Places with a Soul. Who Knows How to Find Them?
www.posiv.cz ǀ 53
POSITIV MAN
How difficult is it to lead a team of people
who are tasked with deciding what
qualifies as a magical place?
Sometimes I feel like there’s a bit too much
democracy in Amazing Places, and that’s
something I do occasionally struggle with.
We have regular team meetings called
“pizza thumbs,” where everyone has
an equal vote to decide whether a place
that wants to be featured actually makes
the cut. But even if it’s not always popular,
I do sometimes use my veto power
and insist on my own judgement.
Have you ever considered turning
Amazing Places into a franchise –
perhaps allowing regional curators
to discover new magical places?
We thought about expanding abroad
and even held talks with some interested
parties a few years back, but for now,
it’s on indefinite hold. At the moment,
everything is still created in-house here
in Karlín.
Every project has its turning points. Was
there ever a moment when you felt like
closing down Amazing Places or giving
up? Did you ever think it might not
be worth it? What kept you going?
I never really felt like giving up entirely,
but there were certainly moments
of frustration and burnout. The last time
was probably about five years ago, when
I had to replace 80% of the team. It reached
a point of complete disconnect – ironically,
just as we had begun successfully supporting
our partners during the Covid pandemic.
But a few weeks later, we started anew.
That was when Vašek Vítek came on board
and became the director of Amazing
Places, along with new colleagues who
were true professionals in our field. Thanks
to them, we managed to move the project
forward in a big leap.
Working in travel is beautiful, but surely
also full of hidden stress. What keeps
you going during the tough times?
The people who follow us and support us.
That kind of encouragement always gives
me a huge boost. And also the people
behind all those magical projects you’ll
find on our website and social media –
they’re an endless source of inspiration for
me.
What fulfils you the most these days –
and what drains you? Do you find time
for yourself and your hobbies?
I try to, but more often than not, work
catches up with me. In recent years, though,
I’ve found a peaceful retreat on the other
side of the world – in Bali – where I can
truly reset. One thing I still struggle with
is managing my meeting schedule. For
example, I’m doing this interview with you
at ten in the evening, and tomorrow I have
back-to-back meetings from morning
until late afternoon. I already know all
the emails and tasks will be waiting for
me once I finally get home. But the plan
is to change that – hopefully soon.
What are the criteria for including
a place in the Amazing Places selection?
Does it have to be run by a Czech owner?
There’s no requirement that the owner
must be Czech. It’s true that we started
by selecting places within the Czech
Republic only, but that changed over
the years, and we soon expanded to include
locations in neighbouring countries. What
really matters to us are the stories behind
the places and their owners – that’s one
of the key things we look into. There are,
of course, many other criteria as well:
a place must be 100% customer-focused,
which means excellent service, friendly staff,
and naturally, high-quality accommodation.
Many people imagine a magical place
as a cottage in the mountains. Do you
also include urban destinations? What
determines whether that special charm
works even in the middle of a city?
All of the previously mentioned criteria
apply, but atmosphere and location
are especially important here. Not all,
but many of the places we feature have
what’s known as a genius loci – and that’s
often true of those located in cities.
Olomouc, Mikulov, Kutná Hora or Český
Krumlov – these are inherently enchanting
places, and we simply aim to help people
rediscover them.
Where would you like to take the Amazing
Places project next – do you have a long-
term dream or a specific vision?
That’s a story for another time. There
are so many things I still want to achieve
with Amazing Places – for example, I’d
love for it not to be just for people in the
Czech Republic, but to expand across
the globe. That’s actually why, a few
months ago, we bought the domain www.
amazingplaces.com from its Dutch owner.
The biggest motivation is still the same:
to keep the project fun and inspiring for
as many people as possible.
If you could give one piece of advice
to someone thinking about starting their
own project, what would it be?
Don’t let money be the measure of success.
What matters is that you believe in it 100%
and go after it, even if everyone else tells
you it’s nonsense. If you truly believe
in something, there’s a good chance it will
one day become real. Not the other way
around.
Today, people see you as the founder
of a successful brand. Do you ever think
about starting something completely
new – something different?
I do – and I’m excited to say that I’ll be able
to reveal more very soon. For instance,
we’re just now launching a new project
after a four-year journey, called Kouzelné
chaloupky – which in many ways builds
on what we’ve done with Amazing Places.
There are more projects in the pipeline,
and I hope we’ll be introducing them
in the near future.
Thank you for the interview.
What maers most is making
fast decisions – especially
when it comes to choosing
the right people around you.