Master Innholders Community Spotlight - Sabine Altschaeffl MI

We've recently been speaking with members of the Master Innholders community to find out more about their hospitality careers, what working in hospitality means to them, as well as what they are doing currently to give back to the industry as part of their work.

This week, we spoke to Sabine Altschaeffl MI, one of this year’s newly appointed Master Innholders and General Manager at Charlotte Street Hotel. She shares her journey into hospitality and to becoming a Master Innholder, as well as her thoughts on what makes a great modern general manager in today’s climate.

What do you love most about working in hotels?

The people. Every single day, our hotel is full of people at significant moments in their lives. Celebrating something, experiencing a city for the first time, or simply treating themselves to an hour of calm in a busy week.  Being part of that, even in a small way, never gets ordinary.

What made you want to apply to become a Master Innholder?

I applied because I felt I had something to contribute and I wanted to formalise my commitment to giving back to our industry in both a structured and meaningful way. The Master Innholders has represented something important to me for a long time, a community of hoteliers who care deeply about the craft and the industry's future, not just their own careers. When I looked at the people in the Master Innholders community, I saw leaders I genuinely admired: people who give their time, experience, and networks to make the industry better for everyone.

How does it feel to become a Master Innholder?

It feels like a responsibility as much as an honour, which is exactly how it should feel. I'm proud, genuinely proud, but what I'm most conscious of is what comes next. It's the beginning of a commitment to the industry that I intend to take seriously.

What qualities do you think define a great General Manager?

Curiosity, above everything else. The best general managers I know are endlessly curious about their guests, their teams, their industry, and themselves. Curiosity keeps you honest and keeps you growing. After that, I'd say the ability to create an environment where other people can do their best work. The general manager doesn't deliver the experience, the team does. Your job is to hire brilliantly, develop relentlessly, and then get out of the way and trust them.

Can you share a moment in your career that you're particularly proud of?
One moment I’m particularly proud of is earning my first general manager role after moving from Germany and starting as a reservationist. Relocating to a new country was a big step, both personally and professionally, and it meant adapting quickly to a new environment, culture, and way of working.

Starting in an entry-level role gave me a strong foundation in customer service and a clear understanding of the guest experience. From there, I worked my way up through the business, taking on increasing responsibility and making a point to learn every aspect of operations. By the time I stepped into the general manager role, I was able to lead with credibility because I had first-hand experience in the roles I was managing. Being able to build my career from the ground up in a new country and ultimately lead a team was a defining and very rewarding moment for me.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in hotels?

Stay curious and stay humble. The hospitality industry will teach you more about people and about yourself than almost any other career. But it only does that if you approach it with genuine openness. Most importantly, take the craft seriously. This is not a stopgap industry. It's a serious, rewarding, and genuinely important profession. The sooner you decide to commit to it fully, the faster you will grow.

What advice would you give to future Master Innholder applicants?

Be honest about why you want it. The panel can tell the difference between someone who wants the recognition and someone who wants the responsibility. Make sure you know which one you are and if it's the latter, say so clearly and let your record speak for itself. Understand what the Master Innholders stands for, who it has supported, and what it asks of its members. Engage with it as a community before you apply. The people who do best in the process are those for whom membership is the natural next step in a commitment they've already been making.

Being part of the Master Innholders community is about giving back to the industry. How are you looking to give back now that you have become a Master Innholder?

Mentoring will always be at the centre of what I do. I intend to formalise that through the various Master Innholders channels, such as those on the Innholder Graduates Programme, who are earlier in their careers and would benefit from an honest, experienced sounding board. The conversations that have mattered most in my own development have been with people who gave their time generously and without expectation of anything in return. I want to be that person for others.

I'm also committed to helping make the senior levels of this industry more diverse and more accessible. There is extraordinary talent across the hospitality workforce that never reaches leadership because the pathways aren't visible enough. Part of giving back means actively creating those pathways through mentoring, through visibility, and through honest advocacy.