From land and from sea onto the rivers – a family history

Hamburg businessman Theo Gerlach built his first hotel when few hotels could meet his demand for high design, cuisine, and service. One became two, then three, then four. Today, a dozen hotels in Germany, Spain, and the Maldives comprise the Seaside Collection, including the Grand Hotel Residencia, the only member of the Leading Hotels of the World on Gran Canaria, and the Finolhu resort in the Maldives. All are owned and managed by Gregor and Anouchka Gerlach – the perfect team. Like their father, both have a passion for hotels and a love of detail. Gregor studied Business Administration and gained professional experience at McKinsey, while Anouchka completed studies in Hotel Management in Lausanne and worked at One&Only global resorts.

As Hamburg residents, the Gerlachs have long had an affinity for the water and ships. This led to an idea. In addition to hotels in cities and on the sea, they would create world-class “hotels” on Europe’s rivers. Today, the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet cruises on the Rhône, Saône, Rhine, and Danube with the same philosophy as the Seaside Collection hotels: simply making guests happy.