A success story WITHIN the Hauenstein Hotels - from intern to hotel manager

Motivated employees are given the opportunity to develop within the hotel group - both professionally and personally. We are proud to have many long-standing employees with us who have already been able to climb several rungs on the career ladder.

Read an interview with Bruno Affentranger here - one of many great success stories within Hauenstein Hotels.

‍

You are the director at the Belvédère Strandhotel in Spiez. You originally trained as a chef, followed by further training as a dietary chef, and then successfully completed hotel management school in Thun. Would you follow your career path in the same way again?

Yes, because it also allowed me to discover the world while I was working. I was able to work in a variety of places - in the Swiss Alps, a year in Canada and a few months in the Dominican Republic. Besides, the hotel industry offers you so many wonderful opportunities to develop professionally.

‍

More than ten years ago, in 2011, you started your career at the Belvédère Strandhotel as an intern at the hotel reception. That's a true success story, you tell us.

After graduating from hotel management school, I still lacked practical experience at the reception, this gap I wanted to close. The Hauenstein family and the then director offered me the opportunity to start with an internship at the Belvédère. If the cooperation would develop well, there would also be the possibility to join the management. Little by little, I was able to take on more responsibility and then, in 2014, finally lead the house together with David Romanato. Without the trust in me and the opportunity that the Hauenstein family gave me, this would never have been possible.

‍

You have passed through various stations during your career. Which time do you look back on most fondly?

To my time abroad, especially in Canada and the Caribbean. The experiences and impressions I was able to gather there were unique.

‍

What has kept you going?

That I remained steadfastly diligent and tried to gain new experiences every day and learn from them. Certainly, the passion for my profession was also very important. Of course, you always need someone who believes in you and supports you, just like the Hauenstein family did.

‍

As hotel director, you are responsible for smooth operations within the hotel. What else is part of your duties?

This description actually sums it up very well. The job is enormously varied and multidisciplinary, which is why I enjoy it so much. I have the main responsibility for the reception, HR, marketing, housekeeping and technical services. Furthermore, I support the teams at the front, wherever necessary also operationally. The personal contact with the guests is also an important part of my job.

‍

The Belvédère Strandhotel belongs to the Hauenstein Hotels. The hotel group comprises a total of three hotel operations and six restaurants. What advantages do you benefit from within the group?

As an employee of the Hauenstein Hotels, I can benefit from many internal advantages, such as free use of the wellness and fitness areas. But the exchange within the group also helps me in my work. We use synergies wherever possible.

‍

Nevertheless, each company is unique in its own way?

That is true and also important. By offering a wide range of services with the various operating concepts, we do not compete with each other and can offer guests a wide choice.

‍

What distinguishes the Belvédère Strandhotel and the Hauenstein Hotels as an employer?

We give young employees a chance to prove themselves as managers, just as I was once given such a chance here myself. With us, as an employee, you are not a "number" but part of the "family", which can actually be said for the entire hotel group. We are a place where you can develop yourself. We respond to individual needs and stand up for our values "competence, passion and trust".

‍

‍

What advice do you give to young people or career changers who want to undertake training or retraining in the hotel industry?

That this is a good decision and you have almost infinite options open in this wonderful "world". You can constantly develop and work all over the world.