Q&a / Oetker Collection CEO Timo Gruenert on masterpiece hotels: every historic property is on par with Dior haute couture or Michelangelo’s David – so where’s next?
- From London’s Lanesborough hotel to The Woodward in Geneva, the properties in the Oetker Collection share only their values and a commitment to excellence, according to CEO Timo Gruenert
- Rather than having a recognisable brand identity, its only remit is to be a masterpiece on par with haute couture or a Michelangelo artwork – next up, Palm Beach and Capri
Three years into his role as CEO of Oetker Collection, Timo Gruenert explains the luxury hotel group’s plans to enter the US market, and why they deliberately have no brand standards.
What’s the biggest challenge in restoring the historic property, The Vineta, in the US?
We had been looking for some time to enter the US market but waited for the perfect opportunity that fulfilled our criteria. About 35 per cent of our guests within Oetker Collection come from North America, so in many respects it feels a bit like coming home.
New York, Beverly Hills and Aspen are other locations we have our sights on to eventually open in. We are fortunate, however, not to be in a rush to expand. We wait for the right opportunities to create masterpiece hotels, which as you can imagine are quite rare.
What defines an Oetker experience?