Check into this grand dame overlooking Berlin’s famed Brandenburg Gate and you’ll immediately be greeted by a member of the guest relations team, known as the Ladies in Red, who are immediately identifiable by their head-to-toe red outfits. The program—which extends to all Kempinski properties worldwide—started right here at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in 2009. Originally built by Lorenz Adlon in 1907 as Berlin’s most luxurious hotel, it has hosted everyone from royalty to movie stars like Greta Garbo, but you don’t have to be a celebrity to get the VIP treatment. You just have to seek out one of the Ladies in Red.
The hotel's head of guest relations Giovanni Maldonado explains that for the Ladies (and gentleman) in Red no request is too big or too small. He and his team have seen and done it all, from orchestrating wedding proposals to delivering house keys to a guest who had returned home only to realize that he had left his keys behind at the Adlon. “We managed to find a taxi driver that would take this key to the other city two hours from here and hand it to the guest while he was waiting in a nearby café,” Giovanni explains. “We always like to say there’s no limit to what you can do for your guests.”
We always like to say there’s no limit to what you can do for your guests.
When a little girl lost the Adlon-branded teddy bear she got at the hotel, Giovanni sent her a new one. And when she lost that one too, he and his colleagues staged a photo shoot, taking pictures of the teddy bear checking in to the hotel, taking in a view of the Brandenburg Gate, and enjoying tea time with the Adlon’s other branded toys, and sent them along with a new teddy bear and a letter to the little girl explaining that her cherished bear was visiting friends in Berlin. The girl’s mother sent back photos of her daughter hugging the bear. “When you really see the happiness and joy in the eyes of a person thanks to something that you did, that’s the most rewarding part of this job,” Giovanni says. “You can have stressful days in this business but having the direct feedback of a happy guest really melts your heart—especially when it's from a child.”
It isn’t easy keeping track of what’s going on in a 385-room hotel in the center of a capital city like Berlin, but the dedicated Ladies in Red make an effort to know all the ins and outs, not just of the hotel but of the city as a whole. Their duties sometimes overlap with those of the concierge, advising guests on how to get around and make the most of their time.
So whether you just need help finding one of the hotel’s restaurants like the Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, or want to surprise someone special with flowers and champagne, look for one of the friendly guest relations managers dressed in red.
To learn more about Hotel Adlon Kempinski, please contact the concierge upon making a reservation.
