Young, dynamic, environmentally conscious – “Captain” Ben Förtsch is not a classic hotelier, but does his own thing. It is thanks to his vision and hard work that the Creativhotel Luise can call itself Germany’s first climate-positive hotel.
The Pioneers (Gudrun & Klaus Förtsch)
As pioneers in the field of sustainable hotel business, the former managing directors Klaus and Gudrun Förtsch set the environmentally friendly course in the 90s, which their son is now following. In doing so, they laid the foundation for the unique concept of the Creativhotel Luise.
Klaus Förtsch † 27.12.2018
The Founders (Margarethe & Heinz Förtsch)
In 1956, Heinz Förtsch founded the Hotel Luise together with Marga(rethe). Unfortunately, both have already passed away, but their traces remain in the hotel.
Luise.
It’s summer. May be even a late spring day. She is riding her bike and takes a quick break. Her hair draws graceful waves, just like the landscape behind her: Gentle hills; the gables and rooftops of a small town; idyllic homeland in the year 1931. Luise Gumbmann is 25 years of age…
Where did Luise ride to on this beautiful day? This photograph, taken from a family album, doesn’t reveal her destination. She certainly went back to Erlangen at some point, where Luise was living at that time with her husband and little daughter Marga. She looks a bit skeptical, as though she didn’t want to pause for a moment and pose but just wanted to continue her ride. Whether this was the case?
How we see ourselves
Our house is run according to ecological principles. As a family company, we think in terms of generations and are aware of our responsibility for the future. Since 1991, our commitment in the field of “environmentally conscious hotel and restaurant operations” has been regularly awarded the gold medal by the Bavarian Ministry of Economics and the Environment. We helped launch Viabono, the German brand for environmentally friendly travel.
Today Hotel Luise has existed since 1956 and has grown steadily since then. With four extensions and another building, the creative hotel offers space for 92 rooms, a SPA, a fitness room, massage rooms, a roof terrace and much more. Benjamin Förtsch, the third generation, has been the new active managing director since the beginning of 2014, replacing his mother Gudrun Förtsch.
We take inspiration from others, but continue our view of sustainability.
– Ben Fortsch
Us and our workplace
We support the Charter of Diversity, an initiative of the federal government, with which we commit ourselves to be open to all people and also to support them. Well, that’s not entirely true. It is not an obligation for us, it is a matter of course for us.
We still have our own permanent cleaners and no seasonal workers – we’re proud of that. The well-being of our employees is particularly important to us.
The climate hotels are a cooperation of hosts who have made it their task to offer their guests a climate-positive stay without sacrificing quality and to offer comfort. They are committed to spreading and promoting climate awareness throughout Germany and want to promote climate protection. We are:
FAIR to our employees by making it a matter of course for us that the agreed wages are paid. In addition, we always pay attention to qualified training and regular further training. We also support those who have a harder time on the job market than others (e.g. older employees and people with disabilities or people with a migration background). The issue of work-life balance is particularly important to us. This also includes a sincere appreciation of achievements, reasonable working hours and a pleasant working environment.
At the Creativhotel we are not colleagues, we are friends. This applies to both our employees and our regular guests. And you can tell! We are 35 teammates who enjoy working together and we want to make your stay as good and enjoyable as possible. Our team is multi-generational, and we support both the youngsters and the old pros. For us, everyone plays an important role and we do not exclude anyone.
We’re proud of that.
Join our team! Send us your application including resumé and credentials to: hr@hotel-luise.de
At the moment we are looking for:
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Sustainability, which: [a complex term for a holistic way of life that does not focus on the ego, but on the world. Levers to block climate change. When used across the board, it guarantees long-term harmony and proverbially good sleep]
Sustainable ...
We have already implemented over 230 sustainability projects! Discover it now on our Wall of Change and ideally imitate it right away.
When you have breakfast in our hotel, you only have eyes for what’s on your plate. That’s no wonder, considering all the rich regional delicacies and the organic and fair-trade products our buffet has to offer.
As a family company we think in terms of generations and understand our responsibility towards the future. We have been regularly recognized by the Bavarian Ministry of Economics and Environment.
What is it that makes us one of the most ecological and sustainable city hotels in Germany? We plant trees in Panama and welcome cyclists from all around the world for better deals.
Sustainability is not equal to renunciation
IDEAS to save the world a little bit
When it comes to making the first climate-positive hotel in Germany even more special, hotel Director, Ben Förtsch has a lot of ideas. He also has a message: Humans should do more for this planet. It starts with riding bikes and it doesn’t stop when visiting a hotel. However, he deliberately refrains from pointing fingers at anyone. His “green revolution” is subversive – and it even looks good. A chat with a “do gooder” about his hotel.
Social
- We are a family-run company. We count every employee as part of the family!
- We offer family-friendly part-time work models
- All our employees are permanent and are paid above the collective agreement
- It doesn’t matter whether you’re a youngster, a professional, a pensioner or a person with a disability: everyone is welcome here!
Environment
- Own reforestation project together with othersKlimahotels (The climate forest) to compensate for the own arising CO²
- Own electric car and Charging station for electric cars</ span>
- Hotel is a green city oasis: half of the 3000m² hotel property is green space (with shepherd’s garden, planted roof, green inner courtyard and more)
Economy
- As a family business, it is important to operate in the long term
- All jobs should be safe jobs
- Act agile but security-conscious
- Long-term employees, which means that there are hardly any recruiting costs
- More cost-effective structures through energy savings
Circular rooms and Jedi power
Awards
