Most men would be overwhelmed, but not José Ortiz Romero. He sits supremely in one of the four corner mega-sofas of the main lobby of Hotel de Rome in Berlin - he's a longtime Four Seasons guy, and his role at Hotel de Rome is to get it ready for rebranding.

Girlahead was considerably awed by the location of Berlin’s Hotel de Rome, at the west end of Behrenstrasse (see the hotel’s flags, above), Over a kilometre long, Behrenstrasse’s named for Johann Heinrich Behr, who helped plan Berlin’s Baroque expansion, Friedrichstadt.

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.)

The Ultras, at The Tower of London on 1st October, were undoubtedly among the top highlights of the global luxury hospitality year.

Excitement mounts as the Sybaritic Single drives down Avenida Atlântica towards Copacabana Palace. He is thrilled to be back at the iconic luxury hotel after over a decade and is promptly escorted to the penthouse at the top floor.

Whoever thought of putting a railway hotel up here back in 1902 should have taken some shares in The Balmoral. It’s still above Waverley Station, but it's got so much else good going for it.

After a great night’s sleep at The Balmoral, it was time for the gym, which opened at 7 (here was a first, the attendant needed a photo). The entire basement is devoted to wellness.

Chris Bancroft, above, is quite a guy. Hotel kid grows up to win all kinds of UK awards and scholarships, Cornell and The Newt in Somerset, when he moved north of the border to what is arguably the most charmingly eccentric hotel in Scotland, if not Europe.