The Swiss travel concern Hotelplan Group is realigning its organisational structure. The tour operator brands Hotelplan, Migros Ferien and vtours will be run within a newly established division. The group management is being expanded to include the divisions People (Human Resources) and Digital & Strategy. Achim Schneider, CEO and co-founder of vtours, is to leave the company at the end of October 2022.

Tour operating activities for the Hotelplan, Migros Ferien and vtours brands are to be concentrated as of 1 April 2022 to better exploit synergies in the beach holiday and city break segments. The new division "Volume Tour Operating Hotelplan Group" will be headed by the current Hotelplan Suisse CEO Tim Bachmann. He will remain a member of the group management in his new role as Hotelplan Group COO Volume Tour Operating, reporting directly to Hotelplan Group CEO Laura Meyer. The existing flight brokerage activities in Switzerland and Germany are also part of the new division. The business unit Hotelplan Suisse will be headed by Nicole Pfammatter, hitherto Director of Distribution & Marketing at Hotelplan Suisse. Besides responsibility for the two specialist brands Travelhouse and Tourisme Pour Tous, she will continue to oversee sales through all channels – including the company's own 88 branches throughout Switzerland – as well as the Swiss marketing activities. In her role as CEO of Hotelplan Suisse, Nicole Pfammatter will join the group management team, reporting directly to Laura Meyer. "This new organisational structure is a natural outcome of our group strategy. Put in place last year, it includes, among other targets, a commitment to excellence in customer service. Consolidating the tour operator brands allows us to position ourselves for the future in a highly competitive environment while delivering superb quality and excellent service at attractive prices," says Laura Meyer. The changes to the organisational structure will not result in any job cuts in Switzerland or Germany.

vtours CEO and co-founder Achim Schneider is to leave the company at the end of October 2022. The decision not to renew his contract was taken in summer 2021 and is not linked to the new organisational structure. "Under Achim Schneider's leadership, vtours has grown in the last 18 years into a relevant and dynamic package tour operator in the German market. On behalf of the entire group management, we would like to thank him for his tireless commitment and wish him all the very best for the future," says Hotelplan Group CEO Laura Meyer. Sabine Jordan-Glaab, hitherto responsible for Marketing & Sales at vtours, has been appointed Managing Director of vtours GmbH. She will report directly to Tim Bachmann.

Group management expansion

The Hotelplan Group management team will also be expanded in the course of the structural realignment. New appointees to the management board are Walter Jung, hitherto HR Director of Hotelplan Group, and Adrian Arnold, hitherto Director of Group Strategy & Projects. As Chief People Officer, Walter Jung will strengthen the focus on developing strategic HR themes group-wide, while Adrian Arnold, as Chief Digital & Strategy Officer, will be responsible for the digitalisation of customer interfaces and group-wide sustainability activities. "Expanding the group management clearly signals our intention to further strengthen our focus on our employees and customers," Laura Meyer explains.

Furthermore, the legal corporate entity Hotelplan Management AG, which currently holds the group-wide divisions IT, Finance, Digital and Strategy, is merging with the legal corporate entity MTCH AG retroactively as of 1 November 2021. The merger is taking place for administrative reasons and will not result in any job cuts.

Tim Bachmann, designated COO Volume Tour Operating Hotelplan Group (JPG)
Nicole Pfammatter, designated CEO Hotelplan Suisse (JPG)
Achim Schneider, CEO vtours GmbH (JPG)
Sabine Jordan-Glaab, designated Managing Director vtours GmbH (JPG)
Walter Jung, designated CPO Hotelplan Group (JPG)
Adrian Arnold, designated Chief Digital & Strategy Officer Hotelplan Group (JPG)