A Gentleman's World

Christian’s outfit is always immaculate. Beautifully pressed shirts – reminiscent of The Great Gatsby, perhaps? ‘You always need to keep in mind that you’re here to create experiences!’

In an elegant navy blue wool suit – made to mea-sure of course – worn with a spanking white shirt, pale blue tie and, as he pointed out, brand new shoes.

My stylist’s eye picked up the silk pocket kerchief, white as snow and straight as a die, carefully folded in his breast pocket, adding the finishing touch. If first impressions count, Christian gets my vote.

We’d arranged for him to bring along a couple of personal items to the interview and what we didn’t expect was the leather jacket. He somewhat sheepishly produced a rather well-worn but well-preserved leather biker jacket, a relic of the 80’s and a reminder of his time in the USA.

Particularly memorable for its survival in a crash they both survived on the streets of Zurich. ‘I would never part with it. It’s filled with memories.’

He also brought an elegant Dupont fountain pen of sentimental value, with which he writes welcome notes, thank you notes and the like; an exquisite IWC watch, the Portofino Chronograph, a wedding gift from his wife; and a sweet hand-painted thank you card from a youngster who had attended an information day at the hotel.

Time is of the essence! Christian keeps a close check on his busy schedule with his trusted, classic IWC watch.

Happiness is also knowing that I go to work in a place that I love. It’s a privilege and a luxury that I’m extremely grateful for.

For me, luxury is defined by quality. Something or an experience that is exclusive, highly desirable and often elusive. But beware, having too much of it could be a bad thing. It could lose its specialness.

As far as clothing goes, when I’m not at work, I like it nice and easy, comfortable, a pair of well-cut jeans and a T-shirt work best for me. Relaxed.

Even with his sleeves rolled up … Christian is a genuine gentleman from top to toe. ‘I like to dress well, I always wear a tie … I rely on professionals like you, Clifford.’

That’s luxury too. Although I, too, like and appreciate great cars and a beautiful watch, the real luxury in life is the privilege of being in a position to inspire others and encourage them to give their best.

It’s all about good relationships in a hotel, the people and communication. Success is when you see your guests are happy and taken good care of, when your staff are motivated and proud of their place of work.

For my own personal happiness, I love to get away into nature and to the mountains with my family. A perfect day for me would be to spend the morning skiing, the afternoon having fun with my family and the evening dining out – at the Golden Swan in New York for instance. I love New York, Hong Kong and London.

And I love the Grisons – going to Val Lumnezia – a remote and favourite destination. It’s totally amazing there.

If I were banished to a desert island, I’d take my music, a good knife for cooking, something to light a fire with and my faithful leather jacket of course.