2023-07-17 01:00:00
Innegrit Volkhardt is manager of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. She reports on the media shyness of today’s celebrities, on a standout member of the Rolling Stones and their four donkeys.
Ms. Volkhardt, the Hotel Bayerischer Hof has existed since 1841. King Ludwig I wanted a first-class hotel in Munich. Many stories happened in the house. The members of the Rolling Stones were often guests.
Innegrit Volkhardt: And as a big Rolling Stones fan, I can only say good things regarding the behavior of the band members in our house.
Photo: Henning Kaiser, dpa (archive image)
Really? Were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards always good?
Volkhardt (laughs): You have always behaved correctly. However, one member of the Rolling Stones stood out: drummer Charlie Watts, who sadly passed away in 2021, made a huge impression on me. He left his room tidy and tidy as if he had never been there. But he slept in the room. The Stones’ visits to our hotel were one of the highlights for me.
Another highlight for you was that you interviewed the director Helmut Dietl for the book on the 175th anniversary of the Bayerischer Hof.
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Volkhardt: The publisher originally wanted a journalist to interview the director of television series such as “Munich Stories”, “Monaco Franze” or “Kir Royal”. Dietl, who was already very ill, refused. So he told me that he would only have the conversation – if at all – with me. I’m also a big Dietl fan and have known him for a long time.
You conducted one of the last interviews with him before his death in 2015. They were able to bring real news to light.
Volkhardt: On the one hand, Dietl told me that Heinrich Haffenloher, the director general played so wonderfully by Mario Adorf in “Kir Royal” at the Bayerischer Hof, was inspired by the paint manufacturer Helmut Hemmelrath. And Herr Hemmelrath became Dietl at the bar from the former social columnist of the Evening NewsHannes Obermaier.
Dietl then gave you the second message.
Volkhardt: Yes, I asked him who really was the role model for the gossip reporter Baby Shimmerlos in “Kir Royal”. Dietl then confirmed to me that it wasn’t Michael Graeter, even if he kept saying that. Rather, his source of inspiration for the Shimmerless figure was predominantly Obermaier. Hemmelrath, Dietl reveals, often invited him and Obermaier – “wherever it is particularly expensive”. The interview brought me a third, astounding realization: I was certain that Dietl and his companion, the writer Patrick Süskind, always saw themselves in the pure observer role towards Munich society, i.e. were outside.
Were they both outside?
Volkhardt: To my amazement, Dietl told me: Süskind and I were always part of Munich society. I rather thought that Dietl and Süskind had observed the scenery from a distance, like Gerhard Polt. In any case, Dietl was a typical Munich man, outspoken, grumpy from time to time, charming, very likeable and on the move a lot.
Munich are running out of originals. After Siggi Sommer, Walter Sedlmayr, Rudolph Moshammer, Bernd Eichinger, Helmut Dietl and Helmut Fischer are dead, there are hardly any real guys left. Is at least the Bayerischer Hof, as Dietl once said, still “the epitome of Munich life”?
Volkhardt: I think our hotel still is. But life in Munich has changed a lot. There are hardly any more of these typical Munich characters as Dietl worked them out. Celebrities used to want to be written regarding in the newspapers, so they wanted to be in the gossip columns. Today we experience the exact opposite: everyone is afraid of saying or doing something wrong. The celebrities often withdraw and prefer not to allow the press. There used to be a “Guest in Munich” section. Every hotel has indicated which famous guests have just stayed. Anyone who was not named was offended. Life in Munich used to be more relaxed, more colorful and freer.
Celebrities today demand that you maintain their anonymity under all circumstances?
Volkhardt: It was like that for a while. Then we were told: Yes, no press! Now this is so self-evident that well-known personalities no longer even point it out. They just tacitly expect discretion. The rapid spread and reaction on social media simply seems too dangerous to many. When a celebrity tells us that they are traveling via the underground car park, we know they don’t want any press. But there are still paparazzi outside the hotel, funnily enough from the same families over the decades.
Munich is not so Munich anymore. An original like Alfons Schuhbeck has to go to prison and seems to be financially strapped. When he’s out of jail and looking for a temporary place to live, would you give him a room?
Volkhardt: Of course. Schuhbeck would get a room from me. Schuhbeck is an original. But apparently he has unfortunately left the honorable path.
Photo: Sven Hoppe, dpa
The artist Udo Lindenberg, who lives in a suite in the Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg, is also an original. Do you also accommodate such permanent guests?
Volkhardt: A well-known musician also lived in the Bayerischer Hof for many years. But no one knew that except the scene. Other guests sometimes live with us for many years.
What makes you more nervous: when the security conference is taking place in the Bayerischer Hof or, like pop icon Michael Jackson, looks out the window two floors above your office and provokes crowds?
Volkhardt: Both are exciting, albeit different. Michael Jackson’s performance was less easy to plan for us than the well-prepared security conference. Jackson acted very spontaneously, whether he threw something out of the window or suddenly walked out the door without security guards – and this despite incredible crowds. Jackson was sometimes so uncontrolled that we worried regarding him and those around him. In any case, I’m lucky enough to have a job where you can experience so much.
You are currently experiencing the consequences of the shortage of skilled workers, which even a hotel like the Bayerischer Hof does not spare.
Volkhardt: We also feel the shortage of skilled workers. So that we can optimally serve all other areas of our hotel with a total of around 700 employees, part of our gastronomy, for example, the Palais cellar, is currently closed. We will only open it once more when we feel comfortable with the staff in all parts of the house.
Why doesn’t even the Bayerischer Hof find enough staff?
Volkhardt: As a top hotel worldwide, we are not alone: After Corona, companies in almost all countries are feeling the effects of demographic change. What’s more: During the pandemic, many hospitality workers have realized for the first time the benefits of having Christmas and New Year off and being home in the evenings. During this time, many have found new partners who do not come from our industry and do not understand our working hours. In the past, both partners had often worked in the hotel and restaurant sector and showed understanding for evening and weekend work.
But a lot of people from abroad worked in the catering trade. Didn’t these employees come back following the Corona period?
Volkhardt: These immigrants have returned to their homes during the pandemic and have discovered the value of living closer to family. In the meantime, they can also find work in their home countries. It is also true that we cannot find enough qualified people on the job market either. But that is currently the case in all industries. Economically, the hotel industry is doing well once more, although in Munich, unlike in other cities, we have not yet reached the level of 2019.
What do you draw strength from in your stressful job?
Volkhardt: Also out of work, although it is stressful. After all, it’s fun to organize great events such as the security conference, the film ball, but also high-quality jazz concerts here in the Bayerischer Hof. And I also draw strength from encounters with great people and the many regular guests.
There are four other beings in their big garden at Lake Starnberg.
Volkhardt: These are my four donkeys. You are super cute. I’ve had the donkeys for 17 years.
They claim your donkeys are not stubborn.
Volkhardt: That’s really true. They only do what they understand. Donkeys are playful and smart. One of my employees built a seesaw for the donkeys because one of my donkeys likes to stand on a raised spot. Now the donkey stands on one part of the seesaw and I on the other. So I rock my donkey. And on my desk is a picture of my donkey Michel with a brush in front of his face. It looks like he’s giving an interview.
About: Innegrit Volkhardt, 57, has been the managing general partner of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich since 1994. After training as a hotel clerk, she completed a degree in business administration and then joined the family business. The Bayerischer Hof is one of the world’s leading top hotels. Innegrit Volkhardt’s hobbies include horseback riding and music.
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