“I had a great life in the music business but I was tired of air miles and I wanted something else, but what?” says Dirk Dreyer, general manager of 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, Germany.
Straight after graduating from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in his hometown of Frankfurt, he became a professional DJ, which led to sales and marketing for Bertelsmann, EMI Music and Sony Music Entertainment.
“In 2009, I was a Berlin-based senior product manager for 313 Music and it was time for a change. I wanted to stay in Berlin. I had conversations with leaders of many industries and after a couple of glasses of wine with the GM of Lux 11 hotel, I found myself accepting his offer to run his second property. It had 172 rooms and all the F&B was leased out. I knew nothing about running hotels but I had stayed in them, around the world, sometimes three nights every week. I read some books, talked with people and started,” he said.
The first morning, he now admits, he was somewhat nervous, but he quickly experienced a great workplace and by the end of that first day he had met many great people. After two years at the Lux 11 complex, he was headhunted by the franchise holder to launch IHG’s artsy Indigos in Berlin. He moved on to NH Group and then finally he got the call he had been waiting for.
“I had long wanted to work for Christoph Hoffman, CEO of 25hours, for whom I have tremendous respect. He telephoned and said I was now ready to run 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin and I started in April 2017,” said Dreyer.
This is a rare hotel that, with only 149 rooms, regularly does 450 covers, lunch and dinner only, in its rooftop restaurant, Neni. The adjacent Monkey Bar, which has long wait lines down at the first floor as it allows newcomers up in small lots, taking in over 1,000 guests every evening, is known worldwide (60% of all income comes from these two operations, both hotel-run).
“25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin is food and music and fashion and fun, and being in charge is not unlike running a night club. I need the same management skills, and I still do a lot of trouble-shooting,” said Dreyer.
Every day is different, with business coming from the many conferences that are held in Berlin plus locals who see Neni as an institution for tasty, flavorful comfort food with an eastern Mediterranean flair and Monkey Bar as the venue for after-dinner clubbing. Because of his many years in Berlin, Dreyer has an extensive network and, just like a night club manager, he personally attracts much of the local business.
“But I am also closely involved with the music, not only here in 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, but in other hotels,” Dreyer said. “Paris opened last month, and Dubai is scheduled next. My life is just as exciting now as it was in pre-hotel days, plus I see my family more. I do not miss those air miles at all.”