Father and sons: three pulling together

Economic forum: Mr. Milosavljevic, before we delve deeper into the subject, please tell us something about the history of ALGA Handels GmbH.

Luka Milosavljevic: Gladly. The company has existed for three decades. My father set it up without much outside help. My brother and I are currently taking over the company and we are trying to make the transition as easy as possible.

Wirtschaftsforum: What is the structure of your company today? ALGA Handels GmbH is the operating company, isn’t it?

Luka Milosavljevic: Right. We have several subsidiaries and ALGA Handels GmbH is the main company. We are active in several industries. My father started out with buying and selling real estate, renting it out and developing it, for example converting attics. He did that for over two decades. In the past ten years we have also been very involved in the tourism industry. We now have three locations in Vienna. Our best-known property is the Apollo Hotel Vienna in the 7th district. And we also have several projects in the pipeline for the future that we want to implement in the coming years.

Wirtschaftsforum: How many employees do you employ?

Luka Milosavljevic: This varies, but on average there are 25 employees. We attach great importance to keeping good people, because it is difficult to find loyal employees.

Wirtschaftsforum: How have you gotten through the Corona period so far?

Luka Milosavljevic: While we were able to cushion other crises with creative solutions, this time was different. We could not accept any guests and therefore unfortunately had to close our houses. Fortunately, we have a stable company that was not affected by this crisis. Now bookings are finally coming back and hopefully we will return to normal.

Wirtschaftsforum: Together with your father and your brother you form a family business. How did you grow into it?

Luka Milosavljevic: Ever since I was little, my father took me everywhere with him. For example, he often picked me up from school and then drove straight to a construction site with me. That’s how I’ve seen the whole business from the side ever since I was a child. Since the age of 18 I have been working properly in the company and now I try every day to lead the company together with my brother into the second generation.

Wirtschaftsforum: Keyword generational change: How does that take place and how do you currently share the tasks in the company?

Luka Milosavljevic: In practice, such a generation change is much more difficult than in theory. It is very important that everyone pulls together. My father still pulls all the strings in the company and makes the decisions. Nevertheless, we try to share tasks as much as possible.

Wirtschaftsforum: What makes your hotel so special? How is it different from other houses?

Luka Milosavljevic:We are a boutique hotel and try to respond to each guest individually. We want to get to know our guests, we are interested in them and want to maintain more than just a business relationship. This sets us apart from large hotel chains.

Wirtschaftsforum: Where is your focus? Are they more private guests or business travelers?

Luka Milosavljevic:We’re not set there. Families as well as business people stay with us. With a share of 40%, visitors from Germany make up our largest target group.

Wirtschaftsforum:What are the most important tasks for the future?

Luka Milosavljevic: We would like to expand our business, will increase the number of rooms to around 50 and will soon be opening the first hotel in the 18th district. And I had already mentioned the smooth generation change.