How can I get the right information to the business at the right time? This question prompted the regional associations of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) to develop their own digital platform, including an AI chatbot, a verified knowledge base and an app that provides hospitality businesses with answers round the clock. In this interview, we speak to Dr Thomas Geppert, Regional Director of DEHOGA Bavaria and Managing Director of oneDEHOGA GmbH, about the joint project.
Dr Geppert, DEHOGA represents everything from small cafés to luxury hotels. What is currently the biggest challenge facing the sector?
Our sector consists largely of small, family-run businesses that do not have their own legal department, let alone a compliance team. At the same time, the regulatory burden is growing: new regulations, new documentation requirements.
What is the oneDEHOGA app all about?
The core idea is to have all the information, solutions and services from a single source and all in one place. At its heart is an AI chatbot that accesses a closed, verified knowledge base developed specifically for this purpose. It contains the full range of DEHOGA’s expertise: legal information, model contracts, regulations, recommendations for action, contact details, forms and templates. Everything is verified, checked and continuously updated.
Why have our own AI chatbot rather than simply using ChatGPT?
In case of doubt, incorrect advice can cost a lot of money. When a business asks a question about fire safety, model contracts or accessible websites, it needs verified facts. That is exactly what our AI chatbot provides at any time, via text or voice input, drawing on a closed, verified knowledge base. Fundamentally, I am firmly convinced that you need your own AI applications, because ChatGPT is simply not tailored to your specific information needs and its error rate is constantly increasing.
Have there been any use cases that have surprised you?
Absolutely. The AI chatbot is actually helping us improve. People ask questions there that we hadn’t even considered, and that helps us to further develop our content. A good example: someone asked about the weather in Munich. We hadn’t integrated weather data into the app, but for a beer garden owner, that’s obviously highly relevant. So the association is learning along with us.
Do you have another specific example of how the app helps businesses in their day-to-day operations?
Let’s take bedbugs as an example. If bedbugs are found in a hotel, we use the app to connect the business with a partner who inspects the rooms with a sniffer dog. This means that perhaps half the rooms that would otherwise have been closed can be reopened. That saves a lot of money. This benefit is currently only available via the app.
How has the app been received so far?
We currently have around 5,000 users. To be honest, there’s still room for growth. In Bavaria alone, we have over 11,000 members. Our goal: to get half of all members on board by the end of 2026. The big challenge is getting businesses to actually use something new. But once people start using the app, they stick with it. The feedback has been consistently positive: for example, one member needed an up-to-date model employment contract. They were able to sort that out in seconds via the app.
DEHOGA has a federal structure with independent regional associations. How did that play out in the project?
The federal structure was the biggest challenge: a joint project in which each regional association retains its individuality. Together with iteratec, we developed a two-tier content management system. There is a shared knowledge hub for content that affects everyone. At the same time, each regional association retains control over its own content and can publish, adapt or add to articles. Added to this is the principle of regionality: if something happens in Munich, only the Munich members receive the information. Our aim is to deliver information quickly and tailored precisely to each federal state.
A separate company, oneDEHOGA GmbH, was even set up for this purpose. Why take this step?
Precisely because we are a federally structured association with strong, independent regional associations. If you want to implement a digitalisation project of this scale together, you need a shared legal structure. Within oneDEHOGA GmbH, the regional associations – or rather, their service companies – are the shareholders. This creates a sense of commitment and drives the process forward.
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What’s next?
Before the end of this year, we aim to enable all businesses to onboard their staff via the app. Businesses will then be able to set up benefits, for example. This is something we see in international hotel chains, which offer their staff hotel rooms at special rates across all their properties. We have many independent businesses that cannot offer this benefit on their own, but if every hotelier and every restaurateur contributes a little, we’ll have achieved a huge amount overall. So we want to turn many individuals into a strong network. In addition, we’re working on multilingual support, because after all, we’re the most international industry you can imagine.
What role did iteratec play in the project?
iteratec translated our requirements into a working solution. Given the complexity involved, this was anything but straightforward: federated structures, a multi-tiered CMS, and an AI chatbot based on verified data. It was crucial to have a partner who possessed the technical expertise whilst also understanding how an association operates. At the same time, we built up in-house expertise. That was important to us.
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