Aleksandar Vasilijević, General Manager of Falkensteiner Hotel Belgrade, who enjoys the trust of Belgrade residents and visitors from around the world for already seven years, considers the persistence in the quality and dedication of the employees the key to the success of this hotel
How to build an emotional connection with guests? What makes the atmosphere of a hotel such that a guest never wants a change? The answers are in the business approach of the Falkensteiner Hotel represented by Aleksandar Vasilijević
Are you pleased with the position of the Falkensteiner Hotel on the Belgrade catering map? Which strategies have you used in order to win the guests trust?
Falkensteiner Hotel Belgrade has opened its doors for first guests in December 2012 and has been at the very top of Belgrade’s map of hotels for almost 7 years now. The only strategy you need to win guests trust is persistence in quality, but above all, approaching the guest and providing a special experience. Our guest here feels like at home. This is a hotel with soul, and guests recognize it. We wish our guests a warm welcoming, now and forever.
What makes the offer of Falkensteiner Hotel special? How would you most accurately represent the Falkensteiner brand philosophy?
We are a home in Belgrade that with its 4 stars provides its guests 5 stars offer. The specialty of our hotel is reflected primarily in the people who work here and the atmosphere that a good team carries with them. What we are trying to do at every moment is to build an emotional connection with guests who will experience positive and extraordinary moments during their stay at the hotel.
Falkensteiner family started over 60 years ago with one small guesthouse with only 7 beds. It is now a group of over 30 hotels and apartment complexes in 7 European countries. Even today, the company is loyal to what it believed in from the very beginning. We are a big family, proud of our roots, a family that transfers a welcoming atmosphere and has a friendly and open approach. Falkensteiner is the safest choice for the ideal holiday moments of all generations, depending on the motive of the guest’s trip we have hotels that will suit him. Custom made for all type of guests and always in the domestic spirit of South Tyrol.
In our group, there are hotels for couples, travelers who want to relax, but also families, those who want an active vacation, those who want to enjoy the best SPA offer, as well as guests looking for top quality food, drinks, and full enjoyment.
The company has taken the best of what the largest hotel chains have to offer but has maintained the individuality of family hotels.
What are the impressions of the guests? How much do these impressions differ considering the climate where the guests come from?
We, as a hotel pay great attention to the feedback we receive from our guests. We keep track of reviews on portals on a daily basis and respond to each one. Our hotel has been receiving top ratings for years on all channels such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Holiday Check and more.
Besides, the large number of guests who come back to our hotel over and over again is our main indication that we are on a good path. They are no longer regular guests, they are our guests and friends of this house. In terms of the climate where the guests come from, the impressions are of course different, just how different the people between themselves are. Yet the experience they have here speaks in a universal language; the language of a satisfied guest.
If we emphasize the business elite and professionals of different professions, what are the benefits of the Falkensteiner Hotel concept?
The majority of our guests are business people. They know they will get fast and expeditious service here, quality sleep, and the best breakfast in town. The hotel does not have massive groups, it does not carry with it a chaotic ambiance, but the sophistication and atmosphere of peace that is essential to the business guest and much needed.
How satisfied are you with the work of the Falkensteiner Montenegro Hotel, which opened this year?
Falkensteiner Hotel Montenegro started in May this year. We had no easy task here given the fact that this hotel has existed for many years under a different name and management. We had to offer something new and completely different; a unique concept of good food, good service and the experience of complete enjoyment during the holidays. The hotel is currently full, so I believe we have succeeded in this plan.
How much does the concept of coastal hotels differ from those in a continental environment?
We are very fortunate that our company has a great experience when it comes to holiday hotels. Our eight coastal hotels and apartment complexes have been operating successfully on the Croatian coast for years, and when it comes to mountain or SPA hotels, Falkensteiner knows how to run it very well.
After all, the goal is the same, to give the guest a unique atmosphere and an unforgettable experience, so the next time the guest thinks of a vacation, whether on the mountain or the sea, he thinks of Falkensteiner.
If we put you in a guest position, what are your basic expectations for a hotel?
I must state at the beginning that I am a very demanding guest. I travel a lot, often with my family that has three children. The hotel we are staying at first must maintain a high level of hygiene, have contents for children such as children’s chairs in the restaurant, but also the staff who are ready in the middle of the night to warm the bottle with milk, or bring you a meal for children in less than 10 minutes. The central location of the hotel is also important to me, as I always have to carry at least one child with me. This is my personal categorization, no matter how many stars a hotel has.
Autumn is approaching and easy entry into the cold period of the year. What are your plans for the upcoming period?
Every new September for a city hotel means getting out of a somewhat calm period and the beginning of a period full of events, large groups, and congresses, of high occupation. Our plans are, of course, to be ready for autumn, and to offer some novelties this year, especially when it comes to food and beverage services. Our chief, Božidar Stefanović, is already preparing several promotions to bring some new cuisines and tastes to Belgrade’s guests.
As for the group of hotels is considered, this year we plan to continue developing the concept of luxury camping so-called glamping, in Croatia, to open 2 new hotels in Italy, but also to promote the Falkensteiner brand itself. Our goal is to make Falkensteiner synonymous for the true relaxation, complete enjoyment, and a unique atmosphere, in one word to become to our guests, partners and colleagues a life companion and create magical moments together.