In the Ring Hotel, there is another factor in play. Although the area is very attractive for tourists and visitors, many people prefer to work in cities, Pirl explains, referring to the urban/rural divide.

Around 15 years ago, the two brothers began to change course. They introduced a whole catalog of measures, developed new networks, enhanced the hotel’s unique selling points, used web portals and, most importantly, began thinking outside the box. “It’s a simple equation,” says Pirl. “We can only maintain the quality of our service if we have good employees. If we don’t start looking for staff in other countries, we will have problems.” The two men began investigating ways to hire employees from outside Germany. That's when they found “MobiPro.” It is a program launched by the German federal government for the “Promotion of Vocational Mobility of Young People Interested in Vocational Training” and their initial experience with it was good. Two of the apprentices from that time are now permanent members of the hotel staff.

The hotel owners have been working for years with agencies that specialize in recruiting potential trainees, first-time employees and specialized staff. They have made a name for themselves and word has got around that Saxony-Anhalt is a good place to work. The world is coming to Wörlitz. The hotel’s current multicultural team has not been thrown together, but has grown together. The restaurant employees, massage therapists, kitchen staff, room attendants, chefs and dishwashers come from 11 different countries. The apprentices in the kitchen and those on the service team have come from Vietnam, India and Indonesia to work in the hotel in Saxony-Anhalt.

Echtzeit - Online Magazin - Thinking outside the box