a&o is the first hostel chain worldwide to be ISO 9001 certified

Berlin, 26 March 2025 – To mark the company's 25th anniversary, a&o has reached another milestone: the company is the first hostel chain in the world to have its quality management systems globally certified in accordance with the international ISO 9001 standards.

"Recognized standards for quality and processes promote our competitiveness, strengthen trust and send a clear message to our team, guests and partners," says Oliver Winter, who is also pleased about the additional tailwind for further expansion. Olaf Seiche, the auditor responsible for a&o certification at TÜV Rheinland Cert GmbH, has now officially presented the certificate in Berlin Mitte.

"The certification goes far beyond a one-off award," emphasizes a&o founder and CEO Oliver Winter, "it is also a clear statement that we as a company and team take responsibility in the travel and tourism industry and invest for the long term."

The certification process, which was jointly led by Christian Hempel-Werner, Head of Quality Management at a&o, and TÜV auditor Olaf Seiche, began at the start of 2024 and covers the entire company, all departments and processes in 37 a&o locations as well as in the central administration in Berlin. Annual internal audits as well as re-certifications and certifications of new locations will follow every three years from now on.

Christian Hempel-Werner on the role of active quality management: "Comprehensible processes and the willingness to continuously improve are essential for sustainable corporate success – the ISO 9001 certification also demonstrates the extraordinary commitment and strong awareness of the entire team and is therefore an important signal to our guests."

"Certification and auditing help to permanently improve quality management and thus increase the company's performance," says Olaf Seiche. Previously, a&o had already had its own TÜV certificate for service quality for more than five years. This has now been replaced by the ISO 9001 certification "with flying colors".

By the way: a&o has been training TÜV-certified quality managers since 2023.