Welcome to the Future
A hotel company with a long history and strong origins in the heart of Europe, today H World International draws on its global strength and rich legacy to chart new horizons. In this interview, we converse with Dr. Stephan Hungeling, CEO & Managing Director of the business about the company’s heritage, expansion and its evolution within the experience economy.
Credit images: ©Steigenberger Hotels GmbH
Having strengthened their financial discipline, optimised their portfolio and sharpened their brand positioning, the return to profitability last year was a key milestone for the company. The business is now building on that foundation, accelerating profitable growth through an increasingly asset-light strategy. For Hungeling, growth is not about adding hotels at any price. It is about creating sustainable value.
Their home market of Germany, along with Austria and Switzerland, remain a core priority, with opportunities arising in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Iberian Peninsula. The Group also sees potential in Mediterranean resort destinations, the Middle East and Egypt. They continue to assess long-term demand, commercial viability, brand sustainability and partner quality, ensuring every development makes strategic and economic sense.
“Our first two Zleep openings in Germany marked important steps in expanding our economy lifestyle brand, whilst the reopening of Steigenberger Icon Europäischer Hof Baden-Baden and the addition of Steigenberger Icon Herrenhof Wien strengthened our luxury portfolio,” explains Dr. Stephan Hungeling, CEO & Managing Director of H World International. “Beyond these milestones, we have made progress in leveraging the capabilities of our parent company, H World Group, particularly in supply chain optimisation, technology and operational efficiency.”
Looking at their international pipeline, H World will introduce IntercityHotel Riyadh Al Rayaan, demonstrating their ambitions in Saudi Arabia, while projects such as Steigenberger Hotel Saint Catherine and
Steigenberger Hotel Elephantine Island Aswan underline their commitment to Egypt. At the same time, they continue to explore opportunities for their lifestyle brands, including House of Beats. Their focus is on strengthening their brands and expanding in markets offering long-term opportunities.
“Hospitality is becoming part of broader ecosystems connecting retail, leisure, entertainment and culture. This creates significant opportunities for international operators who understand experience design, scalability, cultural relevance and commercial sustainability,” comments Hungeling.
With a portfolio that serves a wide range of different audiences, clear brand positioning is essential for their development partners and the more than 300 million H Rewards members. Hungeling explains that each brand needs a distinctive identity and guest promise. For example, Steigenberger Icons celebrates exceptional locations, architecture and heritage, while Zleep combines Scandinavian simplicity with accessible quality.
“As IntercityHotel approaches its 40th anniversary in 2027, we are taking the brand into its next chapter, combining its hallmark, well-connected urban locations with contemporary design, enhanced comfort and intuitive digital services.”
With increasingly blurred boundaries between hospitality, retail, leisure and entertainment, Stephan feels that retail teaches them speed, precision and customer relevance, whilst hospitality adds place, memory and emotional connection. He continues by saying guests experience destinations as a whole, not as separate industries and that hotels can become anchors of experience, connecting leisure, culture, entertainment and community. The booking is a transaction, the stay is a relationship and the memory is the brand.
Looking for partners who bring strong local market knowledge, commercial discipline and a commitment to quality, the ambition of H World International is to grow through management and franchise agreements while remaining pragmatic about lease opportunities. Asset-light models provide scalability and capital efficiency, allowing them to expand alongside strong local partners.
Digitalisation is transforming the guest journey, from booking and check-in to personalised services. Technology can make these interactions simpler, faster and more convenient, while data helps H World better understand individual guest preferences. Their objective through technology is to remove unnecessary complexity and give their teams more time for meaningful guest interactions. Technology should not make hospitality colder; it should allow people more time to be human.
Alongside digital, sustainability is another core aspect of ongoing business operations. It is embedded in their development and operational approach and their commitment to sustainable buildings is reflected in their DGNB Gold-certified properties such as Steigenberger Hotel Am Kanzleramt Berlin and Zleep Hotel Hamburg Volkspark.
“For us, responsible hospitality means combining measurable environmental standards with guest comfort, operational efficiency and long-term asset value,” Hungeling explains.
As he looks to the future, Stephan wants the business to be a stronger international growth platform, combining European hospitality heritage with the global scale and capabilities of its parent company, H World Group.
“Our focus remains on profitable expansion, distinctive brands and long term partnerships. I believe successful hospitality businesses will combine emotion with execution; creating authentic guest experiences while delivering operational excellence and sustainable value for owners and investors,”Hungeling concludes.
