Over 40 years ago, Karl-Heinz and Margit Fichtner fulfilled a dream: they bought a small “Sleeping Beauty House” in Steinheim, where they opened a small hotel with nine rooms in 1975.
At the time, neither of them would have thought that their Hotel Birkenhof would become one of the top addresses in the Main-Kinzig district in the years that followed. Susanne Simmler, First District Councillor and Head of Tourism, and Burkhard Kornherr, Head of Tourism in the Main-Kinzig district, recently presented the award as a first-class hotel with four stars plus superior - a special feature, as Simmler emphasized.
“It is the first classification of this kind in the Main-Kinzig district,” explained the First District Councillor. “But you have exceeded the requirements. I congratulate you on this achievement, which is truly exceptional, and thank you for your successful work.”
The Birkenhof at Von-Eiff-Strasse 37 to 41 has grown into a large and magnificent property. Until 2000, the hotel had 23 rooms; since 2005, the number of rooms has been increased to 48 and four suites as a result of further renovation work. Since then, the hotel has offered guests more comfort than ever, as Managing Director Margit Fichtner and the two Managing Partners Karl-Heinz and René Fichtner emphasized at the handover. In addition, the restaurant area of the Birkenhof has become a popular address for gourmets. “It has been a long and not always easy road to this award today,” added Karl-Heinz Fichtner. René and Britta Fichtner, the second generation, are now involved in the Birkenhof Hotelbetriebsgesellschaft mbH.
The Birkenhof achieved a classification score of 611 points. The Hanau hotelier family collected valuable plus points in all areas such as room offerings, facilities, service, leisure and offer design as well as through its own conference area. This has now resulted in the hotel being awarded the high distinction of a First Class Hotel with Superior.
“The Birkenhof has contributed to the continuous increase in the number of overnight stays and guests in Hanau in recent years,” said Susanne Simmler at the award ceremony, which was also attended by Heidi Williams, Head of Tourism for the City of Hanau, and her colleague Katharina Heinbuch. In the first quarter alone, the number of overnight stays rose by 18 percent year-on-year to 37,482 and the number of guests by 11.4 percent to 17,075.
Photo: First District Councillor Susanne Simmler (third from left) presented the certificate for the four-star plus superior classification to Karl-Heinz and Margit Fichtner (left) and René and Britta Fichtner in the presence of Katharina Heinbuch, Heidi Williams and Burkhard Kornherr (from right).
