In addition to opening as quickly as possible, Christoph Unckell also wants a rescue like that of the farmers after the 2018 drought. How the hotels in Würzburg survive Corona.
There are 51 hotels in the city of Würzburg and in the surrounding area, according to the Hotel and Restaurant Association Dehoga. In 2019, almost a million people stayed there. Due to the corona crisis, the beds have been almost empty since March 17th. For comparison: In March and April of last year, almost 100,000 people slept in Würzburg hotels. Only business travelers are currently allowed to stay there. On Tuesday, Markus Söder gave the restaurateurs and hoteliers hope. The opening of the hotels is planned for the end of May.
“I think that we would do it hygienically,” explains Christoph Unckell, managing director of the Best Western Hotel Rebstock in Neubaustrasse. In addition, there are concepts of Dehoga and hotels could create good framework conditions. Unckell therefore advocates opening as soon as possible, because guests who are now lacking in hotels would not make up for their vacation after the Corona crisis. The Hotel Rebstock is particularly affected by the cancellation of the Mozart Festival. Unckell would now have to take out 750,000 euros in credit for the house, which had been converted up to last autumn. He doesn’t know yet whether that’s enough.
“Hotels without fault in this situation”
Unckell also feels let down by politics: “The needs of hoteliers are not yet in the minds of politicians.” He calls for an aid program, just like the farmers got after the drought in 2018. In his view, the hotels are now not to blame in this situation. “The hotels were the first to be closed and the last to open,” explains Unckell, who has run the company for more than 25 years.
“The needs of hoteliers are not yet in the minds of politicians.”
Christoph Unckell, managing director of the Hotel Rebstock–
“I don’t know anything about the bankruptcy of a company, but many hotels are currently closed,” reports Claudia Amberger-Berkmann, district chairman of Dehoga Würzburg and owner of the Hotel Amberger on Ludwigsstrasse. According to her, whether the hotels in Würzburg can survive depends on when they can be opened again.
Photo: Angelika Cronauer
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Opening in late May would be bearable
An opening at the end of May, as Söder promised, would be bearable, especially because it would be open again before the Pentecost vacation. “Most get through two to three months, after that it will be difficult for everyone,” said Amberger-Berkmann. Reserves are common in the industry, but much in the area is a seasonal business. At the end of this quiet time, the corona-related closure came. In addition, there are many entrepreneurs who have invested and assumed a constant number of guests.
The district chairman of Dehoga Würzburg welcomes the reduction in VAT on food from 19 to 7 percent. But in her opinion, the measures are not sufficient, because bars and discos that make a living from the consumption of drinks do not benefit from them, she explains. “Seven percent VAT on food will not help us as a hotel,” says Unckell vom Rebstock, who still believes that the industry is regaining its former strength.
Two-hour crisis meeting with the city
The city of Würzburg also cares about its hotels and restaurants. The city announced in a press release that representatives of the city, including Mayor Christian Schuchardt, had met with Dehoga chairman Amberger-Berkmann, her deputy Anette Hollerbach and other representatives of the catering industry. In a two-hour conversation in the council room, the greatest needs of the gastronomy were discussed and the first measures were discussed.
Mayor Christian Schuchardt, in his function as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Bavarian City Council, will represent the concerns of the industry in the local umbrella organizations. In addition, the special usage fees for outdoor catering for March and April have already been remitted. As soon as outside catering is possible again under certain conditions, the costs would have to be adjusted to the reduced seating due to the spacing rule.
Gut Wöllrieder Hof is particularly affected by the cancellation of all events due to the Corona crisis. Opened in 2017, a decent result should be on the balance sheet for the first time this year. An average of 2.6 weddings were on the calendar per weekend. The event rooms in Lengfeld were practically fully booked. Now the employees are in short-time work and all celebrations and conferences are canceled until further notice.
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