PRESS KIT ESTREL BERLIN, PRESS OFFICE, MIRANDA MEIER, SONNENALLEE 225, BERLIN TEL.: ,

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1 s PRESS KIT

2 Estrel Berlin: An Introduction to Europe s largest Hotel, Congress & Entertainment Center Contents Estrel Berlin: The Concept Estrel Berlin: The Hotel Estrel Berlin: The Estrel Congress Center Estrel Berlin: The Estrel Festival Center Estrel Berlin: Facts, Figures, Data Estrel Berlin: Trainee Project at Schloss Britz Estrel Berlin: The Management Estrel Berlin: The Founder Ekkehard Streletzki

3 Estrel Berlin: Everything under One Roof Europe s Largest Hotel, Congress & Entertainment Center Meeting, Living, Entertainment Everything under One Roof that is the motto of the Estrel Berlin, Europe s largest hotel, congress & entertainment center. It comprises a multifunctional Estrel Congress Center, the 4-star-plus Estrel Hotel, which is at the same time Germany s largest hotel with its 1,125 rooms and suites and also including an entertainment program in the Estrel Festival Center. The Estrel very soon made itself a name with its concept, both nationally and internationally. The first part of the complex, the Estrel Hotel, was opened in October Since then, it has been presenting itself with 1,125 modern rooms and suites stretching across four wings of the building. The wings are interconnected by a giant 2,800 m 2 atrium: it is 13 meters high and features a distinctive glass dome. With its multi-facetted gastronomic facilities and the grand ceramic fountain, it serves guests as an ideal oasis to meet, greet and relax. Furthermore, the Estrel has its own boat pier in the summer garden, which is a starting point for city sightseeing tours and other boat trips. The two more recent parts of the Estrel complex can be reached from the Hotel via a glass bridge rotunda. The Estrel Festival Center was added to the Estrel Hotel in Since then, the reconstructed factory hall that houses a 1,120 m 2 showroom equipped with permanently installed lighting and sound technology, has been staging the live show Stars in Concert as well as numerous show specials and musicals. The entire Estrel complex was completed in 1999 with the construction of the Estrel Congress Center, which hosts around 1,600 events a year everything from conventions, conferences and fairs via sporting events and TV shows all the way to top-class political summits. With an active floor space of 25,000 m 2, the multifunctional, fully air-conditioned Estrel Congress Center provides space for events of all shapes and sizes. The centrepieces are the Convention Hall I and the Convention Hall II with each offers a capacity for up to 5,000 guests. The halls are equipped with the most modern communication, hall, stage and media technology, all highly flexible modules that can be employed individually. Thanks to its mobile technology such as moving lights,

4 rigs with coverable traverses on the ceiling, flexible cabling and connection options, a big sinkable hoisting platform as well as mobile partitions the Convention Halls can be turned into the most different types of rooms in no time at all. In 2016 and 2017 the Estrel Berlin organized a job fair for refugees. Together with the Agentur für Arbeit Berlin Süd and Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, the Estrel Berlin wants to force the integration of refugees in the job market in Berlin and Brandenburg. Furthermore at the end of 2016 the management of the Estrel Berlin signed the Charta der Vielfalt, which is under the patronage of Chancellor Angela Merkel. By signing the Charta der Vielfalt, the Estrel Berlin wants to underline the business philosophy of creating a working environment which is free of prejudices and affected by appreciation. With the Estrel Berlin, its Owner Ekkehard Streletzki fulfilled his vision of a hotel, congress & entertainment centre. The Building Contractor had developed the idea with US role models in mind and showed great courage for innovation and investments in its realisation. It paid off: In 2000, the Estrel was the first hotel in the history of German hotel business to break the 100-million DM turnover limit. The Estrel Berlin has managed to keep its top position to this day. Streletzki himself received the industry title Hotelier des Jahres 2000 (Hotelier of the year 2000) for his unique Estrel project. Moreover, Ekkehard Streletzki was awarded the Verdienstkreuz am Bande (the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon) by the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005 in honour of his lifetime achievement, his social commitment and his work for the city of Berlin. For general enquiries, please contact: Estrel Berlin Sonnenallee 225 D Berlin Tel.: +49 (0) 30/ sales@estrel.com

5 Estrel Berlin: The Concept Under the motto Meeting, Living, Entertainment Everything under One Roof the Estrel Berlin, Europe s largest hotel, congress & entertainment centre, offers its guests unique conference possibilities in its multifunctional Estrel Congress Center, entertainment on an international standard with Berlin s most successful show, Stars in Concert, in the Estrel Festival Center, and a 4-star-plus service at the Estrel Hotel, which is Germany s largest hotel with its 1,125 rooms and suites. Together with its high-performance gastronomy and a logistics service that has been tried and tested thanks to numerous mega events, the concept that the Estrel Owner Ekkehard Streletzki developed with US role models in mind, has become an important calling card of Berlin and has long made itself a name in the international conference business. For the combination of convention, entertainment and hotel, Ekkehard Streletzki received the industry prize Hotelier des Jahres 2000 (Hotelier of the Year 2000). This is a coveted annual award given out by the publishing group Deutscher Fachverlag (publisher of the business trade magazine Der Hotelier ) to honour those who have rendered outstanding services to the German hotel business. Overall, the Estrel complex employs 550 permanent staff members including trainees plus around 150 staff members from outside companies.

6 Estrel Hotel Berlin With its 1,125 rooms and suites, and hence more than 2,250 beds, the Estrel Berlin is the largest hotel in Germany since 1996, this also certified its entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Shortly after its opening in 1994, the Estrel was awarded the title Best Business Hotel in Germany by the Diners Club. The size of the hotel and the direct access to the Convention and Entertainment areas guarantee event clients a simple handling of logistics. At the same time, the Hotel with its light-filled and spacious atrium (2,800 m 2 ) and multi-facetted gastronomic and service facilities, serves as an ideal meeting and communication place. On entering the 13-meter-high, glass-domed atrium with its colourful fountain designed by Gilbert Portanier, a student of Picasso, as well as restaurants and bars opening up onto the inner courtyard, guests feel transported onto a piazza. The atrium connects the four wings of the Hotel, which accommodate the hotel rooms, each one modern and timeless styled. Every room has a living space of between 27 and 34 m 2 (suites up to 120 m 2 ) and is decorated in light, natural tones. Furthermore, the international clientele has the option to stay in a 250 m 2 President Suite which extends over the entire 17 th floor and is furnished with selected antiques. Three bedrooms, a generous living area with fireplace, a conference room, three luxury bathrooms, a kitchen and a panoramic view of the metropolis of Berlin provide an exclusive setting. Guests can truly experience the service idea of Everything under One Roof in the sauna and fitness area, the Atrium Bars and the Estrel Smokers Lounge & Bar for nocturnal revellers, the underground car park with around 450 parking spaces and the 24-hour security service. In four restaurants and a summer garden, guests can choose their favourite culinary delights à la carte from both international and national cuisine.

7 Furthermore, all guest rooms, the entire atrium, the restaurants and event rooms on the ground floor of the Estrel Hotel as well as in the entire Estrel Congress Center are equipped with WiFi. On request, we also organise additional services, such as personal office support. The hotel is very well connected to public transportation: the urban railway station S-Bahnhof Sonnenallee lies a mere 250 metres from the Estrel complex. The bus line M41 stops right outside the Hotel; it leaves every five minutes during the day and every ten minutes in the evening. This bus line enables guests to directly connect to the underground network and also to Potsdamer Platz and the main station. The closest entry and exit to/from the inner-city motorway Stadtautobahn 100 is Grenzallee, which lies in the direct vicinity. In cooperation with the boat company Stern- und Kreisschifffahrt, the Estrel offers sightseeing tours and boat trips through Berlin, leaving from the Hotel s own pier in the summer garden in front of the hotel twice a day during the season. Independently of the regular trips, guests can also charter boats for special occasions.

8 Estrel Congress Center The Estrel Congress Center provides the ideal space and technical facilities for conventions, conferences and other events of any type and size. The multifunctional, fully air-conditioned Congress Center was opened in 1999; with its overall floor space of 25,000 m 2 it offers space for events including international politics and economic summits, trade fairs and exhibitions for companies and associations, as well as gala events and concerts of international stars. The Convention Hall I and the Convention Hall II each feature event space for up to 5,000 guests. Easy access to the Hotel, the Estrel Hall (1,050 m 2 ) and further 75 conference rooms is warranted by the rotunda, a giant glass bridge. The spacious Foyer I links the Estrel Congress Center to the Estrel Festival Center (showroom of Stars in Concert ). For the realisation of events, the Estrel Congress Center can draw on the unique benefits granted by the flexibility of the Owner-managed hotel organisation and the expertise gained through hosting numerous mega events. With the show Stars in Concert, gastronomic facilities, innovative technology, an excellent catering service and the ambience of the atrium, the Estrel Congress Center offers the ideal space for a comprehensive spectrum of unique events. The Estrel Congress Center is equipped with the latest communication, event space and stage technology as well as innovative media technology that can be set up in individual modules according to the clients precise wishes by the professional in-house event technicians. The right lighting, sound and transmission technology required for different events is also available in-house. Also concerts of international stars as well as political party summits, TV shows and mega events can be hosted with in-house technology. Sophisticated sound and lighting technology including special effects, ensures the desired ambience. The acoustics can be adapted to each variable room s size, so every room size is fully functional whilst providing the required seclusion at the same time. Mobile technology, such as rigs with coverable traverses on the ceiling with the appropriate flexible cabling and connection options as well as a big sinkable

9 hoisting platform, enable quick conversions into the required type of room. The interior design of the Estrel Congress Center gives event organisers the freedom to realise their design concepts and focus on the event itself. In the convention and conference area, the Estrel can provide impressive megaevent references. A short extract from our booking calendar: the Congress Center hosted the ZDF show Wetten, dass...?, the Bambi, the German TV awards ceremony, took place in the Estrel three times, the German music award ECHO was hosted here. Also national SPD party summits as well as special party meetings of other federal fractions have been hosted several times, and sports events did not miss out either: all the great boxers from Vitali Klitschko to Dariusz Michalczewski have stood in the Estrel boxing ring during numerous professional boxing world championships. Overall, the Estrel hosts around 1,600 events per year.

10 Technical equipment Technical projects are supervised by the professional tech crew of the Estrel Berlin, whose flexibility makes sure that the customer s requirements are met exactly. The team supports the customer during project planning, preparation and execution of any event, and also provides a comprehensive spectrum of technical equipment covering the areas rigging, acoustics, lighting, projection, conference technology and stage management. With its in-house expertise and technical facilities, the Estrel can host every kind of event from exhibition fairs and conferences via political summits all the way to galas and live TV shows completely independently. Furthermore, the Estrel Congress Center has five big kitchens that are able to prepare banquets feeding the full capacity of the Convention Hall I within the shortest timeframe; multiple-course meals are served simultaneously. Mains Data for audio, video and lighting technology can be transmitted into different areas via the in-house network. Rigging The ceiling of the Convention Halls are 11,5 and 9 meters high. It features several rigs with some permanently positioned and some mobile hanging stations. Different traverse systems can be attached to the hanging stations. Controlling technology is available in-house as well. Acoustic Technology In order to provide ideal acoustic conditions, the in-house tech crew works with different systems. Depending on the event requirements, one of the following systems can be provided: dv-dosc by L-ACOUSTICS, Meyer Sound Systems or Intellivox Modules by DURAN AUDIO. Analogue and digital mixers are available for sound controlling. Wireless microphones by Shure and a great variety of special effect machines complete the stock of available materials. The audio signals can also be processed and transmitted into different rooms and foyers via a sound web system.

11 Projection Technology For data and video projections we use projectors with different performance scopes and several screen formats. To be able to guarantee the highest quality, events can be hosted with camera technology and differently configured directing and recording stations. Lighting Technology The lighting technology in the Estrel Congress Center offers unlimited possibilities for event productions from camera-suitable stage lighting to atmospheric room design and big show productions. For show and effect lighting we use e.g. moving light systems by High End, Clay Paky, Robe, SGM or Varylite (VL1000, VL3000). Also elements like fog machines and different sizes of mirror balls are available. Conference Technology In the Estrel Congress Center, conferences of every size and requirement can be fitted with discussion equipment with up to 100 speaker ports; acoustic systems with a variety of sound directing stations (with media players and effect machines) and all required microphone technology are available. In terms of simultaneous technology, the Congress Center offers interpreters boxes, infrared equipment and receivers for several languages. Stage Technology and Deco Construction The spectrum includes everything from the stark conference stage to the glamorous show stage. In cooperation with stage designers, there is no limit to the design of the space. Design Apart from the comprehensive technical equipment, the tech crew also offers services such as the development of technical concepts, directing notes, lighting and sound concepts as well as event logistics. This also includes the construction of any kind of stage sets as well as the coordination between agencies, artists and all technical areas.

12 Estrel Berlin: The Estrel Festival Center With its 1,120 sqm, the Estrel Festival Center, which can be directly accessed from the Estrel Hotel via the glass rotunda, is one of the three pillars of the Estrel Berlin, Europe s largest hotel, congress & entertainment center. Since 1997, the reconstructed factory hall has been hosting the successful live show Stars in Concert as well as other productions of Estrel entertainment every night. The concert stage in the Estrel Festival Center achieves highest standards. The stage and lighting design enables audiences to enjoy an even more impressive show experience, and also the sound quality was perfected further. Thanks to three projectors, the stage set can be changed within seconds, and changing projections open up new possibilities in terms of using the stage in different show productions. The stage now seems a lot bigger than it used to be though its actual size has remained the same. 800 spectators can still be placed on tables in the hall. Together with Lighting Designer Patrick Murray Producer Bernhard Kurz chose this modern and flexible stage technology to make sure that this attractive event venue is equipped with absolutely top-notch technology. But it is not only the audiences of the daily shows who benefit from these possibilities the hall can also be used for every other type of exclusive event. Lighting, sound and stage technology can naturally be used for other events, too. Furthermore it is possible to book individual elements or entire shows of Stars in Concert in the Estrel Festival Center for individual event programs.

13 The Show Productions of Stars in Concert Stars in Concert This live show takes its audiences on a time travel through music history, from Elvis to Madonna, from Louis Armstrong to Whitney Houston. Five impersonators appear on stage in Stars in Concert, presenting only no.1 hits. It is not only the likeness of the artists to their idols that amazes people. The most impressive fact is the similarity of their voices, giving the audience the impression that the originals are actually on the stage in front of them. Everyone sings live, and the performances are accompanied by beautiful dancers and an excellent live band. This production was the commencement of Producer Bernhard Kurz s successful tribute shows, for which he already received several awards. Thank you for the music The ABBA Story ABBA that stands for Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid. But predominantly, ABBA stands for hits like Thank you for the music, Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Fernando or Dancing Queen. In this show, a presenter tells the story of the Swedes and their careers in short episodes. The rest speaks for itself: songs everyone can sing along to and that stay in your ear. At the centre of the attention are four artists, who not only look identical to their idols but whose liveliness and verve radiate the attitude to life of those bygone days. "I'm a Soul Man A Tribute to the Blues Brothers One cannot help getting a bit short of breath, when watching "I'm a Soul Man A Tribute to the Blues Brothers. The performances of Chris and Geoff Dahl, both wearing black suits, black hats and black sunglasses as Jake and Elwood, are as racy and full of energy as those you know from the cult movies The Blues Brothers or Blues Brothers Like in all shows produced by Bernhard Kurz, live singing and live music is the most important thing and the Dahl Brothers prove their talent not only with their singing ability but also at the guitar, bass, keyboard and the drums. And when Geoff takes up his harmonica, he is certain of wild applause.

14 Elvis The Musical The musical is a terrific homage to Elvis Presley - turning back time. The cult around the King of Rock'n'Roll is fully revived when Grahame Patrick steps into the limelight and delivers his performance with irresistible charm and stirring singing and dancing. Contemporary witnesses and companions of Elvis Presley report from their lives by the side of the world-famous star and thus bring the King a little closer to everyone. all you need is love! The Beatles Musical This show tells the story of the most famous band in the world, which still manages to enthuse people with their hits today. From their early days in Hamburg nightclubs via their comet-like rise to stardom to their final concert all the important stations of their lives are revisited in short episodes, accompanied by more than 30 of the greatest worldwide Beatles hits. The songs are played and sung by the band Twist & Shout, who do not only sing but also look just like the Fab Four. The audience can constantly check this for themselves as photos of the Beatles are shown alongside scenes from the show on big screens in the background. A presenter guides the audience through the show, taking them right into the world of the Beatles. Anecdotes and the terrific music are sure to fascinate audiences from the first to the last minute of this show. The Beatles go Philharmonic Classical music in connection with world-famous Beatles hits this unrivalled combination is unique and does not only make Beatles fans hearts skip a beat. The musical accompaniment by the 48 musicians of the Classical Mystery Tour Orchestra transforms the world-famous hits of the four Liverpudlian mop tops, creating an atmosphere that does not only amaze friends of classical music. all that swing They are truly immortal not only thanks to their voices, but also because of their aura, their charm and their stage presence: we are talking about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis jr., who went down in history as the legendary Rat Pack. Together with Jim Huntley, the Artistic Director of the Rat Pack at that time, Bernhard Kurz has produced a show that does justice to precisely this aura

15 and stage presence. Apart from the world s best look-alikes of these three legends, also Marilyn Monroe and Bette Midler enter the stage, delivering rousing Swing. The musicians of the Orchestra create the legendary big band sound: all in all, a combination that preserves a piece of these big stars immortality on stage. Swinging Ballroom" Accompanied by an Orchestra, well-known entertainers will be presenting the classics of the swing era and will take you back with songs like Come Fly with me, New York, New York oder Mr. Bojangles into the wild 30ties and 40ties. But the glamorous show "Swinging Ballroom" is more than just a live-show. The audience is invited to get swinging either in front of the stage, at the bar, or on the dancefloor of the Estrel Festival Center! It s all musical The musical gala It s all musical presents the musical highlights of the most famous and successful stage productions. With hits from top musicals like Cats, Starlight Express, Grease, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, Saturday Night Fever, Beauty and the Beast and Dance of the Vampires, professional musical performers sweep the audience away into a world of great emotions. The show is perfectly completed by an eight-man live band and a gorgeous dance ensemble, turning this 90-minutes musical gala into an unforgettable event. Memories of Motown Memories of Motown brings back all the unmistakeable world hits with which the Detroit record label celebrated its success in the 60 s and 70 s. With original stars and tribute acts, this show brings the legendary sound that made Motown famous back to life. Between 1961 and 1971 Motown produced more than 110 top ten hits, including Do You Love Me by The Contours, Stop In The Name Of Love" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, My Guy by Mary Wells and I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. Alongside the originals the world s best performers of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson and Mary Wells will bring the unmistakeable sound of Motown to the stage with true passion.

16 "That'll be the day" The Buddy Holly Musical The Buddy Holly Musical "That'll be the day" named after the 1957 hit that brought Holly stardom is an extravaganza documenting the short, turbulent life of the Rock'n'Roll legend. In the latest of the Berlin stage shows "Stars in Concert", producer Bernhard Kurz pays musical homage to Buddy Holly the gawky, nondescript, Texas 'boy from next-door', who became a world-famous superstar in the mid 1950's. Holly played with the likes of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, and was the first white artist ever to play at New York's Apollo Theater where he took the public by storm. Audiences back in the days of petticoats went wild by over 30 unforgettable hits like 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy', and were enchanted by 'Words of Love'. "Shakespeare s Musical Comedy" Those who think a musical based on Shakespeares plays and poetry originally would probably be a bit boring today, can see that quite the opposite is true when Bernhard Kurz's show production called "Shakespear's Muscial Comedy" shows at the Estrel. The story line of the musical comedy is as puzzling as it is humourosly-insane: Shakespeare has to perform three of his plays with a talentless troupe of actors in order to convince the Gods of his genius. In two very entertaining hours the show comically works its way through such plays as "The Storm", "Hamlet", "A midsummer night's dream", "Othello" and last, but not least, "Romeo and Juliet". To this end the poignant dialogues and scenes are accentuated with infectious hits from the past 50 years. This unusual combination makes the show a theatre experience that's sure to have made Shakespeare smile himself. DIVAS The Show Join us at the Estrel Festival Center for "Divas - The Show", a tribute to the greatest female names in popular music. The world s finest look-and-sound-alike artists deliver glamorous, powerhouse performances as Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton. The show is accompanied by a group of ravishing dancers and a fabulous all-girl live band.

17 Rock around the clock The Fifties-Musical The Fifties-Special is a show which leads back to the beginning of the rock n roll era. During this show, great music legends from that time like Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis are gathering on stage and enchant the audience with live performed songs like Peggy Sue, Ring of Fire or Don t be cruel. Rock around the clock is a very entertaining liveconcert with the founding fathers of rock n roll. Simply The Best The Tina Turner Musical With songs like We Don t Need Another Hero or What s Love Got To Do With It Tina Turner made history in the pop business. The Musical Simply The Best shows a great and a distinctive sound combined with a powerful performance live on stage. The story of her life, including the ups and downs as well as the unforgettable songs, takes the audience on a musical journey through five decades of music history starting with the successful song of Proud Mary, her comeback within the 80s up to the James Bond theme song The Golden Eye in the 90s.

18 Estrel Berlin: Facts & Figures Estrel Hotel Opened: 14th October 1994 Constructor and Owner: Family Streletzki Stars: First Class Superior (4+) Architect: Karl Waldemar Tilemann and Heiner Hennes Interior Design: S & S GmbH Eva Schäfer Managing Director: Ute Jacobs and Thomas Brückner Staff: approx. 300 perm. staff plus outside companies Enclosed space: m 3 Overall floor space: 51,140 sqm Investment volume: approx. 133 million Euros Number of rooms: 1,125 rooms and suites Glass-roofed atrium: 2,800 sqm 13 m high Restaurants / bars: 4 / 3 Summer Garden: on banks of the Neukölln shipping channel Guest Services: concierge service Interklassik Fitness area: Gymnasium, sauna, massage Room price excl. breakfast: Standard 27 m to 375 Deluxe 34 m to 395 Suites 49 to 85 m to 575 Executive Suites 90 m to 750 President Suite 250 m 2 1,950

19 Estrel Congress Center Opened: September 1999 / expansion 2015 Constructor and Owner: Family Streletzki Project: Multifunctional, fully air-conditioned Conference, Convention and Event Center Project Management: Firma IKR Werner Kuschel Operator: K.M.C. Kommunikations- & Medien Center GmbH Architect: Andreas Bodem Interior Design: Susanne Brandherm and Sabine Krumrey Managing Director: Ute Jacobs and Thomas Brückner Staff: approx. 200 perm. staff; plus outside companies Acoustics: Ralf Giese Investment volume: 76 million Euros Overall event space: 25,000 m 2 Convention Hall I (divisible): 4,700 m 2 Convention Hall II: 4,600 m 2 Room 1 (1 st floor): 860 m 2 Room 2 (ground fl.): 390 m 2 Estrel Hall: 1,050 m 2 Hall Europe: m 2 Foyers and passages: 3,000 m 2 75 Conference rooms: 20 m 2 to 330 m 2 Capacities: Standing receptions Row seating Banquet seating Parliamentary seating 6,000 people 5,000 people 3,500 people 3,200 people

20 Estrel Festival Center Opening: September 1997 Operator: S.I.C. Stars in Concert Veranstaltungs GmbH Managing Director & Producer: Bernhard Kurz Staff: approx. 50 perm. staff; plus outside companies Overall event space: Showroom 1,120 m 2 Stage and Lighting Design: Patrick Murry Modernisation of stage: August 2015 Capacity: up to 1,000 people (for exclusive events) Premiere: September 1997 Amount of shows: 8600 shows in 21 countries Amount of productions: 20 different show productions Attendance figure: more than 5,5 million guests Price of tickets: 24 up to 52,50

21 Estrel Berlin: Trainee Project at Schloss Britz The project is unique in Germany. For the first time ever, a restaurant and hotel in a castle will be run entirely by trainees. The team is from the Estrel Hotel in Berlin. In 2009, trainee hoteliers, restaurant waiters and trainee cooks took over the restaurant and hotel rooms at Schloss Britz in Berlin known better by its sobriquet, the "Pearl of the Neukölln district". Set in four and a half acres of a lovingly designed park and with several outbuildings, its own village church and an impressive farmhouse, the three hundred year-old estate is an idyllic oasis. The hotel, which is steeped in history, is run entirely by the trainees. This includes the restaurant and summer terrace with seating for one hundred diners, various conference rooms and five of the palace's hotel rooms. Their duties comprise planning staffing levels, ordering goods and pricing, and everything from service, the running of the kitchen and housekeeping to monthly bookkeeping and the management of all restaurant and hotel operations. The team changes every six months. A project manager from the Estrel Berlin is on hand to help the trainees, should they need it. The idea behind this project, which is being carried out in conjunction with Neukölln district authority, is not just to prepare young people better for future professional challenges, but also to motivate them by giving them responsibility and encouraging creativity and dedication. "The Estrel is not just a renowned hotel and a reliable partner for the district authority, but is also shows its innovative side with projects such as the "Trainee Schloss", something unparalleled in the rest of Germany. I am sure that the young people will rise to the challenges they face and that the guests will enjoy their stay here," said Heinz Buschkowsky, former district mayor and a member of the board of directors at Schloss Britz. Buschkowsky was instrumental in establishing the working relationship with the General Managers of the Estrel, Ute Jacobs and Thomas Brückner. They head up the project "Cultivate and Challenge". According to them, "the trainees are the future of our company. We want to put them in positions of responsibility early on so that we can keep them on as employees in the long-term."

22 Estrel Berlin: The Management With Ute Jacobs and Thomas Brückner, a very successful team has been managing the Estrel Berlin since Since the completion of the Estrel Congress Center in September 1999, they have been the Managing Directors of Europe s largest hotel, congress & entertainment center. Today it is hard to imagine Berlin s hotel scene without Ute Jacobs. She was born in After initially studying German and English, Ute Jacobs trained in Hotel Management at the Hotel Schweizerhof Berlin and then took over the position of Sales Director, first at the Schweizerhof, later at the Hotel InterContinental Berlin. In 1990, she became the Marketing Director of the Hotel Palace Berlin, her introduction to the private hotel sector. After an excursion into the musical business in 1994, she continued her career as Marketing Director at the Estrel Hotel in Since the 1 st September 1996, Ute Jacobs has been the joint Managing Director at the Estrel Berlin alongside Thomas Brückner. Her responsibilities include the departments Sales, Marketing, Reservations, Public Relations and Human Resources. Thomas Brückner, born in 1965, is a passionate hotelier. Born in Baden-Baden, he grew up in Wiesbaden and trained in Hotel Management at the Hotel Sonnenhof in Königstein. After finishing his studies, he worked in the kitchen of the Steigenberger Inselhotel in Constance for a year, before taking on different positions in Food & Beverage and Controlling at the Hotel InterContinental Frankfurt am Main. In 1990, he was appointed Deputy Commercial Director of the Hotel InterContinental Berlin. One year later, he moved on to the Berliner Opernpalais in the same position. Here, in his function as Managing Director from 1994, he also contributed significantly to the implementation of a gastronomic concept for six restaurants. In 1995, Brückner changed to the Radisson SAS Berlin as Commercial Director, before he took on the post of Managing Director at the Estrel Hotel alongside Ute Jacobs from 1 st September In this management team, Brückner mainly looks after the departments Controlling, Building Services and Food & Beverage.

23 Estrel Berlin: The Founder Ekkehard Streletzki The newspaper BERLINER MORGENPOST called him a Visionary Warden, DIE WELT saw him as an entrepreneur, whose success is the result of diligence, imagination and commitment. Ekkehard Streletzki has made himself a name in the hotel business by not only displaying courage for innovations and investments, but also by persistently pursuing the goal he had set himself at the beginning of the Estrel project: to build a conference hotel with a sufficient amount of rooms and suites, which features an extraordinary event capacity and simultaneously provides an entertainment program on a high international standard. He breathed his ideas and most of all life into the Estrel motto Meeting, Living, Entertainment Everything under One Roof. Always be a little more creative than others and constantly dare to do something innovative, that is Streletzki s own motto. And he dared to do something new more than once. Streletzki, who was born in Wissen an der Sieg in the Westerwald region in 1940, had his first successes as a businessman in the building industry. It was mainly unusual projects that accompanied the path of his success, for example the construction of energy-saving combined heat and power plants, the realisation of an environmentally friendly brick plant in Moscow, of a tram test route in Mittenwalde or an organic power plant in Zittau. Ekkehard Streletzki learnt the basics for these undertakings during his studies in Civil Engineering in Koblenz. He gained his first practical experiences with a Statics office, which the young entrepreneur founded in Munich in 1967, and which developed into a flourishing corporate group. Even if people in the hotel business like to describe Ekkehard Streletzki as a stranger to the industry, he names a small hotel in Upper Silesia, which once used to belong to his family, as one of the main reasons for his excursion into the hotel business. Another reason originates from his own experiences as a well-travelled hotel guest. With the logistics and the service of US role models in mind, an idea manifested itself in him: to set standards in the European hotel

24 business himself and to turn the term service into what it actually means: to serve a guest exclusively. The success of the Estrel proved him right in terms of his visions and objectives. In 1996, the Estrel was entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest hotel in Germany and was selected as the Best German Business Hotel. In 1999, the Estrel became the hotel in Berlin with the biggest turnover, and in 2000, the House even topped the list of all national hotels and broke the magic 100-million DM turnover mark with a total turnover of million DM as the first hotel in the history of the German hotel business. The Estrel Berlin has managed to keep its top position to this day. Streletzki s integrated concept of hotel, convention and entertainment has also been honoured from within the hotel sector: Ekkehard Streletzki received the title Hotelier des Jahres 2000 (Hotelier of the Year 2000). Moreover, Ekkehard Streletzki was awarded the Verdienstkreuz am Bande (the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon) by the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in November 2005 in honour of his lifetime achievement, his social commitment and his work for the city of Berlin. The Businessman is content with the choice of Berlin as the location for his Estrel. With its 1,125 rooms and suites, the Estrel Festival Center with the Las- Vegas live show Stars in Concert and the Estrel Congress Center with a capacity for up to 12,000 people, his Estrel complex is something very special in the German hotel business. Just like the city of Berlin, which takes on a very special rank in the German cityscape far ahead of Hamburg, Munich or Stuttgart in his eyes and that although Berlin has by far not exhausted all its potential for development, says Streletzki. In March 2007, Streletzki opened his second hotel in the capital, the ELLINGTON HOTEL BERLIN, in Nürnberger Straße, within the triangle between the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church, the zoo and the giant department store KaDeWe.