Kempinski
A German-founded luxury hotel management group with roots in Berlin wine trading, restaurants, and hospitality dating to the nineteenth century.
Last updated October 20, 2026
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Overview
Kempinski is a German-founded luxury hotel management company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its corporate and commercial history is commonly traced to 1862, when the Kempinski family was active in the wine trade, while the hotel group identifies the opening of its first hotel in Berlin in 1897 as a defining origin point. The business developed from Berthold Kempinski's wine merchant and restaurant activities into a broader hospitality and property operation, and later became associated with some of Germany's most prominent hotels. Berthold Kempinski expanded the family's wine business to Berlin in 1872 and opened a large restaurant in Leipziger Straße in 1889. Because he had no son, his son-in-law Richard Unger joined the business and later succeeded to its operation while retaining the Kempinski name. The family enterprise grew before the First World War and established a hotel presence on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm in 1918. In 1928, M. Kempinski & Co. took over Haus Vaterland at Potsdamer Platz, an important example of large-scale event-oriented dining and entertainment in Berlin. The Second World War severely damaged the company's Berlin properties. Richard Unger and his family emigrated to the United States, and M. Kempinski & Co. became part of Aschinger AG. After the war, Friedrich Unger, Berthold Kempinski's grandson, returned to Germany. A new hotel was built on the site of the destroyed Kurfürstendamm restaurant and opened in 1952 as Hotel Kempinski. In 1953, Unger sold the business and the Kempinski name to Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft, a company that already operated several German hotels. This transaction connected the historic family name with the modern corporate hotel group. The company expanded its German portfolio during the following decades, including the acquisition of Hamburg's Hotel Atlantic in 1957. It adopted the Kempinski name in its corporate identity in 1970 and became Kempinski Aktiengesellschaft in 1977. Lufthansa became an important partner, and its investment helped support the group's international development. In 1986, Kempinski AG, Lufthansa, and Rolaco S.A. established Kempinski Hotels S.A. in Geneva. Kempinski AG later acquired the remaining shares in Kempinski S.A. in 1993. Ownership changed again in the 1990s. A Thai-linked investment structure acquired a majority stake in 1994, eventually increasing its interest before the Dusit Thani Group exited the joint venture in 1998. In 2017, the existing shareholders formalized an equity transfer that left a Bahraini shareholder with the majority interest and a Thai shareholder with a minority position, according to the cited reference material. Kempinski now presents itself as a luxury hotel and residence operator rather than a conventional mass-market chain. Its portfolio consists primarily of five-star hotels and residences operated through management agreements, alongside selected leased or group-owned properties. The group has maintained a strong European luxury identity while expanding across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and other international markets. In 2024, it took over management of two Dubai hotels previously associated with Emaar's Address brand, renaming them Kempinski The Boulevard and Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai. Kempinski is also a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance, established in 2004, and participates in the alliance's DISCOVERY loyalty ecosystem.
History
Kempinski's origins combine a nineteenth-century family wine business with the development of a modern Berlin hospitality company. The Kempinski family was active in wine trading from 1862, and Berthold Kempinski expanded the enterprise to Berlin in 1872. He opened a major restaurant in Leipziger Straße in 1889, creating the foundation for a business that extended beyond retail wine sales into restaurants, property, and entertainment. Berthold Kempinski's son-in-law Richard Unger joined the company and eventually assumed responsibility for it under an agreement that preserved the Kempinski name. Unger expanded the business before the First World War. In 1918, the company established a hotel dependency at 27 Kurfürstendamm, the site later associated with Hotel Bristol Berlin. In 1928, M. Kempinski & Co. acquired Haus Vaterland on Potsdamer Platz. Its large-scale dining and entertainment format became an early example of what would later be described as event gastronomy. War and political upheaval disrupted the family enterprise. Richard Unger and his family emigrated to the United States during the Second World War, while M. Kempinski & Co. became part of Aschinger AG. The Berlin restaurant at Kurfürstendamm was destroyed by fire near the end of the war, and other properties were damaged or destroyed by bombing. Friedrich Unger, the founder's grandson, returned to Germany after the conflict. Construction began on a replacement hotel at Kurfürstendamm in 1951, and the Hotel Kempinski opened in 1952. For approximately two decades, it was regarded as Berlin's leading modern luxury hotel. In 1953, Friedrich Unger sold his shares and the Kempinski name to Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft, which operated properties including the Baltic, Bristol, and Kaiserhof. The company added Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg in 1957 and continued to build a German hotel portfolio. In 1970, the corporate name was changed to Kempinski Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft. That year also brought a long-term relationship with Lufthansa through a 50 percent participation in Munich's Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, in which Lufthansa already held an interest. The company adopted the name Kempinski Aktiengesellschaft in 1977, when Kempinski Hotel Frankfurt Gravenbruch became its fourth German hotel. Lufthansa acquired shares in Kempinski AG in 1985, helping the company pursue international hotel operations. In 1986, Kempinski AG, Lufthansa, and Rolaco S.A. founded Kempinski Hotels S.A. in Geneva. Kempinski AG acquired all shares in Kempinski S.A. in 1993. In November 1994, a Bangkok-based company connected to Dusit Thani and Siam Commercial Bank acquired a majority stake. The investment structure eventually reached an 83 percent holding, and Dusit Thani left the joint venture in 1998 after selling its interest to its partner. The modern group has focused on operating luxury hotels and residences under management contracts. The Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski in Munich is described as belonging to the group, while other properties operate through leases or management arrangements. Kempinski became a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance in 2004. The alliance's DISCOVERY program gives participating guests recognition and rewards across a broad multi-brand hotel network. Kempinski's subsequent expansion has included new destinations and portfolio transitions. In 2017, it announced its first luxury hotel in Cuba. In 2024, it acquired two hotels previously managed by Emaar and rebranded them as Kempinski The Boulevard and Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai. The group's identity remains tied to European luxury hospitality, while its operating footprint is international and includes city hotels, resorts, residences, restaurants, meeting facilities, and wellness offerings.
- 2024
Two Dubai properties join the Kempinski portfolio
[1]Two hotels previously associated with Emaar's Address brand became Kempinski The Boulevard and Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai.
- 2017
Kempinski announces a Cuban hotel
[1]The group announced its first luxury hotel in Cuba.
- 2004
Kempinski co-founds the Global Hotel Alliance
[1]Kempinski became a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance, whose loyalty ecosystem later operated under the DISCOVERY program.
- 1994
Thai-linked investors acquire a majority stake
[1]A Bangkok-based company connected with Dusit Thani and Siam Commercial Bank acquired a majority interest in Kempinski.
- 1993
Kempinski AG acquires Kempinski S.A.
[1]Kempinski AG acquired all shares in Kempinski S.A.
- 1986
Kempinski Hotels S.A. is established in Geneva
[1]Kempinski AG, Lufthansa, and Rolaco S.A. founded Kempinski Hotels S.A. with its head office in Geneva.
- 1977
The company becomes Kempinski AG
[1]The hotel company adopted the name Kempinski Aktiengesellschaft and added Kempinski Hotel Frankfurt Gravenbruch to its German portfolio.
- 1970
Corporate identity adopts the Kempinski name
[1]Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft changed its name to Kempinski Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft and established a partnership involving Munich's Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.
- 1957
Hotel Atlantic joins the portfolio
[1]The company acquired the Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg.
- 1953
Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft acquires the Kempinski name
[1]Friedrich Unger sold his shares and the Kempinski name to Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft.
Products and positioning
Luxury European hospitality with an emphasis on individualized service, historic properties, destination resorts, residences, and locally distinctive food-and-beverage experiences.
Hotels
Luxury city hotels
Kempinski operates five-star city hotels in major urban destinations. These properties typically combine accommodation with restaurants, bars, meeting facilities, wellness services, and event spaces, while using individual property identities rather than a standardized economy or midscale format.
Resorts
Luxury resorts
The group operates resort properties in leisure destinations, offering lodging together with destination dining, recreation, wellness, and event services. Kempinski's resort portfolio extends its European luxury positioning into international vacation markets.
Residential hospitality
Kempinski Residences
Kempinski-branded residences form part of the group's international portfolio. They apply the brand's luxury service model to serviced or hospitality-linked residential accommodation, often alongside a hotel or resort operation.
Food and beverage · 1889
Restaurants, bars, and event gastronomy
Food and beverage is a longstanding part of the Kempinski identity, dating back to Berthold Kempinski's Berlin restaurants and the large Haus Vaterland concept. Contemporary properties offer restaurants, bars, banqueting, private dining, and event services tailored to each location.
Hospitality services
Meetings and events
Kempinski hotels provide conference, meeting, wedding, banquet, and private-event services. The offering is particularly relevant to full-service city hotels and resorts with substantial function space.
Wellness
Spa and wellness
Selected Kempinski hotels and resorts provide spa, fitness, and wellness facilities as part of their full-service luxury proposition.
Brand decisions
2024
Dubai portfolio expansion through two hotel takeoversM&ABackground
Two Dubai hotels had previously been associated with Emaar's Address hotel brand.
Action taken
Kempinski acquired the two hotel operations and renamed them Kempinski The Boulevard and Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai.
Aftermath
The transaction doubled Kempinski's presence in Dubai to four hotels, according to the cited reference material.
2017
Shareholder equity transferOtherBackground
Kempinski's existing shareholders had previously planned an internal transfer of equity.
Action taken
The shareholders formalized the transfer, leaving the Bahraini shareholder with a majority position and the Thai shareholder with a minority position.
Aftermath
The group continued operating as a privately held luxury hotel company.
1994
Majority investment by a Thai-linked structureM&ABackground
Kempinski's ownership was being reorganized as the group developed its international hotel business.
Action taken
A Bangkok-based company connected with Dusit Thani and Siam Commercial Bank acquired a 52 percent stake and later increased the broader investment structure's holding.
Aftermath
The structure eventually held 83 percent of the group. Dusit Thani exited the joint venture in 1998.
Equity stake. 52 percent initially; 83 percent eventually held by the investment structure (1994-1998)
1986
Creation of an international Kempinski hotel companyStrategyBackground
Lufthansa had acquired shares in Kempinski AG and the company was seeking to operate hotels beyond Germany.
Action taken
Kempinski AG, Lufthansa, and Rolaco S.A. established Kempinski Hotels S.A. in Geneva.
Aftermath
The new structure supported Kempinski's international expansion and gave the group a Geneva-based corporate platform.
1953
Transfer of the Kempinski name to Hotelbetriebs-AktiengesellschaftM&ABackground
Friedrich Unger controlled the postwar family business and the Kempinski name after the rebuilding of the Berlin hotel operation.
Action taken
Unger sold his shares and the Kempinski name to Hotelbetriebs-Aktiengesellschaft, linking the historic family brand with an established German hotel operator.
Aftermath
The transaction provided the basis for the later corporate development of the Kempinski hotel group.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Kempinski CEO reportedly among executives leaving[3]
Travel Weekly reported that Kempinski's CEO was among executives reportedly leaving the brand; the source does not identify the CEO or state when the departure would occur.
Reported
Kempinski hotels introduce summer children’s and family activities[4]
Beijing Sunrise Kempinski Hotel and hotels on Yanqi Island introduced children’s and family activities for the summer, including football training, an astronomy camp and themed parent-child DIY activities.
Sources4 sources
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