Charlotte Forsman became Gothia Towers’ Guest Relations Manager last spring – a new face for a new role.
“It’s a fantastic challenge,” she says. “I’m passionate about service, and about helping our guests and visitors. I’m here, dedicated to listening to and looking after our guests.”

The building work at Gothia Towers is nearly be finished, and the new meeting place will officially open on 6 December. Gothia Towers will soon be Scandinavia’s biggest hotel, and one of the largest in Europe.
“So it’s more important than ever before to go the extra mile for our guests,” adds Charlotte’s boss Sam Sultanovic, who is Director of Corporate Sales at Gothia Towers. “Going the extra mile means so much. The bigger we become, the more important it is to focus on the personal touch, which is why we decided to introduce the role of Guest Relations Manager. And Charlotte is perfect for the job!”

 

Dealing with feedback from Gothia Towers’ guests is a key aspect of Charlotte’s work.
“It’s our most important channel when it comes to making improvements,” she explains. “All feedback is fantastic, good and bad, as we can learn a lot from it.”

Club Gothia Towers, the hotel’s new loyal guest programme, takes up much of Charlotte’s time.
“I keep in contact with our loyal guests, make sure they enjoy their stay with us, arrange loyal guest evenings every Wednesday, and all kinds of other fun activities. I listen to their thoughts and opinions about us as a company. It’s incredibly rewarding.”

Charlotte explains that it’s been her goal to work at Gothia Towers for the last seven years.
“I’ve always seen Gothia Towers as the heart of the action – there always seems to be something fun and exciting going on. People from every corner of the world, spectacular events, exhibitions and fascinating trade fairs – a truly international meeting place that draws people to it!”

What’s most important to you in your role?
“Happiness. Spreading and sharing it, both with our guests and with our colleagues. Providing exceptional service is a natural part of that. And ambition – constantly striving to be better at what we do, that’s the most important thing for me.”

Charlotte’s previous role was as Deputy Reception Manager at the Grand Hotel Garden. She spent three years training to work in the hotel industry at the Hotelschool The Hague (HTH) in the Netherlands, which was founded in 1929. Her training included two six-month work placements, one at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen and the other at Mina A’Salam in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.
“I had a fantastic time, and I learnt so much. The main thing I learnt in Dubai was about working with different cultures and nationalities. Which is an excellent fit with Gothia Towers’ vision of becoming Europe’s most attractive meeting place, an international focus.”

 

Name: Charlotte Forsman
Family: Lives with her partner, Niklas
Age: 27
Motto: Look for the rainbow in every cloud
Interests: Horses, weight training, running (she will be taking part in GöteborgsVarvet 2015), travelling and gardening (or balcony gardening, at least)
Favourite song: Greyhound by Swedish House Mafia

Any questions or queries? Contact Charlotte:
Mail: [email protected]

With its 49 well-appointed hotel rooms, a restaurant that looks to the stars – both literally and figuratively – and a unique three-storey spa, Upper House is finally ready to open its doors on 1 September.

Upper House (the hotel) has been built on top of Gothia Towers’ second tower, between floors 21 and 24. The hotel consists of 49 guest rooms in two different categories, with 31 m² Superior rooms starting at SEK 3,000 per night. For those with larger budgets, there is also a two-storey Grand Executive Suite, which costs SEK 31,000 per night.

“Upper House is both a personal guest house and a modern hotel of the highest international standard,” says Petter Ullberg, CEO of Gothia Towers. “This is a ‘hotel in hotel’ offering first-rate service, unparalleled views and fantastic food created by Krister Dahl, who captained the Swedish Culinary Team for eight years. Upper House is just what Gothenburg needs: an exclusive hotel with a world-leading restaurant.”

The hotel has been tastefully decorated using blonde woods, with soft wall-to-wall carpeting and furnishings from manufacturers such as Italy’s Moroso and Switzerland’s Vitra, as well as textiles from Denmark’s Kvadrat. In spring 2014, the hotel will also open ten 48 m² Deluxe Suites.

Located on the 25th floor, Upper House Dining has large windows providing spectacular views over Gothenburg. Krister Dahl, former captain of the Swedish Culinary Team and four-time gold medal winner at the Culinary Olympics, is Executive Chef for all restaurants at Gothia Towers and has recruited Måns Backlund as head chef at Upper House. Together, they will be working to attract the attention of the Michelin Guide, with a clear culinary concept whereby the finest local ingredients are selected daily to create that evening’s menu.

“The menu at Upper House consists of six dishes composed using the very best ingredients from the surrounding area each day,” explains Krister. “There will also be a number of surprise courses each evening, which will also be based on the ingredients available. We’re planning to have a ‘chef’s table’ inside the kitchen, where a small group of guests can enjoy their food while watching it being prepared through a window.”

At Upper House Spa & Relax, on floors 18 to 20, Sweden’s west coast meets the Orient in the form of classic spa treatments with the sensations of salt, the sea and smooth rocks, and a hamam – a Turkish sauna with hot steam baths and the fragrances of cardamom, lime and eucalyptus. The spa also has Scandinavian saunas.

You’ll find Upper House high above Gothenburg, on the top floors of the middle tower at Gothia Towers. This is a small, personal hotel within a larger setting, featuring spectacular views, traditional hospitality and a uniquely human touch.

Upper House opens on 1 September.

Visit the Upper House website >>

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Alexandra Öfwerman, Press Officer, Micael Bindefeld AB
Mobile: +46 (0)736 54 47 60
E-mail: [email protected]

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– Hand-picked by Krister Dahl.

Krister Dahl, Executive Chef at Gothia Towers’ restaurants, has chosen rising star Måns Backlund as the head chef at Upper House Dining. Upper House is being built on top of Gothia Towers’ second tower, and consists of 59 exclusive hotel rooms, a spa and relaxation suite, and a restaurant of the highest international standard.

Upper House Dining’s new head chef Måns Backlund has extensive culinary experience, having worked at many restaurants around Europe, including Coutenceau in France and Le Canard in Norway, both of which have Michelin stars. He has also worked as a sous chef at Jaan in Singapore. After a short stay in Sweden, Måns had his sights set on the world once again when the offer of working as head chef at Upper House Dining came up.
“What drew me back to Gothenburg was Upper House’s real focus on excellence,” says Måns. “It feels incredible to be part of that, and my ambition as head chef is that our guests should be completely satisfied. And of course, a Michelin star in our first year wouldn’t be a bad thing…”

Krister has high expectations ahead of the opening of Upper House Dining, and is delighted with his newest recruit:
“Måns has a wealth of experience in the restaurant industry, and has worked at many different restaurants around the world. He focuses on the partnership between the kitchen and the front of house, which is absolutely essential if everything is to run smoothly. Måns thinks about more than just the food on the plate – he cares about the entire process, from the ingredients through to the diner’s experience.”

Upper House Dining opens on 1 September.

For more information, contact:
Krister Dahl, Executive Chef, Gothai Towers
Email: [email protected]

Perfectionist hotel manager for our new Upper House

A five-star product requires a perfectionist manager. Nina Fors, the newly appointed manager of Gothia Towers’ Upper House, has got what it takes to run a hotel for guests who place strict demands on both service and accommodation.

Nina Fors joins us via Le Grand Combin et Golf in Verbier, The Langham Hilton in London, Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel in Oslo, First Hotel G in Gothenburg and most recently a successful career with SJ, the Swedish railway company.

Nina will now be making a career leap to become hotel manager of Upper House. She has many years of managerial experience within the hotel and travel industry, and describes herself as a pedantic perfectionist.

“I’m delighted about my new challenge and returning to the hotel industry!” she says. “I know I’ll succeed, because I’m good at looking ahead, I’m extremely driven, and I have customer service in my blood. I also have a very clear desire to achieve results, which is obvious to all those who work with me. I place extremely high demands on myself, and I expect the same of my team. I want all of us to feel that our guests and the service we provide are always our top priority.”

Upper House is aimed at globetrotting travellers with high expectations. First-class personal service begins right at the booking stage, and everything is subsequently tailored to meet our guests’ wishes – including food, accommodation and wellbeing.

Upper House will feature 60 rooms of 30 m², 40 m² and 50 m², and our 150 m² Grand Executive Suite. This will be the first time that a hotel in Gothenburg has offered accommodation worthy of the world’s biggest stars.

Upper House
We are adding six floors to our current East Tower. These will be Upper House: a hotel within a hotel. As well as 60 exclusive rooms, Upper House will also include a restaurant and a spa and relaxation suite.
Upper House will open in August 2013.

 

A Very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Just over a year has passed since the construction of our third tower and the extension of the East Tower officially began on 24 October 2011.
What has happened during the last year? What inspired our plans? What is Upper House? Will there be a fourth tower?
We put a few questions to the driving force behind our third tower, Gothia Towers’ visionary CEO Petter Ullberg.

Petter has worked at GothiaTowerssince 2000. He started as hotel manager, and is now the CEO of Gothia Towers  and Deputy Managing Director of the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre (of which GothiaTowersis a part).

Inspiration from Las Vegas

In 2007, Petter travelled to Las Vegas. There he met a man by the name of Eric Bello, Vice President of Sales at Las Vegas Sands, USA. Eric showed Petter a sketch of a new hotel and conference facility, consisting of three towers, which Las Vegas Sands planned to build in Singapore.
“That’s when I first had the idea that Gothia Towers should also have a third tower,” he recalls. “If it can be done inSingapore, why not in Gothenburg?”

The sketch that Eric showed Petter was of Marina Bay Sands,  which was completed in Singaporein 2011 and provided the model for GothiaTowers.

The sketch wasn’t the only thing that impressed Petter in Las Vegas.
“Las Vegas is a world-leader within the meeting industry, a trailblazer. They’re particularly keen on the ‘all under one roof’ concept, and that struck a chord with me. That’s the same business concept we’re focusing on now, and the construction project is an important part of that.”

In 2008, Petter took the entire board of the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre to Las Vegasto show them his vision for the new Gothia Towers. And the decision was made: a third tower would be built. The turf-cutting ceremony took place on 24 October 2011.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced with the construction project?
“Turning our vision into reality within the cost and time constraints. And then there are a whole lot of lesser challenges all the time, such as coordinating the logistics without disrupting everything else that’s happening. But that’s what makes it all so much fun!”

What has been the best part?
“Seeing our vision gradually becoming reality. During the summer, on 24 August, our new lobby restaurant West Coast (link) was opened. It’s fantastic, and Krister Dahl (GothiaTowers’ Executive Chef) – the motivating force behind the restaurant – has done a superb job!”

Food takes centre stage at Upper House

The next phase to be completed will be the extension of the existing East Tower: Upper House.
Upper House will be a more exclusive section, a hotel within the hotel, consisting of more than 50 rooms. Here there will be a spa and relaxation suite including three pools, Turkish baths, a gym and much more besides. There will also be a new restaurant on the 25th floor, all boasting spectacular views of Gothenburg.
Upper House is scheduled to open next August, and Petter hopes to be able to offer sneak previews in July.
“At Upper House, food will take centre stage and we’ll be launching a novel dining concept. We’re going to try to create an exciting roof – a dazzling work of art over the entire restaurant. And much more… It’ll be really exciting, but I can’t say any more than that at the moment as it’s still a secret.”

Krister Dahl, who was involved in creating the West Coast lobby restaurant, will also take the helm of Upper House’s new dining concept.

There’s so much going on all the time. Is it stressful?
“No, not at all. I feel completely calm and content. You know, I’ve built the entire hotel three times in my sleep. So I know what I’m doing now. Mentally I’ve been in every room. In that sense, I’ve nearly finished construction,” he adds with a laugh.

Will there be a fourth tower?
“Ha! Never say never! There’s been a gap of around 15 years between the construction of each tower, so maybe the fourth tower will be ready in 2030!”

Facts about our CEO:

Name: Petter Ullberg
Work: The CEO of Gothia Towers and Triple Towers project manager.
Family: Wife Anna, children Oskar & Emma and dogs Ida & Thea.
Motto: “What can I do today to make tomorrow better – and have fun doing it.”
Leisure interests: Sports photography, walking with the dogs in the forest, gardening and golf.

 

 

 

Av Lena Johansson, Gothia Towers