Anja Fischer on the genesis of Glücksmomente-Charmingplaces
1985
It started in 1985 with the company Siglinde Fischer, which was founded by my parents Siglinde and Karl Fischer. The original idea was born out of pure love and passion for Tuscany and its people. In 1995 I became the co-owner, was the managing director between 2005 and 2020 and transformed it into a boutique tour operator with the best reputation in the whole German-speaking region (Germany/Switzerland/ Austria) with a competent and passionate team of up to 20 people and thousands of satisfied guests every year. With the brand “Charming Places”, we developed an extraordinary concept with a lovingly compiled portfolio of selected hotels, villas and apartments throughout the Mediterranean region. Yet despite their diversity, they always had certain things in common: style, charm and great hosts! (from 2016 onwards, member of “Traveller Made“ as selected travel designer).
In 2018, I decided to take the next important step: merging with a Scandinavian group to pave the way for the future. Thus, we took big steps towards completely digitalizing our offers in order to withstand the fierce price competition in tourism, offering a niche product with excellent service and high competence and passion. After a year of transformation and adopting new systems, we started off the year 2020 with a growth of 60%! My wonderful team and I celebrated our successes every day and danced with joy in the office. The concept of perfect customer service based on a unique IT infrastructure was working out…Then Corona struck and in early March 2020, from one day to the next, the company plummeted into a bottomless pit. After months of intense reflection, I decided to make a painful but clear and debt-free cut. I decided to steer the proud ship – the brand steeped in history including its impeccable image – into its final harbour: insolvency.
Here, my clear motto
comes into play:
the best ideas often come about during a crisis. Thus, my vision of Glücksmomente-Charming Places was born.
So during the first Corona lockdowns in spring 2020, I had the idea of keeping our loyal customers entertained with regular newsletters including inspirations for traveling. The simple idea and motto: “Dreaming is allowed” in order to bring a positive note to these challenging times. So I cooked for my customers, shared book and movie tips and traveled with them to faraway places using beautiful descriptions and inspiring pictures. The reactions were fulminant and completely overwhelming and at the same time, the foundation for a new future was laid. Our Glücksmomente – Charmingplaces.
In the past decades of my expertise, I have learned that in the future, tourism cannot only consist of customer satisfaction but must imply a positive mutual relationship between all parties involved: the guest, the host, the staff, your destination and our Mother Earth.
I have dedicated myself to this joy of mutual appreciation and partnership. This is the mission of the platform Glücksmomente-Charmingplaces, which brings together people with the same values!
Antonella Caradonna
Glücksmomente Hotel Scout
antonella@charmingplaces.de
“I am lucky to live where other people spend their holidays: amid Tuscan vineyards. It was my destiny to set foot in the tourism industry professionally and share the beauty that awaits me every morning with people from all over the world.
I love what I do: if you don’t manage to transform your job into your passion, turn your passion into a profession. Life has given me the chance to do exactly that. I will always be grateful for this!
While studying foreign languages and literature at the University of Pisa, I was working in the travel and hotel industry: from summer jobs at vacation residences to responsible tasks in a travel agency. After my studies and an exciting year in the product management of the first online booking portal that existed in Tuscany, I was lucky enough to pursue the most beautiful profession in the world: For more than 20 years, I was the head product manager responsible for Italy for the renowned German boutique tour operator Siglinde Fischer-Charmingplaces.
Over the years, I was able to acquire a high level of expertise: From product definition to the meticulous selection process for our exclusive collection to continuous product development taking into account constant market and trend analysis. The credo I share with our partners was the constant desire to offer our guests the best that our beautiful country Italy has to offer. These partnerships were characterized by mutual appreciation, loyalty and trust, which is why many partners have become true friends over the years.
When Siglinde Fischer merged with the Scandinavian tour operator group Hideaways, this was once again an opportunity for me to get to know other markets and to master the latest digital systems, to gain a decidedly broader view of the travel sector.
As my family owns two vacation residences in Tuscany, of which I am the manager, I know the requirements a host has to meet. Therefore I speak “the same language” and can analyze the relevant issues from different angles.
I am also a member of the board of directors of “AMOT”, an association of vacation residences and tourist operators in the municipality of Montaione, which aims at promoting tourism in the area.
I am wholeheartedly happy to continue to be part of Anja Fischer’s team and to put my expertise at the service of our vision of “Glücksmomente – Charming Places”. To make the beauty of my country tangible by discovering extraordinary places including their hosts who share our values. This is and will remain my life’s mission.
Antonella’s
moments of happiness
Life is beautiful! And happiness consists of being able to capture this beauty in all its forms – be it in nature, art or people – and to be touched by it.
The colors of the houses on a Mediterranean island reflected in the blue waters of the sea, an aperitif at sunset in the shimmering golden light of the south, walking barefoot on the beach, a small village full of history, the buildings of a city. My home, my family, the smile of my son, the memory of my father, summer dinners outdoors with friends and good wine to the song of cicadas.
Ilka Kewitz-Prill
Glücksmomente Hotel Scout
ilka@charmingplaces.de
Even as a little girl, I always kept a packed suitcase underneath my bed. That little girl turned into an enthusiastic traveller and a passionate hotelière.
Growing up in my parents’ own hotel business, I sensed my great passion for the hotel industry at a very early age. The hotel business offers a colourful life where we meet people from different cultures, with different interests and desires every day. I gather many impressions on my travels, write them down and thus always get new inspirations.
After completing a classical hotel management apprenticeship, I went on to study business administration/tourism at the Fachschule für Tourismus in Düsseldorf. Then I was admitted to the State University NYC in 2001 and worked for Benetton in the marketing and public relations department in New York.
Back in Germany, I held various positions in the four and five-star hotel industry – both private and corporate – across Germany starting as a Sales and Marketing Manager, becoming a Business Development Manager and finally being promoted to General Manager.
This broad knowledge gave me an all-round view of the company, enabled me to grasp matters in great detail, to analyze them and to optimize them. Thus, I gained over 10 years of management experience, leadership knowledge and cost management skills.
To be on the move and not to stand still is an important motto in my life. I enjoy family life with my husband and our two great boys very much and it gives me a lot of energy and strength.
I regularly visited various associations such as the Skal Club Hamburg, the Russische Gilde Hamburg and the HDV to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
All these experiences and the knowledge of the hotel industry give me a broad all-round view.
Getting to the heart of things, setting priorities and delivering at a set time are my strengths. I am demanding and want to provide the best possible service to my clients.
Ilkas
moments of happiness
Laughter means happiness to me; going on long walks in the woods with my boys; I love jogging, golfing and gliding down a slope in the mountains on skies; or catching a glimpse of a turbulent city with its charm; cooking with friends and having profound conversations with inspiring people. I love the smell of coffee and cake. I love adventures, travels and the unconventional; I like to be spontaneous and just let myself be guided – by light, feelings, and details.
Contact
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