The Eden Rock St. Barths stands for glamour, the Le Bristol, on the other hand, is the epitome of a Parisian grand hotel - the Oetker Collection properties could hardly be more different. What matters to you?

We don't want to run luxury hotels, but create masterpieces. These are unique by definition - think of a sculpture by Michelangelo, the Mona Lisa or a haute couture dress by Dior. Special craftsmanship meets almost obsessive attention to detail; giving each of our hotels its own distinctive personality.

Nevertheless, your establishments have one thing in common: they all belong to the crème de la crème of the hotel industry. How do you manage that?
With a family spirit, elegance and sincere cordiality. Exceptional hotels have a soul, and that is created by people.

In what way does the competition act differently than you?
Recently, I heard the CEO of a large hotel group say that they open an average of one hotel per day. That's of no interest to us. Finding hotels worthy of the Masterpiece designation is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We enjoy this search, and occasionally we find what we are looking for, but good things take time.

Lately you seem to have found new needles ...
Yes, that's right: La Palma Capri brings us to Italy for the first time, and from the United States comes more than a third of our guests, so we had always thought that we belonged there - but we have only now discovered the right place with The Vineta Hotel Palm Beach.

Is there a travel experience that you personally will never forget?
When I was 16 years old, my father took me to the Breakers in Palm Beach. I remember how overwhelmed I was at the time. It was my first real experience in a grand hotel and perhaps the one that sparked my interest in the industry. With the opening of the Vineta just a few hundred meters away, it feels a bit like coming full circle.