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The trio behind Schulz and the leading hostel platform Meininger - Nizar Rokbani, Oskar Kan and Sascha Gechter - remain part of the management, while a&o looks at new expansion opportunities
The acquisition includes the premium budget hotel Schulz Berlin, good for 1,000 beds, which will continue to operate under the Schulz brand
a&o Hostels, Europe's largest and fastest-growing hostel chain with 30,000 beds under management, has acquired Berlin-based Schulz Hotels.
With this move, a&o aims to further strengthen its position in core markets and expand its offering to accelerate European growth. In doing so, the company is responding to clear market trends, including increasing inbound tourism, a growing number of price-conscious travellers and technological developments. The European hostel market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8 per cent between 2025 and 2030 (Grandview Research, 2025).
Schulz founders Nizar Rokbani, Oskar Kan and Sacha Gechter join a&o's management and advisory team as the company works to expand its brand and offerings. The trio previously founded Meininger, a European hotel-hostel concept that now has more than 20,000 beds.
Schulz Hotels is a premium budget concept with strong design, extensive facilities and an attractive F&B offer. It targets the traditional hostel guest, as well as business travellers and individual guests looking for a little more comfort. The company currently operates one 1,000-bed hotel near Ostbahnhof in Berlin and is working on a second location in the new Heide Quarter in the German capital, near the central train station.
a&o is successfully executing its growth strategy by bringing its budget-friendly offer for families, school groups and backpackers to more European cities. In the past 24 months, a&o has acquired 8,500 beds, both operational and under development or renovation.
Founded in 2000 by Oliver Winter, a&o is now one of the largest budget hostel chains in the world. In 2024, a&o Hostels welcomed a record 2.8 million guests and 6.2 million overnight stays. This growth continued in the first half of 2025, with 1.4 million guests, 3.1 million overnight stays and an occupancy rate of 73 per cent.
StepStone Group and Proprium Capital Partners backed the management-led acquisition of a&o in late 2023. Together, they invested around €500 million in the platform's expansion over the past 18 months. In addition to Schulz Hotels, a&o bought properties in London, Brighton, Brussels, Antwerp and Heidelberg, among others. The company is also working on a growing list of new acquisition opportunities in other major European cities.
Oliver Winter, founder and CEO of a&o Hostels, said: “The combined knowledge of a&o and Schulz equals a hundred years of hostel experience. This is the ideal basis for dynamic and creative growth in prime locations in European cities. Since 2024, we have invested around €500 million in scaling up the a&o Hostels platform. With a strong investor group behind us and a market that offers attractive opportunities, we are well positioned to maintain this momentum in a rapidly maturing sector that is benefiting from clear demographic and technology trends.”
Sascha Gechter, co-founder of Meininger and Schulz, adds: “We are delighted to join forces with a&o and take the growth of Schulz Hotels to the next level. Our partnership is a perfect fit, we share the same values, audiences and ambitions. There will be great synergies in purchasing, sales and technology, which will benefit both brands.”
Philipp Westermann, Partner at Proprium Capital Partners, said: “The acquisition of SchulzHotels by a&o Hostels is an important step in strengthening our strategic position in key European markets. Working with the founders of Schulz, whom we have known for more than a decade, allows us to redefine what affordable travel can be.”
Source: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/hostel-market/europe
