The Schick family

Hosts for five generations

For more than four centuries, the Hotel Stefanie has been synonymous with Viennese hospitality. It has been welcoming guests from all over the world since 1600, forming the foundation of Schick Hotels, which is now run by the fifth generation of the Schick family.

Vater Dr. Martin Schick und Sohn Dr. Alexander Schick

“While the knowledge of perfect hospitality has been passed down from generation to generation, the takeover by the younger generation has always ensured that Schick Hotels keep up with the times.”
– Dr. Martin Schick

Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Schick, the hotel group has undergone a phase of further development in recent decades. He shaped the direction of the company by combining a sense of tradition with modern management. Numerous innovations in service and facilities, the expansion to include additional hotels, and the publication of a book on the history of the Hotel Stefanie all took place during his era. With his dedication, he successfully guided the family business through the challenges of a rapidly changing tourism industry.

Generational change

In 2025, a generational change will take place: Dr. Alexander Schick will take over the management from his father. Familiar with the hotel industry from an early age, he studied business administration and commercial law and earned his doctorate at the Vienna University of Technology with a thesis on the sustainable use of resources in hotel real estate. Professional positions in international tourism and strategy consulting broadened his horizons beyond Vienna. Today, he combines scientific expertise with practical experience—while also carrying his family's legacy into the future.

“It is a special privilege to be a fifth-generation host. For me, this means not only preserving tradition, but also actively developing it further. We want to position Schick Hotels so that they continue to be places where Viennese history and modern joie de vivre come together.”
– Dr. Alexander Schick

Today, Schick Hotels comprises five hotels, two restaurants, and around 170 employees. Together, they represent a corporate culture in which Viennese history, family spirit, and contemporary hospitality merge to create a unique experience. The Schick family follows an understanding of entrepreneurship that thinks in terms of generations, not quick profits—with the aim of preserving values, taking responsibility, and shaping the future in a sustainable way.

Family Chronicle of the Schick Hotelier Family in Vienna

This chronicle tells the story of the Schick hotelier family, whose roots reach back to the 18th century and who have helped shape the hotel tradition for generations.

View of the Taborstrasse in Vienna around 1725

 

1888: On June 26, Carl Witzmann, great-great-grandfather of the current owning family, together with two partners, takes over the inn “Zu der Weissen Rosen.” Later that same year, the establishment is given its present name, Hotel Stefanie—as a tribute to the wedding of Crown Prince Rudolf and Stephanie of Belgium.

1892: Carl Witzmann (1857–1911) becomes the sole owner of the hotel.

1911: After his death, his wife Mathilde Witzmann (1867–1948) assumes management of the hotel.

1926: Their daughter Stefanie (1896–1979), née Witzmann, married Schick, continues to run the business.

1947: Dr. Stefan Schick (1912–2001), the only child of Stefanie Schick, becomes co-owner. He initially manages the hotel together with his mother; following her death in 1979, he runs it on his own.

1979: The Schick Hotels expand their portfolio with the acquisition of Hotel Am Parkring in Vienna’s 1st district.

1980: With the purchase of Hotel Capricorno, also in the 1st district, the group continues to grow.

1990: Hotel City Central, neighboring Hotel Stefanie, is integrated into the Schick Hotels group.

1992: Dr. Martin Schick, son of Dr. Stefan and Ingrid Schick, takes over the management of Schick Hotels Vienna, leading the company into its fourth generation.

1994: The hotelier family Nedomansky sells the Hotel Erzherzog Rainer, built in 1913, to the long-standing family friends, the Schick family.

2025: In September, Dr. Martin Schick hands over the operational and strategic management of the Schick Hotels Group to his son Dr. Alexander Schick, officially ushering in the fifth generation.
His goal: to preserve the historic values of the Schick Hotels while modernizing them—through investments in digitalization, structural modernization, and new concepts.