Our first 30 years

People first

When Petter entered the hotel industry, it wasn't the buildings that first caught his interest. He enjoyed meeting people, spending time out at the hotels and learning how the operations actually worked. By the time the opportunity to buy into Choice Hotels Scandinavia came along, he had already got a taste for the hotel business. 'It began as an investment in my life, and it became my life,' says Petter.

Although hotels have changed a great deal since then, Petter believes the most important thing remains the same. A good hotel product is a prerequisite, but it is people who can turn the experience into something more. He points to two of his own hotel experiences as examples. At one of the world's best hotels, in Paris, nobody helped him when he needed an early check-in. Later, he found himself in Barcelona without a hotel room because of a booking error. There, a member of staff took charge of the problem and found a simple hotel nearby with a room available. At that hotel, he was met with the same willingness to help. The contrast left an impression. 'One gave me a crap experience at the world's best hotel product. The other gave me a world-class experience at a completely average two-star bed and breakfast.'

For Petter, the lesson was simple: 'It's the people who make the difference.'

Being seen

When Petter talks about what he wants people to take away from an encounter with Strawberry, it comes down to exactly this: 'They saw me. I was seen. I was heard.' That also applies when things don't go to plan. A bad experience can't always be turned into a good one, but it can be met by someone who listens, takes charge of the problem and tries to find a solution. That feeling should be the same whichever hotel you visit and whatever you pay for your room.

Never 'just another hotel company'

Growth, development and change have shaped the company over the years. At the same time, Petter is determined that Strawberry must not outgrow what has made it different: the freedom to act, people who dare to challenge and an organisation where much of the power still lies out in the hotels. 'The day we lose that is the day we become "just another hotel company". And I hope we never do.'

More time to be human

Strawberry will keep changing in the years ahead too. Among other things, Petter believes AI and digitalisation can make the hotel experience more personal. But for him, the goal is not more technology for technology's sake. He hopes it can free up time for what he believes hotels have always been about: people meeting people. 'That digitalisation gives us more time to be human.' Because although much has changed since 1996, the idea of a good hotel experience is still fairly simple: being welcomed when you arrive, thanked when you leave and invited back.

'Hello, thank you and welcome back.'