FRANKFURT As part of Steigenberger Hotel Group’s strategic plans to expand its portfolio internationally, the company is reshuffling its executive team.
Andrew Reitmaier has been appointed chief development officer, succeeding Claus-Dieter Jandel, who moves to a new role as chief operating officer for franchising.
Reitmaier has 15 years of hotel industry experience experience in consulting, development and strategic planning. Most recently, he served as vice president of development for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, where he was instrumental in coordinating development and strategic planning for the group, with a strong emphasis on Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Prior to joining Mövenpick, Reitmaier was vice president of development for MA Kharafi Group, where he played an integral role in setting up the corporate development structure and business planning activities of the hotel division, as well as identifying and evaluating investment opportunities and structuring business deals. Additionally, he has a strong consulting background, having held various positions at Arthur Andersen’s hospitality and real estate practices in both the Middle East and Europe. Reitmaier holds a bachelor of arts degree in international hotel management from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Reitmaier takes over for Jandel, who successfully reorganized, expanded and ran Steigenberger’s business development division for two years. Jandel now takes on the role of chief operating officer for franchising, where he will be actively involved in the further expansion of the franchise division. This role combines intensive support for the company’s franchise partners with management responsibility for special projects for the board of directors. “We will continue to grow through franchise contracts as part of our international expansion,” CEO Arco Buijs says. “It is therefore important to strengthen the personnel in this division. His wealth of hotel expertise means that Claus-Dieter Jandel is definitely the right man for this job.”
Jandel has enjoyed a long career with Steigenberger. He has been in a series of leading roles within the company since joining in 1988, initially as hotel and regional director in Bad Griesbach, and from 1993 onwards as regional director at Frankfurt company headquarters. He was made a fully authorized representative of the company in 1998. In 2003 he was tasked with the job of restructuring and managing the human resources division before presiding over business development from January 2009.