How Barbara Muckermann Went from Cruises to the Helm of Kempinski

When Barbara Muckermann was named CEO of Kempinski Hotels last year, she made history as the sixth CEO in the brand’s 128-year history and the first woman to take the helm. A true global leader, Barbara brings more than two decades of luxury travel expertise, from shaping the cruise industry at Silversea to steering the world’s oldest luxury hotel group into its next chapter.

We sat down with Barbara during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In Part I of our conversation, she shares her career journey, from her early start in PR, through transformative roles in cruising and luxury fashion, to navigating one of the cruise industry’s biggest crises, before arriving at Kempinski.

How did you first get into hospitality?

It all really started with an incredible desire to travel. My father was a journalist and traveled a lot, and while my parents always did their best to let me see the world, if I wanted more of it, I had to work. Hospitality became the way.

I began in PR, bringing groups of exhibitors abroad who didn’t speak the language and organizing conferences and trade shows for them. That’s how I first got into the industry.

Your first big break was at Silversea. How did that happen?

I was fortunate to be hired at Silversea by Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, who had just bought the company from his brother. He had a very bold vision for the brand.

Those years gave me such a strong foundation in luxury travel. We launched an award-winning campaign with Isabella Rossellini and repositioned Silversea around the idea of “Intimate Italian Cruising,” with partnerships including Acqua di Parma, Relais & Châteaux, Loro Piana, and Viking Range. It was my first real taste of building a luxury brand ecosystem.

Then you had a stint in fashion working at Loro Piana. What was that like?

That was one of those pivotal moments in your career that you can’t miss. Working with Sergio Loro Piana was an incredible privilege—he was a creator, one of those rare geniuses who see things that the rest of us don’t.

But eventually I realized something important: selling a cashmere sweater is comparatively easy. Someone walks into the shop, puts it on, and immediately feels better. Selling an $80,000 cruise is completely different. You don’t see the product when you buy it, and the clients are very sophisticated. It often takes two years of careful courtship to convince them. That challenge drew me back to travel.

Where did you go next?

I joined Norwegian Cruise Line, where we developed a really interesting project—what became “The Haven.” It was the first proper ship-within-a-ship concept, an exclusive suites complex on top of the ship. It worked so well for multi-generational families, giving them the chance to travel together but at different levels of luxury.

And after Norwegian, you went to MSC. What did you take away from that experience?

MSC was extraordinary because of the scale. It’s the fourth-largest cruise line in the world but also the largest shipping company. At the time there were more than 500 ships, they were the third-largest port operator in the world, and I had 48 countries reporting into me. It was pure scale—very complex, very demanding, but hugely interesting.

You were also at MSC during the Costa Concordia tragedy. What role did you play?

On January 12, 2012, the Costa Concordia sank. The cruise industry decided I would chair the Reputation Committee, which basically meant they gave me the incident and said, “Now try to sort it out.” It was the most ungrateful job of my career.

I worked with Christine Duffy—who at the time was President of CLIA and is now CEO of Carnival Cruise Line—and together we faced what was definitely the most difficult press conference of my life.

That experience taught me three things. First, we are privileged to sell vacations, but when people die, it gets real. Second, preparation is everything. The cruise industry was absolutely not ready for an incident of that magnitude—it was the largest sinking after Titanic, a hundred years later. And third, perspective. Cruising is really safe. In 100 years, only 36 people had died at sea. Of course, it’s unforgivable to lose even one life. But statistically, it’s more dangerous to cross a street in Las Vegas than to take a cruise.

After that, you returned to Silversea. How was that different the second time?

It was very interesting to go back 10 years later, because the world had changed and the consumers had changed. In 2005, our clients were mostly from the Silent Generation. By 2016, it was baby boomers coming into the market, and they wanted a different product. We had to evolve with them.

Manfredi still had a bold vision, and in 2018 we sold the company to Royal Caribbean for what was a record price. I was asked to stay on, and eventually became President and CEO of Silversea.

And then came the call from Kempinski. How did that feel?

It was a very personal moment. My grandfather had been the German Consul in Italy, so I grew up Italian but in a German household. I always felt the mystique of Kempinski—it’s a brand with real gravitas.

When I told my aunt I was going to be Group CEO, she cried. That’s how much this brand means to people. For me, to become custodian of a brand with this history and legacy is a privilege, especially coming from a background in branding and marketing.

Check out Part II: Barbara reflects on her first year leading Kempinski, shares her strategy for elevating the brand, and talks about women rising in hospitality.