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The network meeting for sustainable dialogue
With the GreenSign Community Circle, we want to create a platform for our community to strengthen its commitment to sustainability and foster regional exchange. Participants can expect a carefully curated circle of hoteliers, restaurateurs, and GreenSign partners - coming together in a personal after-work setting that leaves room for honest conversations and fresh perspectives.
The GreenSign Community Circle takes place four times a year, approximately every three months, at different locations. The series began in September 2024 in Hamburg. In 2025, we continued the format across several cities in Germany, including Berlin, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and Munich.
In 2026, the Community Circle continues with new gatherings in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Leipzig - and, of course, once again in Berlin, our home base.
All Community Circles 2026 at a glance
15 April 2026 I coffee, brownies and downies Oberursel
11 June 2026 I Cologne, German Hotel Academy
15 September 2026 I Berlin, URBAN LOFT
3. December 2026 I Leipzig, me and all hotel
Next Stop: Köln
GreenSign Community Circle Hosted by DHA Deutsche Hotelakademie Cologne
Further Education as a Key to Sustainable Businesses
The next GreenSign Community Circle takes us to Cologne. On June 11, 2026, we will be hosted by DHA Deutsche Hotelakademie, shaping the evening together.
A place that fits. For years, DHA has stood for solid, practice-oriented education in hospitality and gastronomy. This is not about yesterday’s trends, but about qualifications with substance. About people willing to take responsibility. About businesses that choose to evolve rather than stand still.
That is exactly why we meet here.
For an evening on equal footing. For honest conversations about sustainability in daily operations. For ideas that do not fade once the room empties, but continue to shape everyday practice.
Deepen knowledge. Strengthen responsibility. Shape the future.
GreenSign Circle Inclusion
GreenSign Circle Inclusion
Inclusion does not end with goodwill. It begins where work actually takes place.
The GreenSign Circle Inclusion brings together people who live inclusion in the primary labour market. Without a label. With experience.
After an open arrival Victoria Knauer-Hansen and Max C. Luscher the exchange. The focus is on practical insights from the hotel, service and catering industries. Christian Helferich, Thomas Fiehler and Max C. Luscher share their experiences openly, honestly and without embellishment. In addition, specific funding opportunities for employers are categorised by Ralf Geßner.
A morning of real insights, clear learnings and open dialogue.
From call to action to action.
What you can expect from the GreenSign Community Circle
Throwback Stuttgart, 23 February 2026
On 23 February 2026, people interested in sustainability met at the Waldhotel Stuttgart to the GreenSign Community Circle to discuss authentic sustainability in hotel operations. One key learning was that sustainability is more than just marketing - it must be an intrinsic attitude in day-to-day operations.
The Waldhotel Stuttgart lives this approach by understanding sustainability as a joint task that actively involves all employees. Important aspects of this are sensitising the team and continuous change. The discussion also showed how important the interplay of clear structures and creative innovation is. Jens Zellentin from the Le Méridien Stuttgart emphasised: "Do good and talk about it - but with sensitivity." Sustainability should be made visible without imposing, but rather involving both guests and employees through transparency and comprehensible added value.
Another important point was the importance of certifications that create comparability and credibility. The practice-orientated GreenSign certification concept, which provides a sound basis for sustainable measures, was particularly emphasised. The GreenSign Community Circle in Stuttgart showed once again that successful sustainability in hotel operations is created through attitude, structured processes and the active involvement of all those involved and is effectively communicated to the outside world through transparent communication and credible certifications.
Throwback Munich, 9 December 2025
The fourth and final GreenSign Community Circle of the year took place on 9 December 2025. The evening at the KOOS Hotel not only marked the end of an intensive year of events, but also brought a clear conclusion to what the Community Circles stand for: honest dialogue, new perspectives and genuine community in places that take a stand.
The interview with Alessandro Casola, Managing Director of the KOOS Hotel, took centre stage. His story is not about quick effects, but about consistent development. Today's KOOS emerged from a former department stores' owned by the Reich family. Over the years, a clear vision grew out of the existing building. Together with the team, the hotel was rethought as a city aparthotel with ambition, character and a long-term view.
Sustainability was not an add-on, but part of the corporate mindset from the very beginning. Processes were reviewed, adapted and developed step by step. Within just three years, the KOOS Hotel increased its compliance with the GreenSign Hotel Standard from 56 to 92 per cent. No empty promises, but lived practice, visible in the hotel and noticeable in its operations.
This development shows what is really at stake. Not just about renovation or symbolism, but about vision, courage and the willingness to take on responsibility in the long term. This is exactly what the GreenSign Community Circle stands for.
The Munich evening was a worthy conclusion to 2025 - and also a look ahead. The GreenSign Community Circle will continue its journey in 2026, with stops in Stuttgart, Cologne, Berlin and Leipzig.
