A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze’s teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.
Mr. Schulze was one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous.
During his tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award- twice- making it the first and only hotel company to ever win even one.
In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as “corporate hotelier of the world” by HOTELS Magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement.
After leaving The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went onto found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide, and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.
Today, Mr. Schulze serves on various boards and acts as a consultant across industries. He is currently completing his seminal book on creating excellence.
Many of the Ithaka values stem from Mr. Schulze, an individual who has been instrumental in the life and career of our founder, Hans van der Reijden. Hans spent 26 years working closely with Mr. Schulze, who imparted to Hans his wisdom in both life and career endeavors. A visionary in the hospitality industry, Mr. Schulze inspires everyone he meets with his wisdom, energy and positivity. He embodies the values and ethics we admire as individuals and as a company, which became our benchmark as we developed the Ithaka company ethos.