The Alpina Gstaad Appoints Sebastien Birr Director of Innovation and Development

Newest Five-star Hotel Built in Gstaad to Focus on Innovation and the 21st Century Guest Experience

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. September 19, 2014

Gstaad, Switzerland - September 19, 2014 - Sebastien Birr has been appointed the Director of Innovation & Development for The Alpina Gstaad, the newest luxury hotel to open in the Swiss alpine village of Gstaad. A new position at The Alpina Gstaad, Mr. Birr will be responsible for the development of creative products, services and experiences for guests. He will also direct all public relations and marketing efforts. Created in July 2014, the Innovation, Research and Development Department, which Mr. Birr heads, is also tasked with establishing a creative environment for the staff of the award-winning luxury hotel and with challenging employees to develop innovative programs.

Mr. Birr was Director of Innovation, Sustainability, Research and Development at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi's leading luxury property. He has held senior sales and marketing positions with several of Kempinski Hotels' luxury properties in Africa.

Before joining The Alpina Gstaad, Mr. Birr was Director of Sales and Marketing at the Grand Hotel Djibloho Kempinski, the first luxury hotel to open in the future capital of Equatorial Guinea. Prior to that, he held the same position at the Djibouti Palace Kempinski, the first five-star hotel in Djibouti. He began his career with Kempinski Hotels in Africa and later worked for NetJets Europe, the largest operator of business and private jets in Europe.

While with Kempinski Hotels, Mr. Birr created the Innovation Lab, the group's first research & development department. He also developed and launched the "Green Inspiration by Kempinski" program.

“Sebastien's experience with Kempinski with its emphasis on innovation will be invaluable,” explained Eric Favre, Managing Director of The Alpina Gstaad. “And his creative spirit and forward-looking approach will be critical in achieving our mission of being the best hotel in Switzerland,” said Mr. Favre.

Commenting on his appointment, Sebastien noted, “I am pleased to be joining the team of The Alpina Gstaad and to have the opportunity to create new experiences for the hotel's very discerning clientele. We are committed to going "beyond the extraordinary" to make our guests feel special,” he explained.

Mr. Birr has a Hotel and Restaurant Management diploma from the Hotel Management School of Geneva (EHG). He studied at the University of Architecture in Lisbon. Holding dual citizenship from Switzerland and Portugal, Mr. Birr speaks five languages English, Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish.

About The Alpina Gstaad

The Alpina Gstaad is set on five acres in Oberbort, the exclusive hilltop area of the village which is in Saanenland in the heart of the Bernese Alps. Part of a CHF300 million luxury development which includes private chalets and apartments, The Alpina Gstaad is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Swiss architecture incorporating local materials and authentic Alpine style. Blocks of Ringgenberg limestone, the rich brown stone from local quarries and hundred-year-old fir wood, gathered from old Alpine farm houses have been used in the construction. The Alpina Gstaad has three restaurants: the first European outpost of MEGU, the renowned Japanese restaurant; a traditional Swiss stübli, and the Michelin-star Restaurant Sommet serving contemporary cuisine. The luxury hotel has a bar and lounge, wine-tasting room, private cinema, cigar lounge, a ballroom and several boardrooms. The 56 spacious rooms and suites - all with balconies - range from 333 square feet to 4,305 square feet.