From “Second Level” to Changemaker
How the journey started
My journey at Seminaris Hotels began in summer 2021 in Nuremberg. Before joining Seminaris, my colleague Thomas and I had already been managing a hotel together in Gera. When the opportunity arose to move to Nuremberg, we were introduced to the company’s transformation journey and its modern way of working.
What immediately inspired us was the idea of rethinking hospitality: fewer rigid hierarchies, more responsibility within teams and a strong focus on personal development. This understanding of collaboration and growth perfectly matched our own vision of what modern hospitality should look like.
Shortly after joining Seminaris, I became part of the transformation team “Team Kopf” and started actively contributing to the development of new structures, values and ways of working. Together, we created new approaches to collaboration and supported teams throughout periods of change — even when those changes were challenging.
What fascinated me most was how new ideas continuously emerged from these projects. Through topics such as coaching, feedback culture, exchange formats and modern onboarding, my understanding of what “new work” truly requires became much clearer.
„Seminaris changed my perspective on hospitality and leadership in an incredibly positive way.“
Actively shaping change
As the transformation progressed, I was given more and more trust to independently contribute to projects and new initiatives. One topic that became especially important to me was onboarding and the question of how new employees can arrive successfully — not only professionally, but also personally.
Together with colleagues from different teams, we developed an onboarding concept that can be individually adapted to different hotels, departments and roles. At the same time, I helped create formats such as the “Digital Coffee Chat”, a cross-location exchange platform focused on support, learning and collaboration.
Today, I am also involved in developing a company-wide feedback framework and support colleagues as a mentor in our internal mentoring program DREAMS!.
Rethinking leadership
During my time at Seminaris Hotels, my understanding of leadership changed fundamentally. In the past, I often solved problems myself or stepped in whenever challenges arose. Today, I see leadership much more as enabling and supporting people within a team.
My focus is now on helping people work independently, take ownership and develop solutions together. Decisions therefore become more transparent, collaborative and closely connected to the people working in day-to-day operations.
One of the most important lessons for me has been that trust, open communication and shared reflection create far better long-term results than traditional top-down leadership structures.
Why growth becomes possible at Seminaris
My personal learning journey was made possible through trust, openness and the freedom to try new things. I was encouraged to contribute ideas, take responsibility and actively shape projects.
At the same time, collaboration with highly engaged colleagues and a culture of honest exchange played a major role in my development. The willingness to openly reflect on mistakes and learn from them together still shapes the culture at Seminaris Hotels today.
Looking ahead
For me, growth is never a finished process. At Seminaris, new ideas, projects and perspectives are constantly emerging, creating continuous opportunities to learn and contribute.
I look forward to continuing to support change, help shape modern ways of working and encourage people in their personal development journeys. Perhaps one day this experience will even allow me to support other hospitality companies in their own transformation processes.
Because I truly believe that what Seminaris has built is something the entire hospitality industry will need in the future.
