DEHOGA Niedersachsen

What DEHOGA Niedersachsen does

DEHOGA Niedersachsen, formally Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband Niedersachsen e.V., is the state-level employers' trade association for the hotel and restaurant industry in Lower Saxony, Germany. Headquartered at Yorckstrasse 3 in Hannover, it represents approximately 5,000 member businesses — including hotels, restaurants, gastropubs, and catering establishments — organized through a multi-tier structure of 8 Bezirksverbände (district associations) and roughly 60-80 Kreis- und Ortsverbände (county and local associations). Of these members, over 1,300 are recognized training establishments (Ausbildungsbetriebe). The association operates as the collective bargaining counterpart to Gewerkschaft NGG for hospitality wage tariffs and serves as the recognized industry voice in state-level policy advocacy, with a small Landesgeschäftsstelle (state office) of approximately 5 professional staff.

The core product is the DEHOGA-Mitgliedschaft, a recurring membership subscription that bundles political representation, free business consulting with benchmark analysis, included Rechtsschutzversicherung (legal protection insurance), Hogarenteplus occupational pension in partnership with SIGNAL IDUNA, training seminars, savings programs (DEHOGA Sparbuch), and partner discounts. The portfolio extends to Hotelklassifizierung (hotel star ratings), the ServiceQualität Deutschland certification (jointly with TMN, IHK, and the state Ministry of Economic Affairs), the TOP-Ausbildungsbetrieb quality seal, state-level Jugendmeisterschaften (youth skills competitions), and the GastroStarter.de recruitment platform. Distribution is hybrid: direct sales via the Hannover office and local chapters, the authenticated "mein DEHOGA" member portal, conferences, seminars, and email/newsletter communications.

Revenue derives from tiered annual membership dues per the Beitragsordnung (scaled by business type and size), supplemented by a pre-opening Wartemitgliedschaft at €8.60/month and seminar/certification income. The association operates as a non-profit with no equity, no external investors, and no disclosed financials. Recent strategic activity includes successful federal advocacy for the 7% Speisen-Mehrwertsteuer (restaurant VAT), ongoing collective bargaining with NGG, a dual-study-program partnership with IU Internationale Hochschule, and the "Zentren-SOS" inner-city initiative with IHK Niedersachsen. Leadership transitioned at both presidential (Dirk Breuckmann, November 2024) and CEO (Mark Alexander Krack, January 2025) levels.

Name

DEHOGA Niedersachsen

Legal name

Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband Niedersachsen

Website

https://dehoga-niedersachsen.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DEHOGA Niedersachsen is the state-level employers' trade association representing approximately 5,000 hotels, restaurants, and hospitality businesses in Lower Saxony, Germany, delivering advocacy, consulting, training, legal protection, and certification services via a tiered membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

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. Membership dues: DEHOGA Niedersachsen generates revenue through annual membership dues from approximately 5,000 member businesses in the hospitality sector. Dues are structured according to the Beitragsordnung (contribution schedule). Wartemitgliedschaft (pre-opening membership) available at €8.60/month for entrepreneurs still to launch their business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DEHOGA Niedersachsen is the Lower Saxony chapter of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband) and acts as the regional employers' association and trade body for the hospitality industry. It provides member services including political advocacy, legal protection, business startup and operations consulting, training seminars, hotel star classification, quality certification, an occupational pension scheme (Hogarenteplus), and a recruitment platform (GastroStarter.de) to around 5,000 member establishments.

Product overview

DEHOGA Niedersachsen is a trade association for the hotel and hospitality industry in Lower Saxony, operating as a unified membership organization rather than a technology platform. The core offering is its membership program, which provides representation, training, consulting, and various benefit services to approximately 5,000 member establishments. The portfolio includes professional development through DEHOGA Seminare, quality certifications via Hotelklassifizierung (star ratings) and ServiceQualität Deutschland, business consulting services, legal protection insurance, and youth development programs including the state-level Jugendmeisterschaften competition. The association also operates the GastroStarter.de recruitment platform and offers the Hogarenteplus pension scheme in partnership with SIGNAL IDUNA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DEHOGA Niedersachsen Membership Annual membership of the Lower Saxony hotel and restaurant employers' association, providing access to political representation, collective-bargaining support, legal protection insurance, member portal access, group benefits, and the right to use DEHOGA services and member events. Priced via the Beitragsordnung (membership fee schedule) with tiered rates, Wartemitgliedschaft (probationary) tier, and discounted youth/trainee memberships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 million employees nationwide represented by DEHOGA (federal)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IU Internationale HochschulecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2021Cooperation agreement for dual study programs in Tourism Management and Culinary Management. Students alternate between theory at IU campuses (Hannover, Braunschweig) or virtual campus and practice phases in DEHOGA member establishments. Study duration is 3.5 years with tuition paid by the practice partner (employer). Partnership includes discounted tuition, joint job postings, events, and expert lectures from industry professionals.
• ServiceQualität Deutschland (SQD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2004Since July 2004, ServiceQualität Deutschland has been supported in Lower Saxony by TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbH (TMN), the Lower Saxony Chambers of Industry and Commerce, DEHOGA Niedersachsen, and the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor, Transport and Digitalization. The initiative helps businesses improve service quality through Q-tools and certifications, achieving over 70% recertification rate in Lower Saxony.
• Grimm Consulting (Björn Grimm)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness consulting partnership offering DEHOGA members 70-minute video consultation plus the book 'Der KüchenCoach'. On-site consultation available at €350 co-pay plus travel costs. Consultant specializes in gastronomy operations covering concept, menu, cost of goods, staffing, and processes.
• IHK Niedersachsen (IHKN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partnership with IHK Niedersachsen on inner-city development and location policy. Collaborated on 'Zentren-SOS' initiative (Safety, Order, Cleanliness as location factors) with joint position paper presented to politics and municipalities.
• TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbH (TMN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState tourism marketing organization partnering with DEHOGA on quality initiatives and tourism strategy. Jointly supports ServiceQualität Deutschland initiative and advocates for tourism as a leading economic sector (Leitökonomie) per state coalition agreement.
• Gewerkschaft NGG (Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten)coreOthersNegotiates collective wage agreements (Entgelttarifvertrag) for hospitality employees in Lower Saxony. DEHOGA and NGG conduct regular negotiations; reached agreement in March 2026 on new wage tariff contract.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA): German hotel industry association representing chain and independent hotel operators; comparable as a sector-specific employers' body with similar advocacy, classification, and training services, though narrower in vertical focus (lodging only).
• DEHOGA Bundesverband: Federal umbrella organization of the German hotel and restaurant industry; directly comparable as the parent body of DEHOGA Niedersachsen, providing national advocacy, training frameworks, and shared branding across all state-level chapters.
• DEHOGA Nordrhein-Westfalen: DEHOGA state chapter for North Rhine-Westphalia; directly comparable in structure (district/local chapters), service portfolio, and dues model, differing only in regional focus and scale.
• DEHOGA Bayern: Largest DEHOGA state chapter, representing Bavarian hotel and restaurant operators with comparable membership dues structure, district/local chapter network, and bundled insurance/consulting benefits — the most direct functional peer at a different scale and geography.
• IHK Niedersachsen (IHKN): Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Lower Saxony; comparable as a parallel regional employers/business association in the same geography, offering overlapping advocacy, training, and consulting services to a broader membership base.
• Handelsverband Niedersachsen-Bremen (HVNB): Regional employers' association for the retail sector in Lower Saxony and Bremen; comparable as a sector-specific employers' body operating in the same geography with similar advocacy, consulting, and training mandates.

Others

• Gewerkschaft NGG: Trade union for food, beverages, and hospitality workers in Germany; relevant as DEHOGA's social partner / collective bargaining counterpart (negotiating Entgelttarifvertrag) and structurally analogous as a sector-specific organized body with formal recognition in labor policy.
• TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbH (TMN): State tourism marketing organization partnering with DEHOGA Niedersachsen on quality initiatives and tourism policy; adjacent ecosystem participant with overlapping stakeholder base but distinct non-dues revenue model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DEHOGANiedersachsen
• Facebookfacebook.com/DEHOGA.Niedersachsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dehoga-niedersachsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 DEHOGA Niedersachsen