Kempinski is introducing a new guest experience concept, beginning at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich.
Called E.R.A.s – Experience Real Access, the program pairs hotel guests with local experts for experiences centred on a destination's history, culture, food and people. Munich is the first Kempinski property to launch the concept, with additional hotels expected to follow.
The program is built around what Kempinski calls Local Insiders, people with expertise or personal connections to the city, and Resident Curators, who develop the experiences and connect guests with those insiders.
“For decades, luxury has meant the same room service in different postcodes,” says Barbara Muckermann, Group CEO, Kempinski. “We are expanding the role of the Hotel by turning it inside out: the Hotel is no longer a refuge from the city, but the gateway into it. We don't book our guests a tour. We hand them the keys to the city. The desk that once gave you a map now offers you the city itself.”
Three ways to experience Munich
At Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich, the program launches with three themes: Royalty, Craftsmanship and Regenerative.
The Royalty E.R.A. focuses on Bavaria's royal history and includes a helicopter flight over five castles accompanied by Markus and Vanessa Richter, historians of the Wittelsbach dynasty, which ruled Bavaria for more than seven centuries.
Guests can also visit Nymphenburg Palace for a banquet-style lunch inspired by King Ludwig II's table, accompanied by a string quartet performing Wagner. Another option includes dinner at the Nymphenburg Royal Residence, hosted by the Richters, followed by a private concert with Japanese pianist and composer Masaka Ohta.
The Craftsmanship E.R.A. includes a painting masterclass at the Nymphenburg porcelain manufactory, which has been producing porcelain since 1747. The experience is hosted by CEO Anders Thomas and gives guests the opportunity to create and paint their own piece.
Another experience brings Munich's six major beers together for a tasting at the hotel, guided by certified beer sommelier Dr. Sauer.
For automotive enthusiasts, the program also includes a private visit with Helmut Käs, CEO of BMW Classic, who takes guests through the workshops and Classic showroom at the site where BMW was founded in 1916.
The Regenerative E.R.A. takes a more active approach. Guests can participate in a cold plunge in Munich's Eisbach canal with Wim Hof-certified guide Mario Ströhlein, beginning with breathing preparation at the hotel and ending with a sauna session.
They can also go for a morning run through the English Garden with German football legend Lothar Matthäus, who captained West Germany to its 1990 World Cup victory and won the Ballon d'Or that same year.
Resident Curators at the centre
Kempinski says its Resident Curators will be responsible for developing the E.R.A.s at each participating property, drawing on their local connections to build destination-specific experiences.
“Kempinski’s Resident Curators are inherently local, spending their careers orchestrating the city's cultural life, they compose E.R.A.s around one thing: personal connections that open doors to the city itself. Each Resident Curator is able to provide deep, meaningful access to the destination, its culture and most importantly Local Insiders, selecting stories and experiences that the guest deems worth tasting, discovering, and learning,” says Aurelia van Lyden, Vice President Experiences, Kempinski Group.
Kempinski traces the role back to 1926, when it appointed Leo Kronau as an Experience Designer at Haus Vaterland in Berlin, then a major entertainment complex.
The E.R.A.s concept will expand to other properties across the Kempinski portfolio. Augustine Hotel Prague, which Kempinski recently acquired in its first hotel acquisition in more than 50 years, is among the next properties scheduled to introduce the program.
The Munich experiences are now available to guests staying at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich.
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