...... I stood on a big stage for the last time, in “Die Fledermaus” at the Hamburg State Opera. Now it’s that time of year again. Somehow, I still feel the glare of the spotlights. It’s an uneasy feeling to be standing in front of an audience again after such a long time, in front of my guests, friendly people interested in Hollmann and lovers of our Places of Entertainment. Holding my head high, I hope not to lose face when, as a non-hotelier, I confess: “I hate hotels.”

My stunning, wise wife and I have spent the last few years trying to reinvent hotels because they are an atrocity to me. I love travelling with my family too much to not do something about it. That’s how the four unusual Places of Entertainment came into being. They are set up to challenge the customary with the extraordinary — not-everyday places for non-everyday people.

There are four favourite places of my life: Vienna, Trieste, Turrach and Sri Lanka. All rich with my very own philosophy about travelling and life. Loyal friends shake their heads at my creations. My dear staff sometimes wish they could work in a normal hotel. Many a guest is so surprised and either falls for the Hollmann spirit or doesn't come back. But my family understands me. So do growing numbers of guests who appreciate me being crazy about developing journeys for experienced travellers who are fed up with the mundane and the trivial, just as I am. #crazyforyou: for my wife, my children, my guests.