It’s emotional, returning to The Adlon Kempinski, and to meet up with MD Christian Hirt, above, and his wife Yulia and a couple of industry friends.

More colour at, or from, The Adlon.  The 2026 annual Festival of Lights runs 9–18 October, generally 7–11 pm nightly – the Brandenburg Gate is lit up other times (7th October 2026 it featured the Israeli flag, a poignant reminder that the sobering Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe usually simply called the Holocaust Memorial, is only five minutes’ walk from both the Gate and the hotel.)