The relaxed feeling of home at Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel

Right next to the runways of Düsseldorf Airport, on the roof of the car park, lies Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel. Here, guests sleep a few minutes away from the gate. Yet the hustle and bustle of the airport seems far away at the hotel. Bernhard Langemeyer, General Manager, explains what makes this hotel so special. And how the 20-year partnership with Nedlin helps him offer his guests a perfect stay.

Sheraton is an international hotel brand within the Marriott group, which includes more than 30 brands and over 10,000 hotels worldwide. The brand is particularly well represented at airports – including in Paris, Milan and Brussels. Here in Düsseldorf, the motorway and train station are right next door. And for those who want to visit the Christmas market, or Europe’s largest open-air concert, there is a good connection to the Old Town.

Belong and connect 

Guests know that at Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel they can count on a relaxing stay as well as a relaxing start to their holiday. Even for early flights, as check-in is possible the night before and the gate can be reached within minutes from the hotel. “When you’re on the road a lot, you need anchor points where you can relax as a guest”, says Langemeyer. That is why Sheraton stands for ‘Belong and Connect’: feeling at home and connected. “Many guests travel alone. That’s why we regularly organise meetings to bring people from all over the world together, or to have them experience the city.” 

Langemeyer has been General Manager of Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel for 21 years and would “never want to do anything else”. “An airport hotel is a fastpaced business. There is a lot of organisation and structure behind it. Besides the guest experience, staff organisation and logistics are huge challenges. We are very dependent on what happens internationally and must always be prepared for unexpected developments. Our team must be ready to take care of business at any time of day or night. I really like that a lot.”

Blizzard

Reliable partners who can quickly adapt to change are essential. “That is why we have been so satisfied with Nedlin for more than 20 years. They understand well what it means to meet our brand standards and know the demands we place on linen.” And that’s what Langemeyer expects 24/7, 365 days a year. “If a blizzard is raging in Chicago on Christmas Eve, or there is fog in London, we need to be able to rely on our partners to be there 100 percent. Even on days when others are celebrating holidays.”

For the guest experience, the importance of linen cannot be underestimated. “In a hotel, guests spend most of their time in their room and in bed. No other item has such close contact with the guest as bedding and towels. Therefore, hygiene, smell and cleanliness are of utmost importance. Checking for defects, identifying any imperfections, making sure the bed is made: this is crucial for a pleasant stay.” In doing so, Langemeyer wants to be sure of the best quality. “Laundry, bathrobes, everything we realise with Nedlin is always of the same high quality. That is very important for us.”

Customer-specific linen 

Langemeyer believes a big advantage is that Nedlin supplies customer-specific linen. “Because we need to be able to respond quickly, it is important to us that our linen is not pool linen, but is assigned to us. That way, we always have access to it. And thanks to the logistics set up by Nedlin, the linen is easy to monitor. We can always see exactly how much is in the laundry, how much is in transit and how much is on site.” 

Moreover, an airport has its own unique logistics challenges that suppliers need to understand well. Deliveries take place six days a week. When new linen is needed, it can be at the hotel within a week, so there is no delay in operational aspects. “It is important that the logistics are right. Because if the rooms have been cleaned and there are sheets but no pillows yet, we have to go through all those rooms again later, resulting in additional work and costs that we would rather avoid. With Nedlin, we can rely on that.”

Sustainable stay

The hotel also values the sustainability of the laundry. Langemeyer: “The sustainability goals we have both set are a testament to the high standards we both set for our guests”. Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel is Green Key certified. Sustainability measures range from LED lighting to water consumption monitoring, and from motion detectors to sophisticated irrigation of roof gardens. The hotel also participates in initiatives such as Too Good To Go, where it makes food available that is not consumed in the hotel. Or take RECUP and REBOWL, the reusable cup and bowl that guests can return at places all over Germany – at the airport, for example. 

Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel takes the training of young employees seriously, which is proven by the ‘Exzellente Ausbildung’ certificate – in 2019, the hotel was named ‘Ausbildungsbetrieb des Jahres’. In addition, the hotel has as much as 10,000 m2 of green space – as much as the built-up area. It even has turtles swimming in a pond in one of the courtyard gardens. “People expect a concrete building at the airport, with no greenery and closed windows. But here, you see green spaces everywhere. And you can sleep with the window open, because there is no flying at night.”

Human work 

To fulfil ambitions in sustainability and guest experience, good communication is indispensable. “If you can manage that in both directions, you can achieve a lot together.” When it comes to clean laundry, Langemeyer barely needs to talk to Nedlin. “I can rely on the day-to-day operations running smoothly. This allows us to look forward, to develop a future together. And preferably be one step ahead of time. When you complement each other’s strengths in this way, you grow beyond your goals.” 

At the end of the day, this is still human work. “Of course: you sign a contract together. But what matters most is that people stick to the contract.” For the hotel itself, it is also the people who make the difference. “Our hotel has now been in existence for 36 years. Last year, a college who helped open the hotel retired. Many colleagues have been working here for 20 or 25 years, some for almost 35 years. I am very proud of that. In addition, there are many young people here, and we employ 26 different nationalities. That mix allows us to reach every type of guest.” 

Because, says Langemeyer: guests always remember their experience with hotel employees. “The desire of every hotelier is to be a good host. That is why a hotel team is at your service any time of the day. If you have missed your flight or had a stressful day at work, our staff are there to pick you up and still give you an enjoyable evening.” The fact that one of its main partners is in the Netherlands does not change this. “Our countries are so close and intertwined. For me, there are really no borders.”