[To the press release] [To the MOA Berlin factsheet]
MOA Unlocked: Berlin's second largest conference hotel becomes an independent brand and positions itself as an „urban hub“
Berlin, 14 January 2026 - MOA Berlin is opening a new chapter. After ten years in the franchise network, the hotel on Stephanstraße is leaving the Accor network and operating as an independent brand with immediate effect. With the strategic repositioning from a classic hotel to a hybrid „urban hub“ and the handover of operational responsibility to the dual leadership of Conny Doss and Philip Ibrahim, the owner company is sending a clear signal of agility, local identity and entrepreneurial courage.
From franchise to „Berlin Brand“ The move to independence takes place at the end of the contractual term and is a conscious decision by the owners to utilise the location's full potential. „A franchise model has many advantages, but also comes with restrictions, like a tight corset. We want to offer our customers a contemporary offering and create personalised experiences,“ explains Alexander Wendeln, founder and partner of MOA Berlin.
„We will be more flexible and agile, especially in the technological area. The greatest entrepreneurial opportunity for us lies in focussing 100 percent on our own MOA brand with immediate effect,“ add the two MOA Berlin co-partners and Managing Directors Laurence Mehl and Johannes Rohde.
New mission statement: Congress, Kiez & Culture The MOA Berlin is moving away from the classic „hotel“ category. Under the new mission statement „Congress, Kiez & Culture“, the hotel combines international business excellence with an authentic Berlin lifestyle and a value-based corporate culture.
For Mehl, this connection is not a contradiction, but the key to success: „I firmly believe that soft factors such as the neighbourhood connection and our corporate culture are ultimately just as important as operational excellence for our economic success in the congress business,“ says Mehl. „At the end of the day, we are all relational beings. Our customers and employees feel this MOA corporate culture with every contact, and that sets us apart from standardised offers.“
Change of leadership: trust in proven expertise In parallel with the new brand identity, the owners are carrying out a generational change in the operational business. The long-standing managing directors will retire from their role as shareholders in 2026 and hand over the helm to the established management duo: Conny Doss (Commercial & Strategy) and Philip Ibrahim (Vision & Host).
„We are not handing over the reins to unknowns, but to two of the strongest hotel managers on the Berlin market, who have already played a key role in shaping our hotel,“ emphasises Johannes Rohde. „Conny Doss and Philip Ibrahim know the MOA's DNA inside out. We trust them completely and are now giving them the entrepreneurial freedom they need to act even faster and more courageously as an independent brand.“
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About MOA Berlin
The MOA Berlin is more than just a hotel - it is an urban all-in-one space for international business guests, Berlin locals and creative communities. Under the motto „Congress, Kiez & Culture“, the Urban Hub combines four experience areas under one roof:
MOA STAY: 336 rooms and suites as an individual retreat in the centre of the neighbourhood.
MOA MEET: Berlin's second largest conference centre with 7,500 m² of event space, 40 modular conference rooms and in-house production for up to 4,000 people.
MOA EAT: Gastronomy as an open „neighbourhood living room“ for hotel guests and the neighbourhood.
MOA WORK: 1,400 m² of co-working and new work spaces for mobile working and local start-ups.
As an independent organisation, MOA Berlin stands for short decision-making processes and active responsibility: it is GSTC-certified and an active member of the Diversity Charter.
MOA Berlin Stephanstraße 41, 10559 Berlin
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.moa.de
Press box: MOA press kit
