 After his war service Elschner spent a short time in 1919 working as an advisor and frontman to the politician and industrialist Hugo Stinnes, when the latter was elected into parliament in Berlin, before Elschner finally took the reins of the Excelsior.Under Elschner's management the 1920s witnessed the Excelsior's transformation from a low-key and ailing enterprise into an extravagant, successful and modern hotel complex.Using contemporary deluxe US hotels as inspiration, Elschner set about completely modernising and expanding his new property.