ABOUT THE MINDS & HEARTS BEHIND THE BRAND
Slowdown Hotels was founded as a desire to recognize a vacation as the time we devote to ourselves and actively cultivate well-being. "Slowdown is not only to disconnect but also to connect with like-minded people, to enjoy life, celebrate food, music, culture, art, and most importantly, a retreat for body and mind. Behind the brand are Alenka and Mats, who
before starting their business journey together, worked in the corporate world, where long working days were the rule. But sometimes even in the job you love, you have to know how to make a break and not go too far and burn out. So for their retreats, they always carefully researched hotels as the most important basecamp of vacation, where they could bring themself to well-being. In their youth, they were both professional athletes, and, as athletes, they developed an awareness of a healthy lifestyle, taking care of their minds and bodies, and about how crucial the environment affects their well-being. They traveled a lot during that time, and hotels were their home and a place of inspiration. Therefore, they established Slowdown Hotels as their passion project, remain committed to such a vibrant way of life, and create a community of like-minded people who understand that "slowdown" is an important part of our well-being to be able to perform best where we need to.
.jpg)
THE ART OF SLOWDOWN
.jpg)
.jpg)
MEET ALENKA
Alenka is a journalist by education and has conducted a master's degree in brand communication consulting. She began her professional career as a journalist in the field of lifestyle magazines, covering fashion and design.
She specializes in strategic content creation and brand development. Her career has been strongly marked by years of work in the luxury sector - in a furniture design and production studio, as creative director and a head of the soft merch manager for luxury brands, including Guerlain, Dior, Louis Vuitton,... Her work has honed her skills in all aspects of content creation, both digitally through design programs and in the field of photography.
“I have always had a love for beauty, for creation, for developing concepts… but these are areas where you also get exhausted over time, both mentally and physically. Staying creative and relaxed requires a lot of discipline and the right amount of relaxation and retreats so that you don’t burn yourself out. So I always craved for special places that kept evoking my passion for creativity. Hotels have always been my shelter, my ultimate escape to, a place of inspiration, and an ideal place to cultivate my way of life. Unique in style and location, hotels for me define the location and present me with the beauty of micro-location. Therefore I always wanted to put together a collection and present them the way that someone would feel inspired to take a holiday mostly to really experience a hotel as a place of well-being, not only a place to sleep."
With Slowdown Hotels I brought my passion to life and join two loves; my field of professional work with my way of life. Hotels are selected with a special feeling for space, location, design, food, wellness, sustainability philosophy… Working in the field of design and luxury shaped me and clarified my picture, that interior design is one of the ultimate point to select the hotel where you wish to feel relaxed. Where all the details are thought out carefully and designed in a way that affects our well-being, such place is the heart of Slowdown member hotels.
THE ART OF SLOWDOWN
.jpg)
.jpg)
MEET MATS
Mats holds a Master of Business Administration and Leadership styles. During his career, he worked as a business developer in various international companies. He usually found a break from everyday life in sports and nature, preferably high in the mountains or in astonishing landscapes that evoke new feelings. Establishing Slowdown Hotels was a new point for him, when he felt closest to himself and where he met the people he is most connected with.
"Slowdown Hotels is a reminder of how to live in the moment."
"If you are a sportsman, entrepreneur, or sometimes just facing everyday family life, stress is a part of our daily life. In the modern world, we are exposed to so many stressful factors we usually do not even feel it as stress, we get distracted. Therefore, it is important to have a self-awareness of choosing a retreat to cultivate real "human" habits. To slow down with our plans and wishes to be better. Because the very minute we retreat somewhere remote, we can realize how tired we are. How noisy we live. And the Art of Slowdown is to find such places, where you are able and where you are allowed to relax and be who you really like to be."
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
