COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HRS, the world's leading provider of corporate hotel solutions, can look back with satisfaction on a successful year. In 2018, HRS won several Fortune 500 customers globally and opened new locations across four continents. With additional offices in China, India and Brazil, HRS has invested primarily in emerging regions. Due to new high-volume budgets from global corporations, HRS expects growth in 2019 to be well above market average.
HRS winning global clients with integrated outsourcing and local presence
To remain competitive in the global marketplace, more companies are focusing on reducing or eliminating complexities in their operations. In the process, they rely on fast regional decision paths and outsource operational processes to external service providers. HRS has successfully positioned itself as a proven, credible partner when it comes to outsourcing all processes related to employee lodging. These services range from hotel purchasing to booking and travel expense accounting.
One of the first customers to outsource the entire global process chain to HRS was Siemens. This step by Siemens and HRS marked a new benchmark in the travel industry, which drove the interest of other companies. Next to Siemens, multiple Fortune 500 companies including Airbus, ArcelorMittal and Allianz have opted for a decentralized approach. They have all outsourced their entire hotel program to HRS.
Experienced managers expand regional networks between companies and hotels
In addition to its service portfolio, HRS has made significant contributions through its local presence in conjunction with a global network. As a result, HRS has guaranteed its customers swift implementation of their requirements.
In order to expand this competitive advantage, HRS is strengthening its operational excellence with regional clusters, to be closer to customers and partners. In the APAC, Americas, EMEA and DACH regions, HRS is intensifying its cooperation with companies and hotels at the local level and creating mutually beneficial networks. The responsibility lies with regional boards consisting of experienced industry experts. One of the new leaders is Rob Hornman, Senior Vice President (SVP) for EMEA. Following his successful career with Accor in Asia and Europe, Hornman was CEO of Worldhotels from 2008 to 2014. In this role, he was responsible for a network of over 500 individual hotels in 65 countries worldwide. Hornman is a respected digitalization consultant and has acted as strategic hospitality advisor and board director for hotel groups and hospitality real estate investors in Europe and Africa. Together with Chris Crowley, SVP EMEA at HRS since August, he will strengthen the cooperation with hotels and companies in the region. Prior to joining HRS, Crowley spent over ten years with BCD Travel as SVP EMEA. He also served as President of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) and remains on the Board of Directors at the Institute of Travel Management (ITM).
HRS also welcomes another well-known face from the travel industry: Veit Fuhrmeister. He is the company’s SVP in DACH/GSA (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), leveraging many years of expertise as an hotelier with expert digital competence. Following various management positions in the hotel industry as COO for Exclusive Hotels and as Board member of Center Parcs & Piere et Vacances, to name a few, he spent the past six years as Senior Director Central Europe & Eastern Europe for all brands of Expedia Inc.
Lukasz Dabrowski, after leading HRS’ global hotel and connectivity partnerships for four years, changes to a new function. As SVP in Asia-Pacific based out of Tokyo, he is now responsible for developing business opportunities among hotel partners and corporations in HRS' most important growth region.
All SVPs in the regions report directly to HRS Group CEO Tobias Ragge. “With this organizational development, we are responding to our global growth and preparing for the next level of scaling,” says Ragge. “With our partners in the regions – corporations as well as hotels – often having different needs, this structure further expands our entrepreneurial spirit through decentralization, giving us a key competitive advantage.”
About HRS
HRS simplifies business travel. Corporate travel managers and business travellers around the world trust HRS to find the best accommodation and simplify all processes related to their business travel. In addition to professional hotel sourcing and the negotiation of corporate rates with hotels, HRS optimises paperless payment of hotel accommodation and meetings, as well as automated invoice processing. More than 3,000 multinational corporations rely on HRS Global Hotel Solutions. Customers include global Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Siemens, Alibaba, China Mobile and Volkswagen. HRS pursues clear goals: savings for companies and high traveller satisfaction. Founded in Cologne in 1972, HRS today has more than 1,500 employees in more than 35 offices worldwide - including Berlin, London, Milan, Mumbai, New York, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Warsaw. Clients and business travellers benefit from HRS’ global network combined with local market expertise. Further information at corporate.hrs.com.