A world-famous cake, strong leaders and many prominent guests who generated numerous anecdotes have made the name Sacher known around the globe. In order for it to stay that way, the Sacher Group has to constantly change, says CEO Matthias Winkler.
Justin Bieber’s stay at the Hotel Sacher was supposed to remain secret to avoid any major hype. However, Bieber parked his tour bus — which had his name written on it in huge letters — right in front of the house and celebrated a party with his band for several hours. Word spread quickly; All hell broke loose on the street in front of the hotel. Other artists also created strange moments at the Hotel Sacher.
The appearance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was spooky when they came to Vienna after their legendary bed-in in Amsterdam and checked into the Sacher. They also wanted to take action for peace here. They came to the press conference allegedly naked, but both under a sheet, willingly answered questions, but were not seen by anyone because they were covered. The journalists present were hopelessly disappointed.
Ghosts of the past also seem to continually come back to life in the venerable house. Archduke Otto von Habsburg once wandered around the house during a drinking session “wearing” only a saber. This seems to have caught on, because today guests take naked photos of themselves and post them on Instagram. Matthias Winkler, CEO of the Sacher Group, can tell such and countless other anecdotes — but he doesn’t have any fun with the nude photos. We have to make sure that this doesn’t get out of hand, says the Sacher boss during a conversation with Forbes in a suite in the building behind the Vienna State Opera.
The success and appeal of the Sacher name is a mixture of several factors. The focus was always on healthy and organic growth and financial risk was avoided, says Winkler; Great characters always played an important role, such as the cigar-smoking Anna Sacher at the beginning of the 20th century and, last but not least, Elisabeth Gürtler, who ran the Hotel Sacher with a sure hand for 24 years and expanded the group. “It’s not for nothing that she is called ‘Grande Dame’ in the industry, even if she doesn’t like to hear it herself,” says Winkler, who has been running the business since 2014.
A total of five family members work in the company: Elisabeth Gürtler and her daughter Alexandra — Winkler’s wife — look after the financial holding company, his brother-in-law Georg Gürtler and his wife Eva are responsible for quality in the food & beverage sector. In addition, a family advisory council is held eight times a year, where important topics such as large investments are discussed; like the mega project that is currently underway: the total renovation of the Hotel Bristol am Ring. Experts estimate that the project will cost up to €100 million.
The management of this traditional company is always open to new things, as the recently opened Caffè Sacher in Trieste shows. The franchisee Dizzi Alfons has opened a branch in an elegant district; the Viennese Sacher flair fits perfectly into the port city. In addition to the headquarters, the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, and the Hotel Bristol on the Ringstrasse, the Sacher Group also includes the Hotel Sacher in Salzburg, the Café Sacher in Graz, the Sacher Torten Manufactory as well as real estate and investments. Further franchise agreements exist with Café Sacher in Parndorf and the Alpin Resort Sacher Seefeld in Tyrol.The corona pandemic hit the Sacher Group as well as its competitors hard. In addition to declines in sales, there were losses in 2020 and 2021, but things went better again in 2022. “Now we have sales again like in the pre-Corona period,” says Winkler. The Sacher Group will also make a profit again, but not comparable to the figures before 2020 — costs have risen too much due to high inflation. Sacher itself does not disclose any figures; according to industry experts, sales will be around €100 million in 2023, and the profit margin should have been over ten percent before the pandemic.Even after the pandemic, Winkler has his hands full: the competitive pressure is enormous and the demands of guests are constantly changing. Luxury trips are still being booked in times of war and high inflation, but: “The people who book luxury trips are different than they were five or ten years ago,” says Winkler. The clientele has become younger and more individual and wants luxury without a guilty conscience. Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role.
Culinary delights are a central element at Sacher , because it all started with a cake, recalls Winkler: “In 1832, a 16-year-old apprentice, out of necessity and on his own, invented something new with few resources.” The young cook, Franz Sacher, had to Prince Metternich’s court stepped in for his sick chef and created a dessert for a state guest. “But he doesn’t shame me tonight!” Metternich is said to have said. Franz Sacher did not disgrace him: the brilliant thing about his cake was the chocolate icing, which not only looked beautiful and ensured it lasted longer, but was also an innovation in desserts, says Winkler. Franz Sacher later opened a delicatessen shop, and his son Eduard opened the legendary Hotel Sacher in Vienna, which passed to the Gürtler and Siller families in the interwar period — the former is now the sole owner of the group. The figures show what a key success factor the Sachertorte is: around 360,000 Sachertorte are sold every year, plus a million Sachertorte cubes. Around a million guests are fed in the Hotel Sacher’s catering areas every year and around 100,000 hotel guests are welcomed every year.
Winkler believes that business will not get any easier in the future. His group competes with major global providers. In order for customers to stay at the Sacher, the hotel must constantly adapt to rapidly changing requirements.
However, in 2024, despite all the crises, there should be relaxation again; At the moment, all the data points to a very good year, says the Sacher boss. If the leaders continue to act so prudently, there shouldn’t be much in the way of a quiet year — as long as a few original top celebrities don’t stay at the Hotel Sacher again and cause a stir.
