10 questions about the shared future of Dertour and Hotelplan

It was a bombshell for the Swiss travel industry: On December 2, 2025, Dertour Suisse revealed for the first time how the organization would look after the takeover of the Hotelplan Group. The scale of the restructuring is considerable: Around 250 jobs are to be cut by the end of 2027. In addition, the consolidation of 15 branches is planned.

Since then, things have been happening: The legally required consultation process, in which the workforce could provide their feedback, questions and suggestions, ran until December 17th.

Such a process is mandatory when job cuts are announced. It is designed to ensure that employees are heard and that possible alternatives or socially responsible solutions are examined before final decisions are made.

On December 18th, the next important step followed: the employees were informed about the results of this process. This means that the key aspects of the new structure are now known, open questions have been answered, and the framework for the future has been established.

What does the acquisition mean specifically for locations, brands, teams, and jobs? What will the new organization look like, and which decisions have already been finalized? Travelnews puts the developments into perspective and answers the ten most important questions surrounding the deal.

How did the consultation process proceed?

The consultation process focused on examining and discussing the future structure of Dertour Suisse with employees following the acquisition of the Hotelplan Group. The new organization is set to be introduced gradually from January 2026. Employees were informed early on about the planned target structures and organizational charts for all areas.

Employees and the staff committee subsequently had the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions. These were answered on December 18th during the employee information session. In the course of the process, various redundancies were identified, which ultimately led to the announced reduction of approximately 250 positions.

Dertour Suisse plans to implement the job cuts in the most socially responsible way possible. The intention is to utilize retirements and natural attrition to avoid redundancies. Furthermore, the company is exploring whether employees can be offered alternative positions within the Dertour Group, where possible. «We are trying to keep the number of redundancies as low as possible,» CEO Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch told Travelnews.

Which areas are affected?

The job cuts will particularly affect IT. Dertour Suisse will rely entirely on the Dertour Group's group-wide platform going forward. Positions will also be eliminated in purchasing and various back-office functions, as these tasks will be centralized within the group. Marketing, sales, and retail, however, will generally remain in place and are even slated for expansion in certain areas.

Why was the job cut announced right before Christmas?

This question was discussed extensively within the management team: should the information be withheld for weeks or even months, or communicated openly and promptly? Various bodies were deliberately involved in the decision-making process, including Hotelplan's staff committee, the HR department, and the so-called change team, which includes employees from both Dertour and Hotelplan. The conclusion was clear: the employees should no longer be left in the dark.

CEO Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch sums it up: «Sending employees into the holidays in the dark would have been far worse than providing clarity now – just a few days before Christmas.» She also emphasizes that this is merely an announcement at this point: no one has been laid off yet.

How many employees work in the new structure?

Dertour Suisse currently employs 1,850 people across Switzerland. If the announced reduction of up to 250 positions by the end of 2027 is implemented, this would represent a decrease of approximately 13 percent of the workforce. The actual number of redundancies remains uncertain, as retirements, natural attrition, and internal transfers within the group are expected to play a significant role.

How many branches do Dertour and Hotelplan currently have?

In connection with the acquisition of Hotelplan by the Dertour Group, the figure of approximately 150 travel agency branches was always mentioned. Specifically, the network originally comprised 82 Hotelplan Group locations (excluding business travel locations) and nearly 70 Kuoni branches (including business travel locations). In 2025, four Hotelplan branches were closed (Wädenswil, Locarno, Visp, and Winterthur Rosenberg). According to Dertour Suisse, this measure was not directly related to the acquisition. Currently, the new entity operates 137 Hotelplan and Kuoni branches for leisure travelers throughout Switzerland.

Which branches have to close?

Fifteen branches are slated for closure by the end of 2027. So far, only the closure of the Hotelplan branch at Zurich Airport has been officially confirmed. Rumors suggest that the Kuoni and Hotelplan locations in the Glattzentrum shopping center in Wallisellen, Zurich, will also be merged. However, this has not yet been confirmed.

The planned branch closures have different causes: In some cases, leases are expiring, in others the teams have shrunk in recent years, or a location is no longer economically viable.

According to Dertour Suisse, the affected branches have already been determined, and the employees have been informed accordingly. However, the company will only communicate the individual closures publicly once all the details have been clarified. Schulze zur Wiesch explains that in many situations, it makes more sense to pool resources and merge teams than to continue operating small locations in isolation.

Why is the Travelhouse brand disappearing?

According to Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch, the Travelhouse brand was significantly less well-known among customers than Kuoni and Kuoni Specialists. Over the past few months, the brand portfolio has been thoroughly reviewed. «After careful analysis, we have concluded that a single, overarching brand is not the best way to consolidate our global destination expertise,» said Schulze zur Wiesch. What matters is not the brand name, but the expertise behind it. Importantly, the brand will disappear, but the products will remain – and can still be booked through Kuoni Specialists and Kuoni.

Are new brands emerging at Kuoni Specialists?

No, the offerings for North America and Oceania will be directly integrated into the Kuoni portfolio in the future. According to Dertour Suisse, the decisive factor is the style of travel planning, which differs significantly from that in Asia or South America: trips here are much more individualized, modular, and built using a more modular approach. Reactivating former brands from the Reisebaumeister group was considered but ultimately rejected.

Where will the headquarters be located in the future?

That's still undecided. A comprehensive evaluation is currently underway with the support of an external real estate expert. Factors being analyzed include employee commute times, public transport connections, costs, available space, and nearby shopping facilities. Employees were also able to contribute their input. The basis for a decision has been compiled – deliberately neutral, without any recommendations. The actual appraisal is scheduled for early 2026. A specific moving date has not yet been set.

How does Dertour Suisse intend to win over customers?

At the heart of the strategy is an omnichannel approach that seamlessly combines digital and personal touchpoints. Customers should be able to plan their journey wherever it suits them best – from the initial online impulse and inspiration on the website to personal consultation. Switching between digital channels, branches, and service centers should be possible at any time, without loss of information or disruption to the process. «Thanks to our dense branch network and modern technical solutions, we can optimally leverage this strength,» says CEO Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch.