The hotel industry association in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) gets a new chairman.

The Styrian hotelier Johann Spreitzhofer succeeds Susanne Kraus-Winkler, who represented the interests of the Austrian accommodation companies in the WKÖ for three and a half years and last week joined the government as the new Secretary of State for Tourism.

"I would like to thank Susanne Kraus-Winkler, who - especially during the challenging time of the pandemic - fought with great commitment and passion for the concerns of the Austrian hotel industry. With her, our 16.000 accommodation establishments have a strong voice in the government and I look forward to our continued successful cooperation - in the interests of local accommodation establishments," emphasizes Spreitzhofer.

The designated chairman of the hotel industry locates the greatest challenges for the accommodation industry in the labor market, the stabilization and recapitalization of the industry and the upcoming autumn. Preparations as soon as possible in order to largely prevent new corona restrictions for companies and to ensure the greatest possible planning security are at the top of Spreitzhofer's agenda.

“The Austrian hotel industry is close to my heart, I am a thoroughbred hotelier. Having grown up in this beautiful tourism country, I know the operational practice and the challenges that concern the industry. I look forward to supporting companies and their employees in my new role and to developing solutions for the greatest challenges,” Spreitzhofer concludes.