Cordes Rieger Consulting

What Cordes Rieger Consulting does

Cordes Rieger Consulting GmbH is a German boutique management consulting firm headquartered in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, founded in 2013 through the merger of the independent consulting practices of Robert Cordes and Ute Rieger. The firm specializes in operational, strategic, and commercial advisory services for small and mid-sized hotels, restaurants, and tourism businesses, with a geographic focus on Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, and the broader DACH region. Service offerings span operational consulting, on-site coaching delivered in partnership with Gehl consulting partners, marketing and sales support, crisis management advisory, sustainability consulting (food waste reduction and social sustainability), the Umsatzbooster digital revenue optimization product, and hospitality property brokerage via the kaufeinhotel.de platform.

The firm extends its service model through proprietary content assets, including the consumer book 'Der Traum vom eigenen Hotel' (priced at €17.99), the 'hotel live' podcast launched in 2023, and the industry initiative MISSION KRAFTVOLLES GASTGEWERBE. Certifications and frameworks include RQP (Registered Quality Partner) and DNK (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex) sustainability participation, alongside recognized third-party validation via the TOP CONSULTANT 2017 and 2018 awards. The named client base consists predominantly of family-owned hospitality SMEs such as Anker's Hörn, Mein Inselhotel Amrum, Waldesruh am See, Pharisäerhof, Das Kubatzki, Seemannsbraut Amrum, VillaWellenrausch, Haus am Landsende, and SAND, with no large enterprise or chain-hotel logos disclosed.

The business model is a hybrid professional services revenue structure. Core revenue derives from project-based consulting fees and on-site coaching engagements, supplemented by BAFA-subsidized advisory work (a German federal SME consulting program), digital product sales (Umsatzbooster), book royalties, and brokerage commissions from kaufeinhotel.de transactions. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and regionally concentrated, leveraging the BAFA channel, content marketing, and partnerships such as the #freihochdrei campaign for Amrum Touristik and the firm's PR partnership with primo PR. The firm operates with 11–50 employees and three managing directors (Ute Rieger, Robert Cordes, Christiane Siegnoht), with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional shareholders — consistent with a privately held, founder-led boutique.

Name

Cordes Rieger Consulting

Legal name

Cordes Rieger Consulting GmbH

Website

https://cordes-rieger.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cordes Rieger Consulting GmbH is a Kiel-based German boutique consulting firm founded in 2013 that provides operational, commercial, and sustainability advisory services — plus coaching, digital revenue tools, and property brokerage — to family-owned hotels, restaurants, and tourism SMEs primarily in northern Germany and the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Hospitality consulting
• Hotel advisory services
• Tourism consulting
• Gastronomy consulting
• Hotel management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting engagements for hospitality, gastronomy, and tourism businesses including analysis, concept development, feasibility studies, marketing support, pre-opening management, and business succession planning.
2. Book Sales: Sale of the book 'Der Traum vom eigenen Hotel' at €17.99 per copy, targeting entrepreneurs, career changers, and dreamers interested in starting their own hotel.
3. Coaching Services: On-site coaching services delivered through partnership with hotel professionals Kathrin and Erik Gehl for hands-on operational support in hotels and restaurants.
4. Digital Products: Digital resources including the 'Umsatzbooster – Digitale Power für die Hotellerie' whitepaper and online content for hospitality digitalization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cordes Rieger Consulting provides business consulting services for the hospitality, gastronomy, and tourism industries, covering property search, concept development, feasibility studies, implementation support, marketing and sales optimization, pre-opening management, business succession planning, and operational restructuring. The firm also offers specialized coaching, digital revenue optimization, sustainability consulting, and hotel property brokerage, supported by content products including a published book and an industry podcast.

Product overview

Cordes Rieger Consulting is a consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of advisory services for the hospitality, gastronomy, and tourism industries. The core offering consists of consulting for hotels, gastronomy, and leisure companies, as well as tourist destinations and municipalities. Service modules include on-site coaching, digital revenue optimization (Umsatzbooster), marketing & sales support, crisis management, sustainability consulting (food waste reduction, social sustainability), and hotel/gastronomy property brokerage. The company also produces educational content products including the 'hotel live' video podcast series and the book 'Der Traum vom eigenen Hotel' for aspiring hotel entrepreneurs. The company was formed in 2013 through the merger of Robert Cordes and Ute Rieger's separate consulting practices, and has been recognized with TOP CONSULTANT awards in 2017 and 2018.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• hotel live Podcast: A video podcast for people in the hospitality industry, featuring interviews with industry professionals, discussions on current topics, and expert advice on hotel management, gastronomy, and tourism.
• MISSION KRAFTVOLLES GASTGEWERBE
• Der Traum vom eigenen Hotel

Products and services

• Hotels, Gastronomie & Freizeitbetriebe Consulting Comprehensive consulting services for hotels, restaurants, resorts, wellness/spa facilities, and leisure companies covering property search, concept planning, feasibility studies, implementation, and continuous operational improvement.
• Touristische Destinationen & Kommunen Beratung Consulting services for tourist destinations, tourism organizations, and municipalities focusing on destination development, tourism strategy, and sustainable tourism marketing.
• Vor-Ort-Coaching (On-Site Coaching) Hands-on on-site coaching service delivered in partnership with professional hoteliers Kathrin and Erik Gehl, providing practical operational support in kitchens, service, reception, and housekeeping for hotels and restaurants.
• Umsatzbooster – Digitale Power für die Hotellerie Digitalization consulting service for hotels focused on increasing revenue through optimized booking systems, direct booking strategies, and digital processes, accompanied by a whitepaper on digital revenue optimization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best overall result among 96 TOP CONSULTANT advisors in 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BAFA - Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und AusfuhrkontrollecoreOthers · 1 January 2015BAFA subsidies available for company consulting: 100% coverage up to €4,000 for Corona-related consulting support for affected companies. Also supports unternehmensWert:Mensch program for employee-oriented HR strategies.
• Ute Rieger as unternehmensWert:Mensch Process ConsultantcoreOthersUte Rieger authorized as process consultant for the federal unternehmensWert:Mensch program supporting SMEs in developing future-oriented, employee-oriented HR strategies in four action fields: leadership, equal opportunities, health, and knowledge.
• Kathrin and Erik Gehl - Coaching PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOn-site coaching partners bringing hands-on hotel operations experience. Erik Gehl is a top chef in Schleswig-Holstein and member of FEINHEIMISCH. Together they operate Hotel-Restaurant Waldesruh am See in Aumühle, providing practical coaching in kitchens, service, reception, and housekeeping.
• Amrum TouristikminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketing partnership developing the 'Amrum Frei3' brand concept for the island, incorporating megatrends of individuality, nature & sustainability, and health & safety. Includes online magazine and social media campaign #freihochdrei.
• primo PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrankfurt-based PR agency supporting marketing campaigns including the Amrum tourism campaign and book promotion for 'Der Traum vom eigenen Hotel'.
• Account ButlersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media agency from Neumünster supporting the #freihochdrei campaign for Amrum island tourism marketing.
• RQP - Die Berater ExpertenminorOthersNetwork of qualified consultants matching SMEs in northern Germany with appropriate advisors. Jan Theden serves as proxy and intermediary for consulting matches.
• zukunftsInstitutminorOthersUte Rieger and Robert Cordes are members of the zukunftsInstitut (Future Institute), providing access to trend research and future studies.
• Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex (DNK)minorOthersSustainability reporting framework. Cordes und Rieger have been DNK participants since 2016, submitting annual sustainability declarations.
• TOTO - Tourism TomorrowminorOthersTourism tomorrow initiative for sustainable tourism development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Blackfort Capital: Blackfort Capital provides hotel investment, transaction, and consulting services in the German-speaking market. It overlaps with Cordes Rieger in hotel real estate advisory and SME hospitality consulting.
• Kohl & Partner: Kohl & Partner is a well-known German/Austrian hotel and tourism consultancy offering strategy, operations, and real estate advisory to hospitality businesses — directly overlapping with Cordes Rieger's service portfolio and target clients.
• MRP Hotels: MRP Hotels is a European hotel advisory and asset management firm offering consulting services to hotel owners and investors, comparable to Cordes Rieger in hotel strategy, operations, and transaction advisory.
• Treugast Solutions Group: Treugast is Germany's most established hospitality, gastronomy, and tourism consulting firm with international reach. It is the most direct competitor to Cordes Rieger, serving the same SME and mid-market hotel/restaurant client base across DACH.
• GERTLER.consult: GERTLER.consult is a German hotel and gastronomy consultancy focused on hotel real estate, transactions, and operational consulting, making it a direct competitor in the same niche as Cordes Rieger with overlap in succession and property brokerage.

Others

• ahgz (Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung): ahgz is the leading German trade publication for the hotel and gastronomy industry. While a media outlet rather than a consultancy, it covers the same customer base and competitive intelligence on hospitality consulting trends relevant to Cordes Rieger.
• STR (CoStar Group): STR provides global hotel benchmarking, data analytics, and consulting. While much larger and more data-focused than Cordes Rieger, STR competes for the same hotel clients' analytical and advisory budgets and shapes buyer expectations in hospitality consulting.
• Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA): IHA is the leading German hotel industry association representing hotel operators. While not a consulting competitor, IHA is an ecosystem partner and serves a comparable member base to Cordes Rieger's client pool.
• DEHOGA (Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband): DEHOGA is the umbrella association for the German hotel and gastronomy industry. It is not a direct competitor but shares Cordes Rieger's SME hospitality and gastronomy customer base and is a key industry ecosystem player.

Regional players

• Tophotel Consultants: Tophotel is a German hospitality media and consulting brand providing market intelligence, benchmarking, and advisory services to hotels in DACH — overlapping with Cordes Rieger's information services and SME hospitality focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cr.consulting.kiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cordes-und-rieger
• Instagraminstagram.com/cordesundrieger

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cordes Rieger Consulting