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Appointment

Chris Franzen has been appointed as Managing Director at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Chris Franzen, an experienced international hotelier, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, starting on 1st April 2024. Stepping into this new role, he succeeds the current Acting General Manager, Thomas Goval. After six years of successful leadership and notable contributions to elevating the resort's profile, Thomas Goval is now expanding his career internationally within the same ownership company, Katara Hospitality, joining the iconic Raffles Singapore as Hotel Manager. Originally from Zermatt, Switzerland, Chris Franzen has worked in the hospitality industry for over three decades. He has spent more than half of that time in the Gulf States, where he held management positions within the Hyatt group across the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar; most recently, opening and running the Waldorf Astoria Doha Lusail luxury hotel complex since 2021.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Christian Sack has been appointed as General Manager at Bürgenstock Resort

Christian Sack is moving from The Ritz-Carlton Doha hotel in Qatar to The Bürgenstock Selection in Switzerland. The 50-year-old has extensive experience in the international hospitality industry. In Asia, Europe, Russia and North America, he has successfully managed prestigious hotel and resort operations for brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Raffles, Shangri-La and Fairmont.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Hanneke Stoop has been appointed as Spa Director at The Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

The Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, has named Hanneke Stoop, Director of its Alpine Spa, part of Switzerland's largest alpine wellness hotel spa. Ms. Stoop brings extensive experience in spa management for some of the world's leading luxury hotels and resorts including La Clinique La Prairie, Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat and the Hotel Martinez.

The Buergenstock Selection
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Thomas Goval has been appointed as Director of Rooms and Guest Services at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Thomas Goval has been appointed Director of Rooms and Guest Services at the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne. Reporting to General Manager Robert P. Herr, he oversees 200 employees and is responsible for the Rooms Division, the Alpine Spa, B-Outdoors, the Waldhotel Spa as well as the resort's retail outlets. In the absence of the general manager, Mr. Goval takes over a wide range of his responsibilities. Perched 1,600 feet above stunning Lake Lucerne, the Bürgenstock Resort is Switzerland's newest luxury destination with 383 rooms in four hotels (the five-star superior Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa, the five-star Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence, the four-star superior Palace Hotel & Conferences and the three-star Taverne 1879), a state-of-the-art medical center, 67 residences (57 apartments and 10 villas), ten restaurants, lounges and bars, a 107,000 square-foot spa and wellness center, meeting space for 900 people, a nine-hole golf course, three championship tennis courts and 43 miles of hiking and biking trails. Mr. Goval brings extensive experience with international hotels in operations, revenue management, sales, finance and food and beverage - all enhanced by a passion for guest services. He has held management positions at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) properties in Berlin, Paris, London and Berchtesgarden. Most recently, Mr. Goval was General Manager of the Hotel Indigo Berlin - Ku'damm where he enhanced guest satisfaction, improved employee engagement to high levels and increased revenue and financial metrics by double-digits as the Hotel Indigo transitioned from a franchise to a managed property. Mr. Goval opened the first Hotel Indigo in Paris as assistant general manager and served as assistant guest services manager and house keeping manager coordinating a team of 60 at the InterContinental Park Lane in London. His first resort experience was at the InterContinental Berchtesgarden, Bavaria in Germany. Mr. Goval graduated from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland as class valedictorian with a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management. A native French speaker, he is also fluent in English and German.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
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Appointment

Martina Kessler has been promoted to Director of Marketing at Bürgenstock Selection

Martina Kessler was promoted to Director of Marketing for the Bürgenstock Selection on January 1, 2018. Joining the company in 2012 as Senior Brand and Marketing Manager, Ms. Kessler made a significant contribution to the growth of the new Bürgenstock Resort. She will be responsible for all marketing activities and operations, social media, brand management and the corporate identity for the Bürgenstock Resort. Previously, she worked at Sunrise Communications, one of Switzerland's largest telecommunications companies. She began her career at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts where she spent six years in marketing. Martina has a Swiss federal degree in Communications Planning. Ms. Kessler speaks English and German and enjoys trail running.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
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Appointment

Lauriane Zosso has been promoted to Communication Specialist, International Markets at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Lauriane Zosso joined the Bürgenstock Resort as Communications & Marketing Assistant in February 2017 and in a short time became an invaluable member of the communications team. She was promoted on January 1, 2018 to Communications Specialist, International Markets. Prior to the Bürgenstock Resort, Ms. Zosso spent a year in the media department at Switzerland Tourism in New York. From 2010 to 2015, she was a marketing assistant and customer service representative at the Fribourg Tourism Office. Ms. Zosso received a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Tourism Management from HES-SO Valais-Wallis. She speaks four languages including English, German, French and Spanish. When she is not escorting international media around the Bürgenstock, she enjoys traveling and traditional Swiss folk dancing.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Jonas Reif has been appointed as Communications Manager at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Jonas Reif was hired as Communications Manager on February 1, 2018 and assumed responsibility for the resort's internal and external communications. He will also be in charge of events and special public relations projects. Prior to joining the Bürgenstock Selection, Mr. Reif was an executive for more than six years at Farner Consulting, Switzerland's most prestigious communications firm where he executed successful campaigns for pharmaceutical companies, business associations, banks and manufacturing firms. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History and received a Master's of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Lucerne. Mr. Reif speaks English and German. He is active in politics and is a serious tennis player.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Bettina Haeberle has been appointed as Area Director of Sales & Marketing at Bürgenstock Selection

Bettina Haeberle has been appointed to the new position of Area Director of Sales & Marketing for the Bürgenstock Selection that encompasses the new Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, the Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa in Lausanne and the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & THE SPA. In addition to directing sales and marketing campaigns and initiatives for the hospitality group, she will also oversee the sales offices and the public relations agencies in the U.S., UK, Germany, Middle East and Asia.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Daniela Krienbühl has been appointed as Director of Operations at the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence At the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Daniela F. Krienbühl has been appointed the Director of Operations for the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence, a revolutionary hotel dedicated to wellness and wellbeing, at the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne. Opened in December 2017, the five-star Waldhotel is part of Switzerland's newest luxury resort, which also encompasses the five-star superior Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa, the four-star superior Palace Hotel, a 1903 Belle Époque jewel, the three-star, 12-room inn, Taverne 1879, 12 restaurants, lounges and bars, 67 private residence suites, a 107,000 square-foot spa in the Bürgenstock Hotel, three Davis Cup tennis courts, a nine-hole Alpine golf course and 43 miles of hiking and biking trails.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Bertrand Charles has been appointed as Chef de Cuisine - RitzCoffier at Palace Hotel, part of the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne

Bertrand Charles has been named Chef de Cuisine of the RitzCoffier at the Palace Hotel, part of the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne. He brings valuable experience working with some of France's most celebrated Michelin-starred chefs and at leading luxury hotels in France, Morocco, Barbados and the Philippines.

Katara Hospitality
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Kempinski CEO Reto Wittwer has been named Chairman of the Advisory Board at World Tourism Forum Lucerne

A prominent new member joins the World Tourism Forum Lucerne: Reto Wittwer, President and CEO of Kempinski Hotels, and seasoned expert, takes over as Chairman of the Advisory Board. A Swiss citizen, Wittwer has more than 30 years’ international experience in hospitality and joins the Board, which consists of 13 experts of the travel, tourism and hotel sector, with immediate effect. The next Forum will be held from April 17 to 19, 2013. As a think-tank, the Forum offers decision-makers from business, government, academia and finance a platform for discussing the strategic challenges facing the tourism industry in the years ahead. It is the only international platform in which leading decision makers and promising young talents have the opportunity to interact as part of a talent management programme.

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts | Institute of Tourism
Lucerne, Switzerland
Appointment

Kerstin Rischmeyer has been promoted to Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Jasper at The Palace Luzern

The Palace Luzern promotes Kerstin Rischmeyer to the role of Chef de Cuisine at Palace Luzern’s classic yet contemporary restaurant, Jasper , where she has served as Sous Chef since 2009. At Jasper, which has a Gault-Millau rating of 16, Kerstin uses local ingredients to create dishes such as sautéed sea bass, spring chicken breast and roasted saddle of lamb. She established her career in 1989 and worked as Chef de Partie at multiple hotels in Switzerland and Germany, including Hotel Albana, located at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn mountain, Hotel Chesa in the village of Champfèr, and Hotel Giardino in the southern tip of Switzerland.

VICTORIA-JUNGFRAU COLLECTION
Lucerne, Switzerland