Shared success unites.
Experience the WorldHotels approach: All different, each one an original. Here you will meet people who understand and share your ideas. Here, your contribution makes a difference for you as well as for everyone. Diversity counts here, because it involves everyone. Here you can give your best, because everyone's ideas and courage move us forward together.
A community. Full of entrepreneurs.
At WorldHotels you will notice this from day one: Your success is important to all of us. You can expect the support of a diverse community. What connects the different hotel ideas? Shared values and a corporate culture in which you can make a difference. Do you have the feeling that you have more to offer? Then bring your experience to WorldHotels. Make an appointment and share your ideas with us.
I have been Managing Director of WorldHotels Central Europe (formerly BWH Hotels) since April 2008, focussing on hotel development and hotel relations. I learnt the hotel business from the bottom up. After my training and an extra-occupational marketing degree, I held various positions in sales and marketing.
After ten years at Steigenberger Hotels, I joined WorldHotels in 1999. ‘Exceeding hotelier and guest expectations’ is one of my favourite topics. As an intern on the RTL TV programme ‘Undercover Boss’, I worked unrecognised on the ground in various WorldHotels.
Today, I pass on the knowledge I gained there in lectures and give valuable impulses from practice for practice
Telefon: +49 6196 4724-100
E-Mail: marcus.smola@bwhhotels.de
As Managing Director of WorldHotels Central Europe (formerly BWH Hotels) since 2018, I am responsible for all customer and market-relevant areas such as marketing & sales, distribution & revenue management as well as reservation and web technology. Prior to that, I worked for Best Western for 25 years in various positions.
Among other things, I developed the successful WorldHotels strategy to strengthen its own distribution and led it to success: As a result, WorldHotels own website has now become the most successful direct sales channel for affiliated WorldHotels. As proof of the success of our online activities, the digital marketing strategy of WorldHotels was recently awarded top marks in a study by the German Dialogue Marketing Association (DDV) and the management consultancy absolit Dr. Schwarz consulting.
Telefon: +49 6196 4724-140
E-Mail: carmen.duecker@bwhhotels.de
Your Gateway to Influential Networks
At WorldHotels, we do not just follow the industry – we help shape it. Our central team is actively present where decisions are made: on boards, expert panels, and within leading associations. We champion the interests of our partner hotels, build relationships with key decision-makers, anticipate trends before they hit the market and share actionable solutions with the wider community.
The result? You gain access to powerful contacts, insider insights, and a strong voice that amplifies your perspective across the industry – without ever leaving your desk.
“As a member of the VDR Executive Board, I am committed to ensuring that the interests of the hotel industry are reflected in strategic decisions and that we shape business travel to be safe, efficient, and sustainable.”
The VDR is the leading expert network for the business travel sector. I am delighted to give the hotel industry even greater visibility – and, of course, to strengthen awareness of our WorldHotels brand.
Within the Executive Board, one of my key priorities is attracting and nurturing young talent. It is vital to identify the best people and inspire them to join us – individuals who share our passion and commitment to excellence in everything we do.
“As a member of the IHA Executive Board, I actively champion the interests of our industry, drive innovation, and work to strengthen the competitiveness of the hotel sector and our properties.”
Professional association work is essential for our industry – now more than ever. Numerouschallenges and developments demand a united and powerful response. WorldHotels is one of the largest hotel groups represented within the association, which is why I have been committed to serving on the Board for many years.
This involvement enables me to help set priorities and initiate solutions – for the benefit of the industry, and of course for WorldHotels.
“Our membership in the TIC provides an invaluable platform to help shape industry trends at an early stage, build new connections and actively foster dialogue among decision-makers across sectors.”
As an international hotel group with more than two hundred individual properties in the German-speaking region, our ambition is clear: we do not just want to identify trends in hospitality – we want to help shape them. The Travel Industry Club offers exactly the right environment for this: interdisciplinary, forward-thinking, and open to genuine exchange beyond traditional industry boundaries.
We look forward to fresh ideas, inspiring discussions, and working together to shape the future of the travel and hospitality sector.
“As a mentor within Young TIC, I support emerging talent in the travel industry, share my experience and help them build valuable networks for their future careers.”
The Young Travel Industry Club (Young TIC) is the leading community for the next generation of travel professionals – students, trainees, and young entrants to the industry. Its mission is to nurture talent and create opportunities for young professionals to connect with the movers and shakers of the sector.
We are committed to supporting future leaders, which is why we actively endorse the mentoring programme. As a mentor, I share my knowledge and experience with my mentee, while gaining fresh perspectives and innovative ideas in return. For us, it is a clear win-win situation.
“Digital transformation can only succeed when we share knowledge and learn from one another.”
For the past two years, I have been actively involved in the HSMA Expert Circle for E-Commerce & Online Marketing. The exchange of expertise and networking with industry peers provides valuable insights that I can directly bring into our community.
Through this engagement, I represent WorldHotels, share experiences, contribute to shaping the digital future of hospitality and ensure the perspectives of our partner hotels are heard in key discussions.
“I am involved with ABTA to give the Austrian hotel industry a strong voice in the business travel sector. My aim is to raise awareness of relevant issues, encourage dialogue and actively represent the interests of hotels.”
The demands of the business travel sector are constantly changing – and this is precisely where my involvement with ABTA comes into play. My aim is to actively represent the perspective of the Austrian hotel industry within the association and to provide practical impetus. As a member of the Executive Board, it is important to me to give hotels a clear voice and to support them in the day-to-day challenges they face in the corporate client sector.
I am particularly committed to open dialogue between buyers and suppliers, as well as the continuous transfer of knowledge within the industry. This creates tangible added value for our affiliated WorldHotels: through direct market insights, trends and contacts, offers and strategies can be tailored even more precisely to the needs of business travellers and corporate clients.