Amedeo Musto D’Amore is Head Concierge at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg. In his 40 years at the hotel he has handled some weird and wonderful requests.

A gladiator sits in a beige designer armchair in a luxury suite. But he is not clad in sandals, greaves and helmet like the gladiators of Ancient Rome. Instead, his combat gear consists of a black cutaway, bronzed complexion and a smile so warm that you immediately trust him with life and limb. “In the arena, gladiators fought to the death. I do the same to make sure my guests are happy”, says the man with a name that seems to be straight out of a Hollywood Italian romance. He is Amedeo Musto D’Amore, Head Concierge at the Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg. Indeed, his personality and charm are enough to send Robert De Niro into early retirement (“I’m Italian, perhaps you’ve gathered that from my accent”). His role in this traditional 5-star hotel might be compared to the lead role in a blockbuster, albeit a low-key one. A concierge has to stay in the background and be there for others. But his quiet, gentle manner belies his strong will to win. Perhaps that’s why he has become something of an institution at this grand, luxury hotel.

He has been working here for 40 years, longer than any of his colleagues. “I was discovered”, he says, looking back with unabashed pride at the moment when the former director of this luxury hotel asked him to come and work for him. That was the summer of 1976. The director was staying at a hotel in Taormina, Sicily, where D’Amore happened to be working. D’Amore accepted his offer – and quickly fell in love with the 120-year-old hotel, the city and a local Hamburg girl.

He has seen all the big stars pass through the Vier Jahrzehnten, but there’s no point asking about them. It’s quite clear that he will answer politely, but give nothing away. The man with the silver strands in his hair always looks impeccable and is a master in the art of allusion. He also prefers to keep his age to himself.

Looking back at a particular episode when pudding was thrown and Mick Jagger decided to swing off a chandelier, D’Amore will only say: “Whoever you are, you should know how to behave. Playing Tarzan is going too far.” For the Stones, the hotel is now always fully booked, 365 days a year. In contrast, Sophia Loren is always treated like royalty. Since the day when she asked for a kitchen to be fitted in her suite so that she could cook spaghetti for her husband Carlo Ponti, nothing surprises D’Amore. And if even if it did, he would never so much as raise an eyebrow.

These coveted keys open doors and not only for D’Amore. The crossed golden keys that D’Amore wears on his lapel are the insignia of the Les Clefs d’Or association of the world’s top concierges. Mutual support is part of its professional code. “We are not lone wolves. When fellow members ask for help, they can count on me. It’s a matter of honour.” He also turns to his colleagues at top establishments when, on a Sunday evening, a guest suddenly remembers that 300 roses have to be delivered in Copenhagen at the stroke of midnight. All the flower shops are closed. So they work together to ensure that a bouquet is handed over on a motorway somewhere between Germany and Denmark. But apart from all this generous sharing, there is one number that the native of Naples surely treasures more than that of any royal, sheikh or top surgeon – the mobile number of Italian film diva Gina Lollobrigida.

Author: Lena Schindler
Images: © Johannes Mink