Berlin, 14 July 2025. Leonardo Hotels Central Europe has been modernising numerous properties right across Europe since 2023. At the same time, the company’s portfolio has also been growing via eye-catching new additions in cities such as Baden-Baden, Mannheim and Zurich. Five managers report on how they are setting new benchmarks and also explain why they see hospitality as more than merely a promise.
Marion Gilg takes charge of the Mannheimer Hof – Leonardo Limited Edition
Marion Gilg’s appointment as General Manager of the freshly renovated Mannheimer Hof – Leonardo Limited Edition in April 2025 has seen her career come full circle. A native of the region, she started out by completing training in the occupation of restaurant specialist in the traditional surroundings of the Colombi Hotel in Freiburg. She then went on to work right across Europe and subsequently gained experience in countries such as Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Marion has now returned to her roots after two decades in the international hotel sector and brings a wealth of know-how to the table in the areas of guest experience, food & beverage and operational management.
“What inspires me? The daily variety, the unexpected and the opportunity to work with the team to shape a hotel which lingers in the memory.” Marion Gilg’s most recent role was as Hotel Manager at the Maison Messmer in Baden-Baden, which she also headed on an interim basis.
Her new duties at the Mannheimer Hof mean that she has now been entrusted with a particular project. The hotel celebrated its reopening in March 2025 following extensive renovation works which took full account of the listed status of the building. It now boasts a resplendent new look reminiscent of the style of the Roaring Twenties. The Mannheimer Hof’s 192 rooms and suites combine Art Deco aesthetics with modern comfort. Facilities include a sauna, a gym area and conference rooms. The hotel’s elegant restaurant and bar and the Schatzkistl variety theatre make it a meeting place for guests and locals alike.
Viola Krome is responsible for seven hotels within the Frankfurt region
Viola Krome is an experienced leader who has been promoted by Leonardo Hotels to take overall charge of no fewer than seven centrally located hotels in Hessen and the Rhineland Palatinate. In her capacity as new Cluster General Manager, Viola has assumed responsibility for the operational management of the Leonardo Royal Frankfurt, the Leonardo Frankfurt City Center, the Leonardo Frankfurt City South, the Leonardo Offenbach Frankfurt, the Leonardo Bad Kreuznach, the Leonardo Eschborn Frankfurt and the new Leonardo Mainz, which will welcome its first guests on 15 July 2025.
Viola Krome has been with the Leonardo Group for over ten years after completing her initial vocational education and training in the occupation of hotel specialist. She has gone on to demonstrate her managerial skills at various hotels during stints at the Leonardo Frankfurt City Center, the Leonardo Frankfurt City South and the flagship Leonardo Royal Frankfurt amongst others.
Prior to joining Leonardo Hotels, Viola worked in cruise ship hospitality and at city hotels. She also had a spell as operations manager in Hamburg. Viola Krome’s latest assignment was to supervise the comprehensive renovation works at the Leonardo Royal Frankfurt, and she took charge of the hotel’s successful reopening at the end of 2024. “Each of these hotels has its own strengths,” Viola says. “Working together to develop them is an exciting task.”
Ralf Schnitzer has taken the reins at the Leonardo Royal Baden-Baden
Ralf Schnitzer has held the position of General Manager of the Leonardo Royal Baden-Baden since March 2024. This is a hotel which is steeped in history, and Ralf is bringing fresh energy to bear as he seeks to secure its future. His role actually represents a return to a place of work at which he was employed 30 years ago. The hotel, then known as the Queens Hotel Baden-Baden, was where Ralf Schnitzer spent five years training as a cook and as a hotel specialist. He went on to attend the Heidelberg School of Hotel Management, where he obtained the qualifications of certified hotel administrator and Bachelor Professional in hospitality. He then took on various managerial functions, including deputy director, marketing manager, project manager and hotel director at employers such as Best Western, Holiday Inn and the Ifen Hotel Kleinwalsertal in Austria.
He left his mark on the comprehensive renovation programme at the Leonardo Royal Baden-Baden from the very outset and views the works as far more than a mere construction project. “The Leonardo Royal Baden-Baden is very close to my heart. This is a venue where history and the future collide. Building this bridge is precisely where my passion lies.”
In 2024, the Leonardo Royal Baden-Baden reinvented itself as a stylish wellness refuge. An updated health and beauty spa area extends over two storeys and offers guests a multitude of opportunities for relaxation. Its 121 rooms have also been completely redesigned. Warm colours and natural materials featuring many wooden elements combine to create a cosy atmosphere.
Thomas Feig has taken charge of the Badischer Hof – Leonardo Limited Edition
As General Manager of the Badischer Hof in Baden-Baden, Thomas Feig is responsible for the repositioning of a hotel which now forms part of the Leonardo Limited Edition brand. He originally took over in 2024, when the hotel was still operating under the name of the Precise Tale Badischer Hof. At the same time, he was also acting as Cluster Project Manager for the Wyndham Grand Axelmannstein in Bad Reichenhall. The switchover to the Leonardo Group means that a whole new chapter is beginning, both for him and for the prestigious hotel, which is undergoing extensive renovation works in order to join the exclusive Leonardo Limited Edition brand.
Originally from the Ore Mountains region of South-East Germany, Thomas Feig is able to look back on an impressive career spent both in his own country and abroad. His employment history has encompassed the Grand Hyatt Dubai, the legendary Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc on the Côte d’Azur and the Schweizerhof in Zermatt. He has also held management positions in Baden-Baden and Munich.
“Even as a teenager, my goal was to work in places where other people go on holiday. Today, I have the privilege of helping to shape a venue which is a natural meeting point for tradition and contemporary luxury.”
The Badischer Hof is the oldest Grand Hotel in Baden-Baden. Housed in a building which was originally a Capuchin monastery, it now unifies historical spa architecture within a luxurious wellness concept. Baden-Baden’s thermal water pools, a unique feature set in generously proportioned gardens, and the classical elegance of the hotel’s interior are a combination which make the Badischer Hof a gem of the Leonardo Limited Edition brand. Reopening is scheduled for the late summer of 2025.
Marc Brunner has assumed responsibility for three Leonardo Hotels in Zurich
Marc Brunner has been Multi-Property Manager for Leonardo Hotels in Zurich since November 2023. In March 2025, he supervised the Leonardo Limited Edition rebranding of the Hotel Alden Splügenschloss in Zurich, the smallest five-star hotel in the city.
Marc Brunner is a hotelier who is able to offer more than two decades of experience in the high-end and luxury sectors. He has worked in locations such as Zurich, St. Moritz, Montreux, Ascona, Hong Kong and Chicago and on cruise ships. Marc is passionate about hospitality and also displays a fine instinct for excellent guest service. His most recent roles have included a period as Director of Food & Beverage at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg, where he was responsible for successful pre-openings and concept developments. “A hotel lives through design, but people make it thrive. My aim is to develop teams which brings the hotel to life.”
The Hotel Alden Splügenschloss is housed in a listed building which dates back to 1895. It is situated in the elegant Enge district, near to Lake Zurich, the old part of the city and the banking quarter. It accommodates 22 exceptionally spacious suites. Marc Brunner is also responsible for the Bauhaus-styled Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rigihof Zurich and for the Leonardo Zurich Airport.