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Hostellerie du Grünewald:
Booking Up the Historic Boutique
Aline Bourscheid, owner of the Hostellerie du Grünewald, discusses taking over a neighboring business; the challenges of rising costs, and interesting young people in the nobility of a passion-driven profession. She describes the varied and cyclical nature of her clientele and how the government's encouragement of international events can help augment business.
How did you become involved in Hostellerie du Grünewald? How did the takeover of your second establishment go?
I studied communication and event management in Paris before returning to Luxembourg. When I met my partner, Clovis de Graff we had the opportunity to take over the century-old Hostellerie du Grünewald. We have the advantage of it being a boutique hotel with 36 rooms, allowing us to provide personalized service. We've been there since 2017. Two weeks ago, we opened our second establishment across the street. We were offered the place through word of mouth. It was a turnkey operation so the takeover was relatively easy. We were fortunate to receive a lot of support from the state with investment aid. We did some renovations based on our needs and budget.
What are the risks and opportunities you and Clovis see for your business?
The main risk is economic, we face increasing costs but can’t raise our prices. To grow and offer personalized service, we need staff; it doesn't work otherwise. We started with 13 people and we now have 41 in both establishments. It's essential to inspire young people to discover the nobility of these passion-driven professions through training programs. While the starting salary may be lower than other jobs, one goes home feeling accomplished. It's about reconnecting with these traditional professions. Competition is increasing, and many hotels are being developed in Luxembourg City. We therefore expect more promotional efforts from the government as we depend on conferences, tourists, and business in Luxembourg.
“It's essential to inspire young people to discover the nobility of these passion-driven professions through training programs”
From where do you draw your business?
Geographical location poses risks for some hotels, but we're well situated, in the Kirchberg business district close to the city center. That helps us attract a broad audience but we host more corporate than private events. Our main activity is business, which peaks from mid-September to June, and then we rely on tourism. In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in tourism, with more tourists staying overnight. The Ministry has made considerable efforts. We've seen a lot of progress and welcome good quality tourist clients. The business attractiveness of Luxembourg is crucial for attracting businessmen and women to the Duchy by organizing conferences and hosting events like the European Summit.