By Carsten Hennig, Managing Editor Europe
Frankfurt – 12th of July
What is a real German name? Mueller, Meier, Schmidt – no: Famous soccer players like Jerome Boateng, he is born in Berlin, are among the Germans you should remember. In the hospitality industry, two untypical Germans are beating the hotel market(s). David Etmenan, whose family migrated from Iran, and Puneet Chhatwal, an Indian native, are the new top hoteliers.
Etmenan, who leads the family-owned Novum Hotel Group (84 hotels in Europe), started his career at the reception of his father’s first hotel in Hamburg. After studying business administration he joined the director’s board in 2008. Today, David make deals with heavy-loaded real estate investment funds and signs nearly every week a new hotel project. Novum is the fastest growing hotel chain in Germany and ranked among the top-ten hotel groups with an annual turnover with more than 100 million Euro.
For his family, his wife is also engaged with the hotel group, David takes time at every occasion. To honor thankful lifetime achievement of his father, he settled the private foundation ‘Nader Etmenan Stiftung’ focusing on support for migrant’s children thankful.
Puneet Chhatwal started his hotel career in New Delhi, India. Only some years later he advanced als authorised officer of the European hotel development group Feuring and as chief developer of Rezidor Hotel Group in Brussels. Today, he expedites the traditional German Steigenberger Hotel Group. With his chuzpe and outstanding negotiation skills, Puneet expands the Egyptian-owned hotel chain with dozens developments in the Emirates, Iran, India and China. Even the business hotel concept InterCityHotels becomes international – while opening new hotels in Oman and China.
With Jaz in the city, Puneet created a new type of sophisticated accomodation for millennials. The recently opened hotel in Amsterdam, first of its kind, is to be in evidence with its music events with a local DNA. Opening of the second Jaz in Stuttgart, Germany, is scheduled for early 2017.
David Etmenan and Puneet Chhatwal are two well-known names of the German hotel scenery. They’re make a noise in the world of hospitality.