Interview with Larissa Russegger, founder & CEO of TOWELLO

1. TOWELLO was born from the idea of turning a simple everyday necessity into a moment of freshness, appreciation and even a little luxury. Where did this idea come from, and when did you realise there was a real opportunity behind it?

The idea actually came from my father and me together, which makes TOWELLO very personal to me. My father has always been a great role model and a visionary - he has this ability to recognise simple, everyday needs and think about how they could be solved better.

TOWELLO didn’t start with the idea of simply creating another product. It started with a very simple observation: wherever people come together, enjoy food, travel or simply want to feel welcome,

clean and refreshed hands should be a natural part of the experience.

When we looked at the solutions that were available, we felt there was something missing. They were usually functional, but rarely sustainable, beautiful or something you would consciously integrate into a high-quality hospitality experience. It was either a trip to the washroom or a conventionally packaged disposable wipe - and neither really reflected the level of care that many hotels and restaurants put into every other detail of their guest experience.

That was the opportunity we saw: to rethink this very ordinary need and turn it into something special.

For me, that is really what TOWELLO is about: taking something incredibly simple and turning it into a small gesture of appreciation. TOWELLO creates this little moment that says: we thought about you. You are welcome.

2. In luxury travel, it is often the smallest gestures that make a guest feel truly welcomed. What role do you think these little rituals play in creating a memorable hospitality experience?

For me, true luxury in hospitality is not necessarily about having more - it is about feeling that someone has thought about you.

The smallest gestures often have the biggest impact because they are unexpected. A warm welcome, remembering a guest’s preference, anticipating a need before it is expressed. These are the moments that create a genuine feeling of being cared for.

I believe guests can feel the difference between something that is simply part of a standard process and something that has been considered with intention. And it is exactly those small details that stay in your memory long after the trip itself.

And perhaps that is what modern luxury is really about - not excess, but thoughtfulness.

3. TOWELLO is now used in hotels, restaurants, wellness spaces & airport lounges. What have you learned from the hospitality industry about what today’s discerning traveller actually values?

For me, the most interesting shift is that luxury is becoming less about impressing people through opulence, status or simply offering more, and much more about creating a feeling.

Today’s discerning traveller values experiences that feel thoughtful, personal and genuine. You may not remember the most expensive piece of furniture in a hotel or every detail of a restaurant, but you remember how you felt there.

4. Sustainability and luxury are sometimes seen as opposites. How do you approach the idea that a product can be beautiful, tactile and luxurious while still being responsible?

I don’t believe sustainability and luxury should be opposites at all. In fact, I think responsibility has become part of what defines a truly premium product today.

A product can be beautiful, tactile and thoughtfully designed while at the same time making more responsible choices in terms of materials and how it is used.

That was very important to us when developing TOWELLO. Our Blooming Towels are 100% botanical, biodegradable and plastic-free, but at the same time they are incredibly soft, subtly scented and freshly prepared with warm or cold water. So hosts and guests do not have to choose between the experience and the responsible option - they simply get both.

5. You have created something that is highly functional, but also very design-driven. How important is aesthetics to you when developing TOWELLO, and what does “luxury” mean to you personally?

Aesthetics have always been essential to TOWELLO. One principle guided us throughout the entire development process: a design is finished when there is nothing left to take away.

It reflects Coco Chanel’s famous words, “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” For me, true luxury is exactly that - simplicity with purpose. When quality, function and aesthetics come together so naturally that nothing feels unnecessary.

That is what we wanted TOWELLO to be: simple at first sight, but considered down to the smallest detail.

6. As a founder, you have taken TOWELLO from an idea to a brand with an increasingly international hospitality presence. What has been the most unexpected lesson of building the company?

One of the biggest lessons I am still learning is that building a company is rarely a straight line - and that you cannot do everything at once.

When you have a product with so much potential, you constantly see new possibilities: new markets, new applications, new products and new partnerships. As a founder, that is incredibly exciting, but it also means learning to prioritise and accepting that even the best ideas sometimes have to wait.

We are still very much in the process of building TOWELLO, and all the highs and lows are part of that journey – the moments of success just as much as the setbacks and disappointments. I believe there is something to learn from both. Success shows you what works and gives you confidence in the path you are taking, while setbacks often force you to question, adapt and grow. I think the real art of being a founder is embracing both, learning from them and continuing to move forward without losing sight of the bigger vision.

7. And finally, when you travel yourself, what are the details or rituals that make you feel that you have truly arrived somewhere? Is there a particular hotel, destination or travel experience that has stayed with you?

For me, truly arriving somewhere is the moment when I stop thinking about what comes next. It can be something very simple - sitting down after a journey, having a good glass of wine, enjoying great food and taking in the atmosphere around me.

What stays with me most when I travel is rarely one particular thing. It is the combination of a beautiful setting, genuine hospitality and those little details that make a place feel special.

Some of my favourite travel memories are actually not about the most spectacular hotels or destinations, but about moments when everything simply felt right. I think that is the greatest luxury of travelling: being completely present and feeling, for that moment, that there is nowhere else you need to be.

 https://towello.at/collections/gastro-business