A Place of Encounter

Philip Ibrahim has been General Manager of The Student Hotel Berlin since October 2019, prior to which he spent several years in various sales positions at ACCOR and Kempinski in Chad. He also completed his training with the French hotel group Accor, and most recently served as Hotel Director at the Mercure Hotel Berlin City. In recent years, Ibrahim has been involved in various projects beyond the traditional hotel experience. In 2012, he founded the pink pillow Collection Berlin network together with Berlin's city marketing company visitBerlin. The unique hotel cooperation is aimed at people from the LGBTI* scene. The hotels are driven by the common idea that all guests are welcome.

<h3 class="interview-question">What makes The Student Hotel such a unique and strong brand?</h3>

When you walk into the lobby of The Student Hotel, you immediately notice that something is different. It's a design-led brand and the name itself says a lot. It's not just students who come here, but people who bring that curiosity that a student has to have. I remember the first time I walked into The Student Hotel: In the lobby in Amsterdam, two elderly ladies were programming a sales page for their crocheted doilies on their laptops. Next to them was a group of students practicing and people playing ping-pong. The combination of these different guests is what makes us unique.

From a brand perspective, I think we still have a long way to go in Germany. The student hotel is not so well known here. In Holland, on the other hand, students know the brand and sometimes choose their destination based on the opening of The Student Hotel.

<h3 class="interview-question">In an interview with AHGZ about the hotel's opening in October 2019, you said, "The combination of work, fun and design gives us a unique opportunity to create something special and design a place where Berliners and visitors alike can come together and be inspired." Has the hotel been received by Berliners as hoped or is it being actively used?</h3>

The plan is working really well. We actually have walk-in customers from the neighborhood. You can tell by the fact that the average age of the visitors is much older. They are people who have seen the house being built and now want to see it from the inside. There are companies that come here and think we're very cool. The start-up atmosphere with table tennis and foosball makes a difference. So do the individual pieces of furniture, the meeting rooms and the big courtyard. There are also a lot of start-ups that work with us and develop new concepts.

We organize about forty-five events a month for students, for neighbors, for hotel guests, for everyone. We have an art night with a Berlin vendor and events in the courtyard. I would like to organize a market with Brandenburg farmers on the first Saturday of every month, where students or neighbors can buy fresh, local produce. It's important to me to bring this combination of regionality and authenticity into the house, so that everyone can find their stage and present themselves.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"The welcoming atmosphere is consistent across all The Student Hotels, with a lobby serving as both a central and distinctive place to spend time."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Philip Ibrahim</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">Is the Berlin location different from the other hotels in the group?</h3>

One part of The Student Hotel is a new building, the other part is a rebrand. With a rebrand, you have a story to tell and incorporate into the concept. Our main building in Amsterdam is an old publishing building, so it has big meeting rooms and a lobby and first floor rooms with high ceilings. With the new buildings, like in Eindhoven, they built a big tower right next to the train station, a really iconic building. For the company, both options are interesting, and they are always looking for a theme to weave everything around.

For us here in Berlin, the theme is "Together we can be heroes," based on the lyrics of David Bowie's song. The design, colors and retro look reflect this, we all call ourselves heroes here, and the names of the meals have been designed accordingly, such as Heroe's Lunch. We try to use the theme in every possible way.

But the atmosphere is really the same in every hotel. There's always an ambiance that makes you feel comfortable, and the lobby is always a special place. You can always find people to play table soccer or table tennis with, and you are never alone. Also, the crowd is very young and has no inhibitions about just talking to people.

Leadership in Transition

<h3 class="interview-question">What is the difference between managing a "small" group hotel like The Student Hotel and a large hotel group where you worked before?</h3>

At Accor I was allowed to be exactly who I wanted to be. I worked my way up throughout my career and it was incredibly fun. I had no need to change jobs at that time, I just walked through a door that opened. Everything I did at Accor was always at the limit of what I could do. In such a big company, there are paths, they are tried and tested, and you can calculate exactly how big the success will be. So it depends on how many millimeters you can deviate from them and still be successful.

I was allowed to do this trial-and-error measurement at Accor, and I really enjoyed it. For example, at the Mercure Hotel Berlin City, where I was last. There, we implemented a lot of forward-looking ideas: the open-space lobby, appropriate places for Instagram moments, neighborhood activities with quiz nights and the like.

In the new company, everything that was an experiment before is part of the success. This means that in order to be successful, we have to actively try new event concepts as part of the concept. The difference is that many processes are not yet so structured, so you can help shape them.

Because we are the first new building in Germany, there are also many legal issues or personnel issues that work differently here than in the Netherlands. It takes a lot of time to learn the ropes, and it's not like at Accor, where I could always call someone to help me. Here you have to build a lot of things yourself, and that's what I really want to do. It's a big difference and it takes a lot of willpower.

<h3 class="interview-question"You've been called the "coolest GM in town" by the SMACK Hospitality Podcast. How did you earn that title?</h3>

Being the coolest GM in Berlin is one of those things. On the one hand, it's about the difference between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. I've never given myself that title, and I think there are so many cool directors in this city. There are also a lot of cool colleagues who deal with very different issues than I do.

In my case, what is cool for one is probably too much for many others. I often say what I'm thinking, and sometimes I get in trouble for it. But coolness isn't just about appearances, it's about what people do in their businesses.

Whether in the hotel or restaurant industry, there are colleagues here in Berlin who do sensational work. The network in Berlin is also very fair and collegial. People help each other and pick each other up. This makes it easy for me personally to be myself.

<h3 class="interview-question">The Student Hotel in Berlin is a property that targets not only students but also business travelers, who are currently restricted due to the “COVID-19” pandemic. Are you trying to attract new target groups, or what business models do you think will work in the future for city hotels?</h3>

Business travel is an important part of Berlin as a destination. Much more than the classic business traveler, trade show and event guests are essential to the city's success. Lobbying and consulting is another pillar that is indispensable for Berlin as a destination. In the current economic situation - and especially with German companies saying that business trips should be planned as infrequently as possible – I see few opportunities to actively revive this area.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"Clear rules, active and attentive teams and a clear approach are our keys to transparency in dealing with COVID-19."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Philip Ibrahim</div></div></div>

<h3 class="interview-question">What challenges does your company face in ensuring maximum guest safety? What role does digitalization play?</h3>

Certifications create security, which is why we also had ourselves inspected with the Bureau Veritas seal and, of course, passed. Clear rules, active and attentive teams and a clear approach are our keys to transparency in dealing with COVID-19. Digitization can be a great help here; I'm just thinking of the login, registration, ordering, and payment processes – we're in a much better position here today than we were before the crisis. And I'm not just talking about us as a company, but also about Germans in general – especially when it comes to payments.
In the second part of the interview, we discuss online marketing, the digitalization of the hotel industry and Philip Ibrahim's views on innovative hotel concepts around the world.