The InterContinental on Königsallee is one of the top addresses in Düsseldorf, especially for international guests. Since 2016 Britta Kutz is its hotel manager. In an interview that took place beginning of November, at the start of the second lockdown, she talks about crisis management, cultural diversity and the desire to pack your bags.

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Ms Kutz, what is the current occupancy of the InterContinental Düsseldorf? And how do you feel about it?
Since spring we have been experiencing ups and downs. In March we were about to open our new restaurant Kö59 – then came the first lockdown. In the summer we had comparatively good months: international business picked up again, we were on the upswing – then came the second lockdown. At the moment we have an occupancy of 10 percent. So, we are left in uncertainty all the time, which is an enormous challenge. For me personally as well. Actually, I am usually good at dealing with change – but now I wouldn't mind more planning security.

You have more than 20 years of experience in the hotel industry, but of course you have no experience with crises like this. How did you and your team experience the first months?
The InterContinental Hotels Group is a globally operating company. This is a huge advantage, because we can orient ourselves on guidelines that have already been tried and tested in other locations. Our hygiene concept in Düsseldorf, for example, has long been used in China. Our Europe-wide purchasing is also a plus point, enabling us to react quickly to changes. Nevertheless, the force of the virus and the associated regulations naturally surprised us too. My team and I had to deal with a new hotel every month, so to speak: at first a very busy luxury hotel with almost 300 rooms and meeting and event facilities, then suddenly a boutique breakfast hotel with just 40 occupied rooms. Without restaurant, without bar, without events. So, we constantly had to come up with a new concept. That was and still is very nerve-racking. But it’s also a lot of fun when the whole team shoulders the operation and it works. And so far, it does.

You have already managed several hotels in Asia. Hygiene concepts and masks are part of everyday life there, if only because of the fine dust pollution. To what extent has this experience helped you to deal with the new situation at the Düsseldorf location?
The fact that people wear breathing masks is a familiar sight in many places in Asia. But in Thailand or Singapore, where I worked among others, masks were not necessary at all. But what rather influenced and impressed me was the almost fatalistic way of dealing with many things and the patience that resulted from it.

Can you give an example?
If you are planning a New Year’s Eve gala in a hotel in Thailand, for example, and find that nothing is set up at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, as a Central European you will naturally be nervous. So, I had to adapt quite a bit at first. In Thailand you are much more relaxed with many things. You live more consciously in the moment. But you can also react quickly when it matters – in other words, you can put on a New Year’s Eve gala in a short time.
But this mentality also applies to far greater challenges and upheavals. Just think of the occasionally extreme weather conditions and natural disasters in Asia! You will certainly be able to cope better with this if you bring a little fatalism with you. And the ability to act quickly in an emergency. I believe this can also pay off when dealing with a crisis like this.

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What other experiences abroad have shaped you?
I remember once looking for a local deputy director for our hotel in Thailand. When asked at the interview why the candidate had applied to us, he said “I like the fact that the hotel is right next to the house where I live with my family.” So that was the decisive point for him: the proximity to his family and the short distance to work. Imagine that in Germany! Here, it would be unthinkable in most cases to name the family as the main reason for wanting a career. The first argument here is “important career steps” and similar things. In any case, my own perspective and management style have changed a lot as a result of my experience with Asian culture: I have learned that my own motivation to achieve a goal does not necessarily have to be that of the other person.

“It is this knowledge that
lies dormant in you, that
the world is bigger.”

And? Did you hire the applicant at that time?
No, we did not. Unfortunately, for various reasons it did not fit in this case.

The InterContinental brand’s commitment to an international focus lies in its name already. How do you look into the future: Will travelling across continents become the norm again?
I definitely cannot make detailed predictions. But I believe that as soon as there is a vaccine or we learn to deal with the virus better, tourism will also pick up again. People simply love to travel. Privately, but also professionally. Many business decisions are better made face to face. Even during the strictest lockdown we had business people visiting us.

What fascinates you about your work?
The hotel industry is a very special world. I realised this for myself early on: When I was a child, my parents took me to the Carlton in Cannes. The men in dinner jackets, the elegance of the guests – the whole flair fascinated me! Later, during my first hotel internship, I polished glasses from morning to night – and it still fascinated me. It is certainly the joy of being a host. But it's also packing my suitcase, flying, getting to know new people, cultures and countries and finding your way around ... I love it. It is this knowledge that lies dormant in you, that the world is bigger.

How does a hotel manager like you spend her holidays? Probably not in a hotel, right?
Yes, I do like to take a holiday in one of our houses from time to time. But only for a long weekend. As a guest here, I am of course always under a little bit of observation myself and can never completely let go of being a hotel manager. I enjoy club holidays with my family, my husband and my eleven-year-old daughter. That’s a completely different kind of hotel business, there's something for every taste. But we’ve also spent great vacations in holiday homes in Holland or Croatia. But as long as travelling is not possible, I also enjoy being in Düsseldorf. I spend a lot of time with our dog Jupp at the moment. It is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a very strong calibre, who needs a lot of exercise. With such a dog you don’t just go for a walk, you go on really big cross-country tours. It’s a nice time out, during which I get new thoughts and ideas. •

INTERCONTINENTAL DÜSSELDORF
Königsallee 59 , 40215 Düsseldorf
GERMANY
www.duesseldorf. intercontinental.com

BRITTA KUTZ

Britta Kutz has been hotel manager of the InterContinental at Königsallee 59 since 2016, having previously managed three InterContinental hotels in Asia and also held leading positions for the luxury brands Hyatt and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.