COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 59.
Ulrike Fohr has been instrumental in developing the concept and
positioning of The George. The appointed General Manager of the
hotel looks back on a varied career in the hospitality field. Her
training began with an apprenticeship in hotel management at
a 4*German hotel with additional qualifications as a tourism ex-
pert. Following different positions in Germany and abroad, she
brought her love for the hotel business to Hamburg, where she
has lived since 1988. She held various positions at the Hotel Hafen
Hamburg over a 10 year period, when she also headed its sales
department since 1990. With the opening of Gastwerk Hotel in
1999 – Hamburg’s first Design Hotel - she followed former Gen-
eral Manager Kai Hollmann to take the role of Director of Sales
and Marketing. In 2003, her responsibilities also extended to the
sister’s hotel, the 25hours Hotel Number One. Kai Hollmann is
an integral part of Hamburg´s hotel scene. With the Gastwerk
Hotel Hamburg, the German Hotelier of the Year 2003 and Busi-
nessman of the Year 2008 created a milestone in industrial design
and defined the trend of “affordable style” with the 25hours Hotel
Number One in Hamburg. Hollmann is the Managing Director
of The George. Hollmann, a trained chef, completed his appren-
ticeship in hotel management at the Hotel Intercontinental Ham-
burg. He first caused a sensation when he took on the position of
General Manager of Hotel Hafen Hamburg at the age of 24. Under
his direction, the hotel expanded to include 150 additional rooms
and the Hotel Residenz Hafen Hamburg was built. As Owner and
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE GEORGE
HOTELS WE COVET //
Managing Director, he opened the Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg in
2000, followed by the 25hours Hotel Number One in 2003. As a
shareholder in the 25hours Hotel Company, Hollmann also oper-
ates the Goldman 25hours Hotel in Frankfurt, the 25hours Hotel
by Levis in Frankfurt, the 25hours Hotel Hamburg Hafencity, the
25hours Hotel Vienna and also the new 25hours Hotel Bikini Ber-
lin. Sibylle von Heyden is responsible for the interior design of The
George in cooperation with Kai Hollmann. She is an experienced
interior architect with a focus on hotel design. Her creativity is
particularly influenced by the long-term periods she spent work-
ing abroad. Her previous accomplishments include the Gastwerk
Hotel Hamburg, where the existing traditional brick building is
complemented with modern accents. She was also involved in
the whimsical design of the 25hours Hotel as well as the 25hours
Guesthouse, both in Hamburg. For the interiors of The George,
she has taken inspiration from British classics and fine quality
materials for creating contemporary ambience. Tom Schlotfeldt
puts the spotlight on The George. With his company Schlotfeldt
Licht, he has completed lighting design projects ranging from ho-
tels to flagship stores of well-known designers. The company was
also involved in the Master Plan of Luchao Harbour, Shanghai. In
addition to lighting design, Schlotfeldt is also busy as a product
developer and as a product designer. The George features interior
and exterior lighting that is customisable according to the time of
day and ambience required. As Owner and Managing Director he
opened the Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg in 2000, followed by the
25hours Hotel Number One in 2003.