Two Years On: The Opening Of Our Berlin Office Before The World Stood Still

Two years ago, almost to the day, I oversaw the opening of SiteMinder’s German office in Berlin Mitte, as part of the company’s wider global growth strategy. It was just in time for ITB Berlin 2020 and excitement was high. This was our seventh international office and our third in Europe, alongside London and Galway!

We understood that Berlin was Germany’s most important tourism destination and a gateway city, which was key to winning new customers across Europe to our hotel commerce platform. As one of Europe’s leading tech hubs with a vibrant startup scene, Berlin was also going to be a great place to attract some of the region’s top talent.

And then, suddenly… the world stood still.

How we kept moving

Two years later, what strikes me most is how far we’ve come. Of course, for the first time in nearly 55 years, ITB Berlin 2020 never materialised, but SiteMinder continued to grow – in Germany and globally. Our Berlin team now has almost 20 members, providing support for hoteliers both across the DACH region and Europe as a whole, with sales, customer support and product development.

These numbers, which tell a story of growth, make the last two years sound effortless, but there were naturally some major challenges along the way. From the outset, we were forced to transform our processes almost overnight, taking everything remote, from hiring and meeting, to all the daily tasks teams do to support each other. While this may seem like the norm to many businesses now, it certainly wasn’t for us in the beginning, as we had to double our creativity and commitment. Where others were learning to reinvent, we were inventing.

By the end of March 2020, hotel bookings globally had dropped to less than 11% of their 2019 numbers, while in Germany they fell to as low as 7%.

Yet, we never doubted our vision, and we stayed the course. Key to our ability to survive and thrive was the characteristic SiteMinder perseverance – what we know as “hustle”. As we do everywhere, SiteMinder in Berlin focused on hiring talented, dedicated and positive people, who enjoy what they do and support each other, ensuring we all grow together.

It’s what allowed us to arrive at a much brighter picture today. A number of major European destinations have comfortably surpassed their 2019 hotel booking numbers for much of the past year, while hotel bookings globally have reached 84% of their 2019 volumes over the past month. And, our people are able to once again enjoy Berlin’s second-to-none social life, as well as free gym membership and local transport, on SiteMinder.

It’s only the beginning

Having a base in Germany has given us a much more personal relationship with our DACH customers. In the words of Mrs Andrea Seinen, Manager of Hotel Chelsea in Cologne, “SiteMinder has made our lives simpler and allowed our property to thrive, beyond the numbers, during both peak holiday seasons and throughout the year."

Feedback like this makes me incredibly proud of my team. Our Berlin office will always be characterised by the adaptability, drive and tenacity that allowed us to pull through the biggest crisis our industry has seen. Ultimately, this has given us a competitive edge and allowed us to be prepared for any other disruptions the future might hold – for us and our customers. It’s also allowed us to gain the trust of hoteliers across Germany, as they’ve come to learn we are a global company that knows and loves the German market – and we’re here to stay!

It was by staying true to the unique SiteMinder identity that we’ve been able to set down strong roots in Berlin, and build a local hub that’s committed to the German hotel industry, the DACH region and continental Europe as a whole. At no point did we ever waver from this vision, and we continue to press forward now.