Under the crown for almost nine months
- MICE news
The Bellevue Hotel Dresden is the first Bilderberg Hotel in Germany. Hotel director Sebastian Klink explains to us in an interview what the new brand is all about and what innovations await visitors.
One or the other has certainly already heard it and surely everyone has already noticed the new neon signs on Dresden's largest city centre hotel. After almost 20 years, the Bellevue Hotel said "Bye, bye" Westin and "Een warm welkom" to the Netherlands. Since this year, the Bellevue Hotel has been operating under the brand "Bilderberg".
Bellevue Hotel with new brand name since 2020
In interview: Sebastian Klink. He is General Manager of the Bellevue Hotel and was responsible for the rebranding of the hotel. He explains to us what the brand is all about and with whose help he has this exciting process.
Im Interview: Sebastian Klink
As General Manager, I have been in charge of the Bilderberg Bellevue Hotel Dresden since 2014. I was very happy and found it a great honour to finally come here just under six years ago after a few stations in the hotel industry. Even though Dresden is characterised by many really beautiful hotels, the Bellevue Hotel particularly caught my eye. With its unobstructed view of the Old Town silhouette, its central location on the Elbe with access to 20,000 square metres of garden and a long, eventful history of the hotel, it is very unique.
Unique: That already brings us to the topic, doesn't it?
This brings us first and foremost to Bilderberg, the new brand under which we have been operating since 2020. Hotels under this traditional Dutch brand are characterised by unique locations, strong local roots, first-class cuisine, inspiring meetings and events, and a high level of hospitality. The Bellevue Hotel Dresden matches these characteristics 100 per cent. We have always been an integral part of the cityscape and Dresden's urban society. Of course, the destination Dresden itself also plays an immense role. We live in one of the most beautiful & best cities in Germany, the marketing of this fact seems to work quite well (wink), otherwise the Dutch would possibly not have become aware of us and chosen us as the first Bilderberg hotel outside the Netherlands and within Germany.
What has always belonged together is growing together.
The contract with Marriott expired and we thought about a change in this course. And the brand DNA of Bilderberg shows it: What has always belonged together is growing together. That is also one of the reasons why we became so curious about this brand at that time: It is not a classic brand that laces the hotel into a uniform corset, but retains the particularity of the respective house. True to the motto "You don`t have to meet our expectations, we meet yours!" In this respect, it was more a decision for Bilderberg and less a decision against Westin.
How did you experience the rebranding process?
For all of us, it was a completely new situation, after all, you don`t go through such a rebranding every day. And removing 20 years of Westin from every corner of the hotel and replacing it with Bilderberg sounds easier than expected. But as a team we managed it brilliantly. To be honest, though, I have to admit that it was very difficult to call it a day on some days. The mental carousel was running in a continuous loop. But all that was gone by 27 November 2019, the day of the press event for the announcement. It was that one moment when we asked the staff to gather for a press photo. When everyone looked beaming into the camera, it was indescribable and literally put the crown on the process!
Sounds like an eventful 2019...
It really was. Looking back, I see a lot of changes we went through to accompany the rebranding. By that I mean, for example, the complete renovation of all our 340 rooms & suites. After the completion of the renovation work in the banqueting area a year earlier, we had also longed for this for so long. The result is something to be proud of: A stylish, modern interior, muted colour tones and carefully coordinated materials create a harmonious overall impression and offer guests a cosy retreat. We are sure that with the new range of rooms we meet the modern standards of today's travellers. The feedback from our guests proves us right. And that makes us overjoyed.
What specifically was changed in the banqueting area in 2018?
We have subjected the area to extensive modernisation. In the Bellevue Saal, Boardroom, banquet foyer and in the Salon Elbterrasse, floors, walls and lighting were renewed and the technical equipment was brought up to date - with 75-inch QLED monitors, high-speed WLAN and Clickshare technology. The interior and lighting technology were also replaced with state-of-the-art technology in other meeting rooms during the renovation. Events for up to 850 people are thus under a pretty good star, or rather, with a view to Bilderberg, under a good crown (smiles).
What's next?
Further building projects and strategic further developments to meet the requirements and needs of organisers, MICE customers as well as conference guests are being planned in parallel. Always with the great goal of providing our private and business travellers with an unforgettable stay with added value.
With what feeling do you look to the future?
With an extremely positive one! I am proud to have mastered the time together with my team. Which, by the way, brings us to one of the reasons that drew me to Bellevue six years ago: The long-serving staff, some of whom have been here from day one. I knew that I would be welcomed by a great, loyal and committed team. To this day, this impression has been confirmed, because without them the changes would never have been possible and neither are the challenges that may yet come.
