Companion
Marvin Schuhmann and Valentino Betz refuse to be pigeonholed.
Wayne McGregor is one of the most prominent contemporary choreographers of today. He will make his Munich debut in 2018 at Bayerisches Staatsballett’s annual Ballet Festival Week.
companion joins author and journalist Boris and illustrator Robert on a tour inspired by the Roaring Twenties
Nadiv Molcho is a theater and movie actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, and producer — all that at the age of 27. A talk with companion.
A love of the sea made Nikolaus Gelpke into a publisher. He found his calling in life working on Mare in Hamburg.
An overnight stay at the Frankfurt Book Fair? An intriguing idea — though one that’s been impossible up until now.
People in hotels are a peculiar species — and have inspired artists to soaring flights of creativity, as our columnist Rainer Moritz recounts
Talented women all over the world are joining forces in increasing numbers to combat the patriarchy through the synergy of their networks. One of these young communities is Clam Club.
Hans-Joachim Flebbe has created a business out of his love for film. COMPANION sat down with the visionary entrepreneur to talk premium movie theaters, smelly nachos, and receiving praise from Hollywood.
For Companion Theresia Enzenberger has created a very different kind of map, which highlights unusual Bauhaus locations to be discovered in cities that are home to our 25hours Hotels
For Grandbrother, Lukas Vogel and Erol Sarp, the sound spectrum of the grand piano is not limited to its chords.
About one-fifth of all Japanese people in Germany live in and around Düsseldorf. No wonder, then, that this metropolitan region is also being shaped by Japanese culture.
Bartender Jörg Meyer and restaurateur Rainer Wendt enjoy high-quality drinks and food not only as business partners but also as friends.
For this issue of COMPANION, the duo share their favorite food pairing: a drink and sandwich that go as well together as they do.
Werner Aisslinger is one of Germany’s most sought-after designers. He talks to COMPANION about the new 25hours Hotel The Circle Cologne, analogue places in a digital world, and working in the bathtub.
Under the respective monikers Pam Pengco, Kimberly Kiss, Marcella Rockefeller, and Laila Licious, Olli, Kim, Marcel, and David have been performing as the group “Real Queens” in Cologne since 2016.
Louis Philippe de Gagoue likes to deviate from compartmentalisation in his life and his work—which is what makes the photographer and style icon, who spends his time between the Ivory Coast and Paris, so successful.
It seems to be a given that museum visits are best taken on rainy days. Yet when the sun shines and temperatures are warm, it’s worth taking a trip to the cultural landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia — perhaps even by bike. However you get there, here we present the ten most interesting art destinations for the summer.
A good week after completing his residency in the studio at the 25hours Hotel Langstrasse, Oliver Ross explains the extent to which a change of scenery affects his creative process and influences his artworks.
Internationally inspired dishes made with seasonal and regional products are prepared with a distinctly French touch at Gesa Hansen and Charles Compagnon’s neo-brasserie 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris. The couple cooked a favourite for us to sample.
Breathtaking beaches, spectacular natural scenery, rocky volcanic landscapes, Creole delicacies, and a veritable mix of cultures.
A slightly lesser-known side to the town Bordeaux is its vibrant street culture — a facet that comes to life when experienced through the world of underground skateboarding.
The artistic heart of the 25hours Hotel Langstrasse is the hotel’s studio on the ground floor. It is a workspace for international and domestic artists, who produce and prepare for their exhibitions, presentations, or collaborations on-site.
A Column on Suburban Life in Urban Neighbourhoods
Located right behind the museum district – Glacis Beisl has one of the nicest summer gardens and serves unpretentious, homely Austrian food at reasonable prices.
Time to get out of the city? Want to leave all your cares behind and immerse yourself in nature and culture? Always a good idea! COMPANION has put together some tips for excursions in the surrounds of our 25hours Hotels’ cities to give you ideas for moments of mindfulness in the cold season.
Haya Molcho and her sons, the family behind eatery empire NENI, have written a new cookery book about the people of Tel Aviv and their culinary histories. And it has recipes too. The most important ingredient?
The fashion, music, and worldly feel of the 1970s disco era captivate imaginations to this day. DJ Nicky Siano was spinning the turntables back then, while the photographer Bill Bernstein prowled the legendary Studio 54.
A Mediterranean climate and laid-back urban flair on the Côte d’Azur: Marseille certainly has more to offer than its reputation would reveal.
In all its sophistication, Paris often feels very grown up. But the pleasures it holds for pint-sized bon vivants are manifold, if you know where to look.
Once again, Vienna has been named the most liveable city in the world. Horse-drawn carriages, Sachertorte chocolate gateau, 'Küss die Hand' - really now? Oh yes, says Zara Pfeifer. Thirteen years ago, she came here from Cologne to study and, bar a few short hiatuses, has stayed ever since.
Subtle and seductive, the aroma molecule Iso E Super was created in a laboratory in 1973. In 2006, the master perfumer Geza Schön bottled it pure to create Molecule 01 - a fragrance that fast gained a cult following the world over.
Nature, awareness, deceleration, meditation: 'shinrin-yoku', meaning 'bathing in the forest', is a recognised treatment in Japan. It's also spreading to Germany as a by-product of the general mindfulness trend. Why is it so popular? What does the bathing part involve?
Be it for a musical weekend trip with the family, melodious evenings at a winery, or experiencing the jazz stars of tomorrow performing live — COMPANION presents the best festivals close to our cities.
Mona Asuka combines two passions: playing the piano and baking. The Munich-born professional musician tells COMPANION why the two disciplines are in fact quite similar — and she also shares her recipe for the perfect summer cake.
Tim Renner is a legend in the music and culture business. As a manager at Universal, he discovered bands such as Rammstein, and from 2014 to 2016, he was Berlin’s state secretary for cultural affairs, initiating a digitalisation offensive.
The music scene is a domain in which women have traditionally been on the passive side of things: as muses, as fans in front of the stage, or as groupies. Does that sound a little antiquated? Indeed it is! There have long been amazing women involved in front of, behind, or next to the stage.
Dasitu Kajela-Röttger and her husband, Michael Röttger, are a real dream team, both privately and professionally. They met and fell in love in 1985, at an African festival in their chosen home of Frankfurt am Main.
It’s hard to believe that Julian Pollina — better known as Faber — is just 26 years old. Given the grit of the Swiss singer-songwriter’s voice and lyrics, you’d be forgiven for assuming he’d seen at least two decades more.
Natascha Augustin, senior creative director at Warner Chappell Music, is the cool-headed industry leader who’s responsible for propelling Germany’s hottest hip-hop and rap acts to the peak of international acclaim — though her humility prevents her from taking any of the credit.
It all started off with a modest music label and a few pairs of jeans. Since Maison Kitsuné’s origins in 2002, the purveyor of cool has spiralled out into a cult fashion brand and music label with coffee shops in Paris and Tokyo. How did it all come to be? Co-founder Gildas Loaëc shared with COMPANION how he seeks out the eclectic and the classic to stay fresh in these fast-moving industries.
Dieter Meier is someone who, without exaggeration, can be described as a music legend. With the band Yello, the Swiss native became world famous in the 80s together with his colleague Boris Blank. Heard their hits like ‘Oh Yeah’ and ‘The Race’? Experimental and electronic, and a little gaga, the tunes get under your skin thanks to Dieter’s deep voice. Yello still perform today.
Hamburg’s iconic Elbphilharmonie is just as famous for its insane acoustics as it is for its programme, which weaves traditional classical music together with rock bands, festivals, and jazz — like the Scandinavian piano band Rymden, for example.
The members of electro punk band Egotronic have been engaging in musical hedonism for 19 years – a kind of hedonism which can increasingly be viewed as a political outcry. Their latest album Ihr seid doch auch nicht besser (You’re No Better Either) represents the zenith of this development. It’s about the erosion of the political center and the necessity of forging new alliances.
Wouldn’t it be great to not only bring back something special from your travels, but also to leave something special behind? From cleaning up the beach to rescuing animals to helping out on archaeological digs, doing something worthwhile on holiday hasn’t become a travel trend for nothing—after all, it allows you to get to know the local culture and people that little bit better.