For the fifth year running, former employees – Comwell Alumni – gathered for a reunion evening filled with strong bonds, shared pride and cherished memories from a long working life.
It all began with a simple idea: not to lose touch with the people from Comwell Hotels who, over the course of a long working life, had become friends or were almost like an extended family.
That is why the Comwell Alumni community was formed five years ago. It is open exclusively to former Comwell staff with at least 10 years’ service at the family-owned Danish hotel chain, who have either retired or left the hotel industry altogether, but who still wish to maintain the strong bonds they forged with one another whilst working at Comwell.
So when the doors opened this year for the fifth annual Comwell Alumni event, it was a source of great joy for Anne-Marie Østergaard, who originally came up with the idea for the networking meetings and has since pushed to make the initiative a reality.
Throughout her career, Anne-Marie Østergaard has held various roles at Comwell – including HR Director, Hotel Director, Sales Director and Deputy Group CEO. She has therefore been involved in many different aspects of Comwell and, over the years, has built up a large network of colleagues across both hotels and head office.
"When I retired, I realised that everything unique we’d built up together was simply too valuable to just let it fade away. I missed keeping in touch with everyone and catching up on old stories and experiences. The relationships at Comwell are truly special, so I came up with the idea for Comwell Alumni and got in touch with Peter (Schelde, ed.) to make it a reality,” says Anne-Marie Østergaard.
This year’s get-together began with a guided tour led by hotel manager Frederik Jelstrup through the historic surroundings of Comwell Bygholm Park in Horsens.
The event then featured presentations by the Comwell Group’s CEO, Peter Schelde, and Sustainability Partner Annette Viborg, before the group gathered for an atmospheric dinner.
The atmosphere right from the welcome, during the tour of the hotel and around the tables at dinner was unmistakable, as stories from the past and updates on the present were shared with former colleagues.
For although many of the participants left Comwell several years ago, there is still a great deal of interest in the company. Some have been with the company since the 1980s, whilst others joined later. And it is precisely this mix of generations and former roles that makes the evening so special.
“It brings us all immense joy and value to meet across generations and former roles. We’re a mix of people from the hotels and head office, and it’s fun to see where everyone has ended up. Even though we’ve left the industry, that shared sense of pride and the great camaraderie and friendship don’t disappear – we simply pick up where we left off, as if we’d seen each other yesterday, and then all the good old stories are retold and brought back to life,” says Anne-Marie Østergaard.
And perhaps that is precisely what explains why more and more people are taking part year after year. For one thing, there is the pleasure of seeing people again with whom you have shared a large part of your working life.
Another is the joy of experiencing the Comwell concept once more and keeping up with how the company is developing.
This year’s event once again highlighted the great value that Comwell Alumni brings to former employees. The network is not just a pleasant reunion, but living proof that Comwell’s strong culture and sense of community extend far beyond working life itself.
It gives participants the opportunity to hold on to their shared history, whilst strengthening the bonds and friendships forged at the hotels.
For Anne-Marie Østergaard, it is also a way of keeping something important alive.
“I think we’ll keep telling the stories about Comwell and what we’ve experienced together because it matters. If it hadn’t been such a great company to be part of, I’d never have suggested setting up Comwell Alumni. Comwell is a brilliant company, and I’m still in close contact with many former colleagues. We talk a lot about Comwell – and I think that’s the case for many of us.”
After an evening filled with laughter, fond memories and the joy of reunions in Horsens, the enthusiasm for the event’s success was palpable:
“It’s lovely to be together. One thing, of course, is the people and the lifelong friendships we’ve made. Another is coming back to see the Comwell concept and keep up with what’s happening at the hotels and within the group. I really enjoy coming here, and I’m already looking forward to next year,” smiles Anne-Marie Østergaard, adding in conclusion;
“Once a Comwell – always a Comwell.”
About Comwell Hotels
Comwell is a Danish family-owned, nationwide hotel chain with hotels throughout Denmark, as well as ODEON in Odense and Centralværkstedet in Aarhus. For over 55 years, Comwell has been operating meeting and conference hotels and has won numerous awards over the years for its meeting, service and dining concepts.
Comwell was the first to introduce Danes to the modern meeting package back in 1969. Today, this remains Comwell’s core business. Comwell also caters for training and course programmes, workshops, job interviews, board meetings, exhibitions and events, and has over 2,500 rooms and 320 meeting and conference rooms at its disposal.
Eight event coordinator and receptionist trainees from Comwell have been on a joint trainee trip to gain fresh inspiration for their day-to-day work and build strong relationships across the hotels.
A year ago, Comwell launched a new professional training programme: the Comwell Talent Academy. This in-house training programme is aimed at generalists across the hotel chain and is run in collaboration with an external trainer from IBC. The first cohort of participants has now received their certificates confirming that they have successfully completed the programme.
The Comwell Group has just held its annual Team Player of the Year Day, where selected staff and trainees from all Comwell hotels and the head office gathered in Horsens. The aim of the day is to strengthen social cohesion, celebrate the strong team spirit and recognise those employees who go the extra mile for their colleagues, guests and the internal working culture.
