How A Former Gaming CEO Is Turning Lighthouses Into Luxury Hotels

Across some of Europe’s most remote and windy coastlines, an unlikely visionary is transforming old lighthouses into ultra-private escapes for the modern adventure seeker.

For generations, these towers, perched on razor-sharp cliffs, battered by Atlantic storms, and bleached by the Mediterranean sun, have served as guardians of maritime history. Now, they are entering a bold new chapter. No longer abandoned or overlooked, they’ve become the foundation of a hospitality concept led by a former gaming-industry executive with a taste for the unconventional.

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Beyond a luxury escape, these places are so rare and architecturally improbable that they defy categorization within traditional hotel standards. Stand on the terrace of Punta Imperatore on the island of Ischia as the lighthouse beam begins its midnight sweep—and you know instantly which category this belongs to.

These remarkable towers—seven so far—comprise Floatel, a steadily growing compilation of restored maritime landmarks, all linked by the imagination of a man who once headed up one of Europe’s largest casino gaming companies.

Floatel founder Tim Wittenbecher is far from a traditional hotelier. His expertise lies not in tourism but in the highly regulated, high-stakes realm of slot machines and casinos. Before he committed himself to saving maritime icons, Wittenbecher spent nearly twenty years in a drastically different world. “I come from exactly the other direction… not from the hospitality business, but from the gaming industry,” he tells me. An industrial engineer by training, he rose to become CEO of Bally’s German division. “Seven or eight years I was the CEO with 250 people running manufacturing and sales in the gaming industry.”

In 2013, Tim and partner Marc Nagel founded Floatel together as equal partners and later brought a small group of investors on board to make these projects possible. Within this partnership, Tim is responsible for operations and marketing, while Marc is responsible for designing and realizing the projects and all visual aspects.

The idea that changed his life came from an unexpected source. “My father cuts newspaper clips… and he had one that announced a lighthouse on a Baltic Sea island that was for sale,” he said. Curious, Wittenbecher tracked down the listing, convinced the mayor to trust him, and purchased the lighthouse with his architect wife, Heike. The couple restored it themselves, opening the two-person retreat in 2008. It has been booked solid ever since.

The response was overwhelming. Guests weren’t simply looking for luxury; they wanted seclusion, atmosphere, authenticity, and emotion. “That was, for me, a very convincing development… a product with more demand than we can offer.”

A Seven-Property Portfolio

Today, Wittenbecher operates seven properties, including three original lighthouses that he personally restored. The company took a further step with the Hamburg harbor crane, converting it into a mini hotel, which opened in 2018 and was constructed on the pier opposite Elbphilharmony.

Faro Punta Cumplida on the Canary Island of La Palma became the first Floatel Hideaway in Spain, with another location coming soon: Faro de Ribadesella, an hour away. The company also secured long-term concessions for additional lighthouse projects, including Faro Cudillero in Asturias, and three Italian lighthouses: Faro Imperatore on the island of Ischia, and the upcoming showstopper, Faro Spignon, on the Venetian lagoon.

Floatel’s development philosophy is measured, deliberate, and respectful. Some lighthouses are privately owned, while others—especially in Spain and Italy, operate under 40–50-year government concessions. “They still have the right to enter to repair the light.”

Even as the properties evolve, their industrial identity remains untouched. “We try not to do boutique architecture… we try to let the industrial and navigation use shine through… and still have modern rooms, modern design.” Olimpia Isla is the young and talented Spanish architect behind the simple-maritime design. Together with co-founder Marc Nagel she gives the magic touch to the hideaways.

Wittenbecher’s boldest next venture sits in the Venetian lagoon, where a ruined lighthouse platform rests on 32 massive oak piles. The original structure was destroyed in the 1960s; only its tower survives. For years, bureaucratic silence stalled his plans. He went to great struggles and had to learn how Italian administration works and doesn’t work at the same time.

Now resurrected, the project will transform the platform into a spectacular 220-square-meter private-island suite connected to the historic tower. Wittenbecher is enthusiastic saying, “When you go up, you see the cruise ships, you see the fishermen. You can have a boat there, a housekeeper who cooks for you, and maybe one day a drone will bring you the prosecco.”

Wittenbecher is already in talks with leading luxury hotels to position the project as Venice’s most extraordinary presidential suite: a private island and lighthouse entirely your own. “It will be the high end of boutique… your own island, your own lighthouse.”

Despite rising demand, Wittenbecher remains committed to slow, thoughtful growth. “I will not do 100… I will do five, six more, maybe 12.” Two additional lighthouses in northern Spain are underway, with Venice targeted for a 2027 debut.

Floatel, he insists, is not meant to be scaled endlessly—it’s meant to be savored. “Then when I’m 70, I travel from one to the other… All the stories, they are so full of stories.”