Introduction

Kristin is the co-founder, along with her partner Marcus Orbé, of Amberlair – the world’s first crowdsourced and crowdfunded boutique hotel. With a joint Masters degree in geography and tourism management, Kristin’s background is in the tourism industry, travel journalism and event management. As a freelance writer and, later, in-house reviewer for TUI Group, Kristin toured the world, evaluating destinations and assessing hotels – although, frustratingly, too often finding cookie-cutter rooms in establishments that had no sense of location or originality. Kristin then spent five years as the head of a branch of L’Tur Tourismus in Hamburg, with an emphasis on recruiting and training staff. She also took responsibility for corporate customer care and organising events.