Meeting… Liran Wizman Sleeper sits down with the founder of Sircle Collection to talk rebrands, reimaginings and reopenings. Words: Kristofer Thomas
L
ike most, Liran Wizman’s 2020 has
The Sircle story began in 2006 with the
been one of change, though even
acquisition of Park Hotel Amsterdam – an early
before Covid-19 forced the Sircle
20th century building in a prime spot between
Collection founder to temporarily
Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark reimagined by
shutter his hotels and step into the
FG Stijl – though by this time, Tel-Aviv-born
unknown, transformation had been
Wizman had already turned heads with the
afoot. Sircle Collection – formerly Europe
founding of Grand City Hotels Group in 2001; a
Hotels Private Collection – entered the new
hotel management company that quickly grew
decade with a new identity to boot; a rebrand
to become one of Europe’s largest.
that was as much about fresh beginnings as it
Previously a lawyer and economist before his
was the reimagined logo, name, website and
shift into hospitality development, Wizman’s
guest portal. Drawing inspiration from the
keen sense for potential, feasibility and the
group’s Sir Hotels brand – arguably its flagship
intricacies of a restless market have seen his
label with hotels in Berlin, Amsterdam, Ibiza
portfolio evolve to become one of the more
and Barcelona – the collection unites these
curated in the region. But while Park Hotel
with properties under the Max Brown and Park
Amsterdam – now Park Centraal Amsterdam
Centraal banners, as well as three F&B concepts
– was far from his first hotel in the industrial
and an extensive archive of artwork.
sense, it marked his first steps into the design
“It’s all connected, and shares the same DNA, so we wanted to bring it together and treat it as
side of hotel life – the culmination of a longstanding draw to the creative process.
such,” Wizman explains. “As a name, I think
“From the first moment we started working
Sircle really says a lot – it’s something we’ve
with hotels as investors, the idea that you could
managed to bring together as one family, to
truly turn around these properties with a bit of
connect all those dots.”
attention was a big draw for me,” he explains.
