Thomas H. Althoff once again honoured for his life's work

The Althoff Hotels stand for outstanding cuisine, excellent hospitality and stylish design, combined with services of the highest quality. Founded by Thomas H. Althoff in 1984, the owner-managed hotel group has left its mark on the German hotel industry like few others of its size based in Germany. He is undoubtedly one of the most important leaders on the German-speaking hotel scene, as numerous awards attest. Just recently, the Cologne-based entrepreneur was once again honoured for his life's work - this time in the recently published Falstaff Hotel Guide 2024.

Thomas H. Althoff once convinced his parents to take over a hotel in Aachen - laying the foundations for a small empire. At the age of 20, he leased his first hotel with 40 rooms and did everything himself, from cleaning to waitressing to reception. In 1984, he opened the Hotel Regent International in Cologne together with his wife Elke Diefenbach-Althoff, thus founding the group that operates today as Althoff Hotels.

The company, which is still based in Cologne today, currently comprises three brands (Althoff COLLECTION, AMERON Collection and URBAN LOFT) with a total of 16 hotels, over 2,000 rooms and around 1,500 employees in four countries - Germany, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom. The portfolio is to be significantly expanded throughout Europe, and initially all eyes will be on the Althoff COLLECTION as it breathes new life into two German hotel icons. The Althoff Dom Hotel Cologne and The Florentin - the rebirth of the former Villa Kennedy - are set to open their doors in early summer 2025.

"40 years ago, Thomas H. Althoff and his wife Elke laid the foundation stone for the Hotel Regent in Cologne and created one of the largest owner-managed hotel companies in Europe. The recognition of this extraordinary lifetime achievement by Falstaff Verlag means a great deal to the entire Althoff team and is a great incentive to continue to vigorously shape the future of Althoff Hotels. Our heartfelt thanks go to the team around publisher Wolfgang M. Rosam," says Frank Marrenbach, CEO of Althoff Hotels.