The Art of Caring is about Hotel Okura Amsterdam’s values and principles. Which become increasingly visible during the festive season. Because, after all, December is a time for giving back and for sharing, for presents and for faces full of joy. Listen to this heart-warming story about our special Christmas traditions.

In Japan, they have their Gingko tree; the Western world has its Christmas tree. Every year, millions of households across the world lovingly decorate this evergreen tree with lights, ornaments and tinsel to inject a little light and cosiness into the home during the darkest days of the year. And even though the Christmas tree wasn’t part of traditional Japanese culture, Hotel Okura Amsterdam also decorates a special Christmas tree every year.

After Christmas, Hotel Okura selected a charity to receive this very special donation: the Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam, which cares for children with complex or chronic diseases. The following year, Van Aelst came up with a new theme for the Christmas tree. This time, the hotel was flooded with vehicles from all over the world: rickshaws, sleighs, carriages, trams, camels – even a flying carpet! And, of course, these gifts were also donated after the holiday period.

The start of this special Christmas tradition also marked the start of a long, heart-felt relationship between Hotel Okura Amsterdam and the Emma Children’s Hospital. Since 1994, the hotel and the hospital have joined forces on numerous occasions to organise charity events, such as the charity gala in 1998, which was held to raise money to set up a kitchen for teenage patients at the hospital. To this day, chefs from Hotel Okura Amsterdam still organise cooking workshops to teach patients all about the secrets of Okura’s cuisine. Since 2016, Hotel Okura Amsterdam has also contributed to the Okura-Emma@work award, a prize that is awarded every year to employers who have taken on young people with a chronic illness or physical disability.