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Verena recalls her mother's advice: "Bite into the trouser leg like a terrier and don't let go. Never give up." This tenacity is a family trait deeply ingrained in their management of the boutique hotel in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg, a place with a unique story. The Hotel Oderberger emerged in 2012 from the renovation of a heritage-protected public bath. It boasts perhaps the most beautiful pool imaginable, which is open to all swimming enthusiasts!
"The guests love this local feeling, this experience of being a real part of the city. That’s exactly what we can offer with our hotel because it feels very authentic and not stiff or replaceable," describes Verena Jaeschke about the Hotel Oderberger. "We have rooms facing the side wings, from which you can look into the courtyards. Many guests say: This is so Berlin! Because it doesn’t feel like you're in a hotel, but rather like living in an old building in the backyard, looking into strangers' kitchens," laughs the hotel director.
The historic hotel is part of the GLS Campus. GLS is a language travel operator with its own language school in Berlin, founded by Barbara Jaeschke. Now the Oderberger and GLS are woman-led family businesses that employ about 150 people. "Verena's mother runs the language school and then decided to quickly open a boutique hotel next door, in an adjacent historic building. And something really great has come out of it," says Tini Diekmann, smiling. It seems Tini is not just the deputy hotel manager but also a close confidante of the Jaeschkes. Verena says she has been working with Tini since the first hour of the Oderberger project. "We are a well-coordinated duo, and we wouldn't be where we are today without each other. And it's really fun."
Verena adds: "I would say that we have a pretty special vibe at GLS. It always feels to me like there are just an above-average number of nice people working here. And I don't know if you can connect that with being woman-led, but it's just part of our corporate culture." When asked how she perceives working in the family business, Verena is very positive. "It’s a constant challenge. For us, it works well. I believe that's not a given. On one hand, it's just luck, and it might not be the case for every family. For us, it works; we are very complementary by nature. Each of us has slightly different areas and strengths. We're not in competition. Our mother is a person with incredible charisma, but she's not a power-driven individual in the sense that she can't delegate," summarizes the entrepreneur.
"We are very complementary by nature. Each of us has her own areas and different strengths."
Verena Jaeschke holds the overall strategic responsibility for the hotel—from design and housekeeping to tech and gastronomy events. Yet, the Jaeschkes, with their entrepreneurial spirit, are a minority. According to the 2022 Female Founders Monitor, significantly fewer women than men start businesses. "I think it's a multifaceted problem, which means there are many levers for potential solutions. On one hand, policy makers need to set the stage structurally. Companies must also step up," explains Verena Jaeschke.
Highlighting women like the Jaeschkes is crucial. The management at Oderberger knows exactly what they are doing. It’s no coincidence that Chatbot Odi has reached the top performance tier among our digital assistants. Tini Diekmann supports Verena in managing the hotel while also continuing to work in sales, revenue, and digitalization. She was the one who implemented Chatbot Odi at Hotel Oderberger. Odi is not only incredibly popular within the hotel team but also brings a lot of joy to the DialogShift team. "The Oderberger has succeeded with its chatbot on all levels," says Olga Heuser, founder and CEO of DialogShift. The diligent Odi autonomously answers 3,000 to 4,000 questions each month. One in three users who interact with the bot initiate a booking. The automation rate of the digital helper is over 95 percent. Tini recalls her last workation: "When I returned, I asked the others if our telephone system was somehow broken. It felt like there was something wrong with the phone.” It turned out that the new chatbot had simply reduced the number of incoming calls. If that isn’t a success story, what is? And now, pay attention! In our case study on the Hotel Oderberger, Tini reveals how she turned Odi into a popular team member and reliable helper.
We can’t predict the future, but the DialogShift team is sure that Verena Jaeschke and Tini Diekmann have more surprises in store for us. "We don't stand still. That's a credo of the Jaeschkes. You can rest briefly on an island, but then you have to keep swimming because there are many things to do," Tini quotes with a smile.
Thank you, dear Verena and Tini, for the inspiring conversation! 💙
About Hotel Oderberger: Emerging from the renovation of a historic city bath, Hotel Oderberger first opened its doors in 2016 in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg. This stylish yet authentic boutique hotel is a woman-led family business in its second generation. The famous city bath, accessible not only to hotel guests, makes the Oderberger a historic site with charm and recognition.
