SUNDAY IN THE CITY
Episode 1
With Christian Wilk
Global Sales, Rosewood Hotel Group, Amsterdam
25 years at the centre of European luxury hospitality.
I met Christian at the Berlinale in the early 2010s
when he worked at Hyatt.
Which city took you the longest to understand?
Istanbul and Delhi. Fascinating, colourful, diverse - and overwhelming. The logistics, the culture, the rhythm of each city. Not easy to adjust to. Some cities ask more of you before they give anything back.
Where do you go when you need to disappear for a while?
The English forests - Surrey or Kent. A cottage, a country pub, rolling meadows.
Or the coast, with its steep white cliffs. Nature has a way of resetting everything.
Which city disappointed you at first,
and why did you return anyway?
Paris, in the nineties. I was so keen to move there. When I finally did, I lasted eight months before returning to London. Back then I needed energy and creativity from people - not just cafés and good food. I still love to visit. The city didn't change, I did.
When someone you care about is going through
a difficult time, where do you send them?
Greece. An island, a taverna, a boat on crystal-clear water. It is calming and humbling, it restores confidence in life.
Which city makes you want to be more elegant?
It depends on the occasion and the neighbourhood, but Milan, Madrid, London in certain areas, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich. Something about the way people dress there. I find myself wanting to keep up.
An address you would share
with someone you are attracted to?
Burgh House café, London. Lunch, or coffee and homemade cake in the rose garden. Take a book. Listen to the birds. One of my happy places. A magic place.
SUNDAY IN THE CITY is a series I created for PARTANT.
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Emmanuel Denizot for PARTANT