and of course the financial planning behind it all.
There are hundreds of moving parts. And they all need to align on one opening date. In the end, we are a business, so we need to be profitable. So beyond culture and growth, my responsibility is to ensure that our hotels perform commercially and generate sustainable results.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your career so far at MEININGER?
One moment I will never forget was becoming a Hotel Manager. It had always been my dream to be responsible for my own hotel. From my first shifts at reception, I knew that one day I wanted to lead a property myself.
When I got the opportunity to move to Vienna and take over as Hotel Manager, I was probably the proudest person in the world. I remember receiving my notebook, my iPhone and my business cards. It may sound small, but for me it symbolized responsibility. It meant: now it’s yours.
In the beginning, I went to work every single day simply because I loved it so much. I was doing shifts, interviewing new team members, checking rooms, talking to guests and at the same time trying to build a culture and a structure. It was intense, but it didn’t feel like work. It felt like building something that belonged to me. That period shaped me a lot. It taught me ownership, resilience and how important leadership presence is. And even today, whenever I walk into a hotel, I still remember that feeling.
You’ve been part of many pre-openings: What’s your favorite part about launching a new hotel?
My favorite moment is always the evening before the opening. By that time, we’ve often worked several years towards that one day. For a long time, the hotel only exists on paper: drawings, sketches, plans. Endless meetings. Discussions with authorities. Permits. Administrative barriers. Unexpected construction delays. Budget adjustments. A million small dramas along the way.
Then comes the hiring phase. Building the team from scratch. Training them. Creating structure. Defining standards. Turning an empty building into a living operation. And then suddenly, it’s the evening before opening. The fridges are filled. The beds are made. Everything is cleaned. Systems are running. The reception lights are on. We usually bring the team together one last time that evening. We have a drink together. We talk about the journey. There’s always a mix of exhaustion and excitement in the room.
And of course, we’re already sleeping in the hotel. We’re the first ones testing the beds. That night is special. It’s quiet. The building feels ready. And for a few hours, before the first guest arrives, it’s just about being proud. Proud that we made it happen again.
What’s your secret to leading teams across so many locations? Any personal rules you follow as a leader?
I think the “secret,” if there is one, is that I genuinely like what I do. I enjoy working with people. And I truly believe that we can only be successful if everyone gives their best, not because they are forced to, but because they want to.
For me, leadership is about trust and empowerment. You cannot control everything when you’re responsible for multiple regions. Micromanagement doesn’t work. What works is giving people clear expectations, clear goals, and then the space to deliver. I strongly believe that good ideas can come from anywhere. Often, the people on the front line. Often our teams at reception, in service, in housekeeping understand our guests much better than those of us sitting behind laptops in offices. So one of my personal rules is: listen before you decide.
Another one is: be accessible. Even in a larger role, I don’t want to become distant. If a Hotel Manager or even a receptionist has an idea or a concern, they should feel comfortable reaching out.
And finally: Stay calm. Especially in hospitality, things go wrong. Flights are delayed, systems crash, occupancy drops, construction is late. If you stay calm and structured, the team stays confident. In the end, leadership is not about hierarchy. It’s about creating an environment where people feel trusted, challenged and supported at the same time.
Looking back, what has changed the most at MEININGER since you first started?
Sometimes it feels like watching a child grow up. When I started in 2010, we were almost a start-up. Very entrepreneurial, very fast, very improvised. We didn’t have many procedures, not many standards. A lot of things were decided on the go. It was chaotic at times, but also incredibly energetic.
Today, we are a completely different organization in terms of structure and professionalism. We have clear standards, defined processes, stronger financial steering, and a much more strategic approach. We are far more reliable for our guests and also for our employees. People know what they can expect. There’s stability.
And of course, the hotels themselves have evolved massively. The design, the product quality, the comfort level. Everything has become much more refined and premium. But what I really appreciate is that despite growing up as a company, we haven’t lost our entrepreneurial spirit. There is still room for ideas, for development, for ownership. So yes, we’ve grown up, but we’re still ambitious. And that’s a good combination.
What do you enjoy most about working at MEININGER Hotels and what’s kept you here all these years?
What makes MEININGER special, in my opinion, is that everyone has the opportunity to participate and grow. If someone had told me 15 years ago that my student job would turn into a proper career, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. But that’s exactly what happened. At MEININGER, if you are motivated, dedicated and truly passionate about what you do, you can grow. There are real opportunities. I’m living proof of that.
What also kept me here are the people and the leaders I’ve had along the way. I was always supported. I had managers who trusted me early, who challenged me, who taught me things, and who gave honest advice, even when it wasn’t always comfortable. That kind of leadership makes a difference.
If you could switch roles with someone from our head office or one of our hotels for a day, who would it be and why?
I would probably switch with our Events Manager Leo from Marketing for a day. From the outside, his job looks like he’s organizing parties and events, which sounds like a lot of fun. Compared to budgets, forecasts and construction timelines, that seems like a refreshing change.
I imagine there’s a lot of creativity involved. Building concepts, creating atmosphere, thinking about how to bring people together. That’s something I find fascinating. And I really hope his role involves extensive “quality testing” of the products before the parties actually happen.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their career at MEININGER?
Stay hungry. It might take time. Growth doesn’t always happen overnight. But if you consistently try your best, it will be noticed. Sometimes it feels like nothing is happening. Sometimes you need patience. But quality always wins in the long run.
Take responsibility early. Ask questions. Be curious. Don’t just do what is expected. Try to understand why things are done in a certain way. And most importantly: don’t limit yourself too early. I started as a student employee without a clear long-term plan. If you’re motivated, dedicated and willing to learn, opportunities will come. Maybe not immediately. But they will come.
What are your hopes for MEININGER’s future, and how do you imagine the company will continue to evolve?
I truly believe the future is bright. We have several new hotels in the pipeline, and behind the scenes Nicolas and the development team are constantly working on new opportunities. There’s a lot happening that people don’t even see yet and I’m convinced some of what’s coming will really surprise everyone in a very positive way.
Personally, I’m very much looking forward to further expansion on the Iberian Peninsula and in Italy. There’s something special about opening hotels in destinations where the sun shines, the fish is fresh and the wine tastes good. It adds another layer of energy to the whole process.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Tobias!
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