Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of jetting off to Antwerp, Belgium—a city that evokes intrigue, fashion, history, romance, diamonds, luxury and, of course, delectable food. You have your flights booked, but where should you stay to make sure the trip leaves you with lasting memories?

There is only one answer: The Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.

And there is one excellent reason for that choice: Head Concierge Antoine Cuypers.

In my experience, many luxury hotels can deliver beautiful accommodations, delicious food and impressive amenities. But what really makes a hotel rise above the others—and helps create lasting memories—is a talented concierge.

My series of interviews with General Managers and Chief Concierges around the world has been enjoyed by many of my readers. I think that’s because we all love getting a behind-the-scenes look at these beautiful places and learning about the people who make everything work so smoothly.

I know exactly who I wanted to interview in Antwerp: Antoine Cuypers.

In addition to his esteemed position at the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, Antoine is Vice-President of Belgium’s chapter of Les Clefs d’Or, the prestigious international association of professional hotel concierges.

The Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is enclosed within a beautifully restored 13th-century monastery and hospital complex. In 1238, monks founded the original monastery and hospital on these grounds, establishing a long tradition of community and sanctuary. In the 16th century, apothecary Pieter Coudenberg established a medicinal herb garden next to the hospital, an early predecessor of Antwerp’s modern Botanical Garden nearby.

After years of neglect, repurposing and transformation, the property was extensively restored by its current owners over several years. Today, it blends Gothic and medieval architecture with rooms spread across five separate buildings, four restaurants—including the two-Michelin-starred Hertog Jan—a beautifully preserved 15th-century chapel and a 3,000-square-foot health spa.

It is a truly beautiful and unique property.

And I am very happy to be spending time with Antoine. He first gives me a brief tour of the beautiful property.

An extremely busy man, he nonetheless finds time to sit with me in the hotel’s cozy library, where he immediately arranges for coffee—which inevitably arrives with delectable Belgian sweets.

Let me share with you what I learned.

For starters, Antoine, tell me how you found yourself working in hospitality.

I grew up traveling the world with my father, who was a civil engineer. We lived in the Middle East and all over Europe. My love of travel drew me toward the hospitality industry.

I found I was bored with university studies, but, on the contrary, I was energized by my first job working in a Brussels hotel. I worked my way up from the bottom through various positions in Brussels, and a few years after its opening, I was recruited here to the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.

Now I have the most wonderful position at the most wonderful hotel.

What makes this place unique?

When people are with us, they feel at home. While our property is stunningly beautiful, it is also comfortable and restful. There is never a feeling of chaos or excessive busyness.

It is an oasis of calm in the perfect location in Antwerp. Moreover, the unique history of the structure makes its presence known subtly, but dramatically.

Why are you loyal to this property?

The way I connect with the guests, and they with me, makes me loyal to this position and this hotel. I think it is the most important thing—to feel that connection.

Yes, I work in beautiful surroundings, but beautiful surroundings would not be enough without the beautiful connections I have with the guest experience. Our hotel provides the most personalized and intimate level of connection with the guest.

I feel I am on a constant feedback loop because I am so in touch with the guests and what they need and expect.

Tell me about your team.

We are a small but efficient team of two. I believe in bringing young people along in life, and I am happy to have Billy working with me.

It is my job to model and teach what I have honed throughout my years as a concierge. Billy is absorbing this knowledge, and it is a pleasure working with him and seeing him develop.

How have things changed during your years here? What have you noticed?

Many things. First, every hotel is concerned with being competitive, so each employee must be justified as a cost-effective addition to the team. There is no room for excess, so we must operate efficiently with our small team while providing top-quality service.

Second, there is an expectation that a top-tier hotel will provide a personalized experience to each guest. We cannot provide run-of-the-mill answers or experiences. Each guest expects that you see them as an individual and address their unique requirements.

The expectation of personalization is something I have seen more and more through the years. I am proud that people rely upon me to do that here.

It is about soul—having the soul to relate to the guest. You either have it or you don’t.

Third, technology is very helpful. Many people want to shun technology as taking over the personalized touch, but I disagree. You can use technology to your advantage. Of course, you must check your sources and verify information, but we have at our fingertips a powerful tool that lets us help our guests.

Fourth, due to the globalization of the world, in the seven years we have been open we have seen a more diverse geographic population coming to the hotel. Some of this is due to marketing, some to social media and some to the fact that we opened post-Covid, when more people began traveling more widely.

How would you tell a guest to spend his or her limited time in Antwerp?

If the guest is unclear about what they want to see, I would suggest that they first go to Het Steen. There they have curated an amazing exhibit that explains the history of Antwerp and all the facets that make the city unique.

Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city center. The surviving structure was built between 1200 and 1225 as a gateway to a larger castle of the Dukes of Brabant, which was demolished in the 19th century. As the first stone fortification of Antwerp, Het Steen is the city’s oldest building.

The words Het Steen, translated from Dutch, mean “the rock” in English.

Then, depending on the guest’s priorities—fashion, art, diamonds, music, history, breweries or shopping—they can target the right area of the city by thinking of Antwerp as divided roughly into three sections: south, central and north.

Antwerp is a very walkable city, so you can see so much simply by walking through these three areas.

In the south, where we are located, you have many fine museums and galleries. In the center, guests can explore the historic Old Town and take advantage of the wonderful shops. In the north, you have the port and the new MAS museum.

What about solo travelers? Do you have any special recommendations for them?

We often receive solo travelers, from well-known actresses to, recently, an 85-year-old woman who came alone to celebrate her birthday.

Of course, they can follow the same approach as any guest, but we recognize that they may have different ideas about how to spend their time.

For each guest, solo or otherwise, I make contact with them before their arrival. They receive my welcome letter, and I try to ascertain their needs and expectations before they arrive.

For example, the older lady celebrating her birthday was interested in getting out on her own. She told me she loved jazz, so I arranged for her to go to De Muze, an iconic three-story jazz café in Antwerp’s center.

She loved it! She went alone and mixed in with everyone there.

There are also many concerts in Antwerp, both in traditional venues and in our beautiful churches. Many times our solo guests love to attend those events, and it is my pleasure to arrange tickets for them.

What about day trips?

Fortunately, it is very easy to take day trips from Antwerp. While Brussels, Bruges and Ghent are the obvious choices, guests who have time should also consider:

Leuven, a university town known for its town hall, breweries, markets and Dirk Bouts’ The Last Supper.

Waterloo, known for the remnants of Napoleon’s final defeat.

Mechelen, one of Flanders’ prominent cities for historical art.

Maastricht, in the Netherlands, a beautiful medieval city and the birthplace of the euro.

And not a day trip, but it is very nice to go to Kanaal and visit the Axel Vervoordt gallery.

Also not a day trip, but for art lovers, Middleheim which is a bit out of town has a wonderful sculpture garden.

What’s a recent unusual guest request?

Many people want to know that. My answer isn’t to describe getting hard-to-get tickets, arranging a special private dinner or getting an exclusive shop to open privately for a guest.

I do those things and much more, but I don’t believe those are unusual. Those are my job.

I would answer your question by saying the most unique thing I do is put people together.

My special sauce is networking.

People trust me, and I have many, many people I have connected with throughout the years. When I see that I can be helpful by connecting people who don’t know each other, that is where I can make magic.

One example is a guest who confides in me that she is having a hard time finding a place to buy a home in Antwerp. I connect her with a trusted agent I personally know who specializes in what she says she is looking for.

Another example is a businessman who comes here often and recently seemed concerned because there was a small but important piece of his current transaction with which he was struggling. I was able to put him in touch with someone very specific, and they ended up working together.

In examples like these, where I am simply providing an introduction and letting the parties decide if they want to connect, I often get feedback that it was the most helpful part of the guest’s stay.

My passion is networking, and when you love something, you want to share it.

What do you do when you encounter someone who isn’t happy—maybe with good reason, maybe not?

The most important thing is to stop and listen.

Don’t talk. Listen.

Don’t explain. Listen.

Don’t justify. Listen.

Once the guest feels heard, I can see what I can do to turn the situation around. I have to feel their pain before I can be effective.

The one thing I will not do is be false about what can be done. I will present realistic alternatives, but I won’t just commiserate for the sake of commiserating.

To me, there is nothing worse than being part of a pity party.

If there is a problem, there will be possible solutions. I will be practical and I will be empathetic, but I will not hide the ball or engage in the blame game.

The guest will know that I am dealing with the matter directly and honestly, and I have always been able to come to a good outcome for a guest, whether the unhappiness comes from a legitimate problem or an emotional feeling.

Anything more you would like to comment on?

Today there is a lot of talk about Ai—artificial intelligence. Yes, we can and do use that tool to help guests, as long as we know the source of the information and double-check it.

But many are concerned about Ai replacing humans in the world. The one area where that will not happen is this job.

For me, I have the heart and soul of the guest as my top priority, and no Ai will ever be able to replace that. Ai cannot achieve the personalized service we offer or engage in the feedback loop that has us constantly improving the guest experience.

I developed a digital card that I give to guests as an aid to their enjoyment of the city. That card is just a supplement. It cannot do what Billy and I do as a team for our guests.

Every guest request, whether simple or complex, is an opportunity to create trust and deliver seamless, personalized experiences.

The magic is made with the human connection.

It is not an emotional feeling. It is in the soul of a true concierge.

It is in my soul.

I so enjoyed my interview with Antoine. In a city famous for finding and polishing diamonds, Antoine’s brilliance is unique. Many people in Antwerp and in the world are familiar with the Antwerp Six. In my estimation, Antoine is the Antwerp Fix!

Antoine gave me a parting gift of a small book of Antwerp’s hidden secrets.

As with all of my interviews, I decide to follow some of the suggestions I have learned from my subject. Antoine’s book suggest a wonderful garden called Begunhof that I have not visited yet, so I decide now is the time.

Begunhof dates back to the 16th century. Begijnhofen were communities where unmarried women lived together supporting each other financially and socially. They didn’t take monastic vows, but faith was important in their lives. Today all the buildings are inhabited by ordinary citizens (the last Beguine died in 1986) but the place still feels sacred and calm. I tram out to the university area and then walk about 15 minutes to find myself transported to another time.

It is still early and the day has gotten gorgeous, so I have time to go a little farther to Middleheim. This requires a bit of a bus ride followed by a 25 minutes walk. When I get off the bus, I feel like I am back in California. The weather and the houses and people all make it appear that I am walking in my neighborhood in Menlo Park.

I get to the entrance to Middleheim and talk to a docent about its history. Middleheim is a huge open air sculpture park with over 400 pieces of art on display. The area used to be used as a summer residence for rich merchants from Antwerp in the 18th century. It changed hands several times before being sold to the Antwerp municipality in 1910. I don’t know what I want to see, so I just start strolling.

I am so taken with this sculpture garden that I stay much longer than I intended. By the time I get back to my apartment it is getting dark. Fortunately for me, the terrazzo culture of Antwerp affords me the opportunity to just walk outside my door and sit down at one of the many cafes on my circle and have a lovely dinner.

It’s been a wonderful day! Thanks for following along. I have one last post from Antwerp and then I’m off to Ljubljana. Slovenia!