Couples message the night desk with all kinds of plans. A wedding anniversary spent in a London hotel. A visiting pair with one free evening and no idea where to go. Partners who enjoy a fresh voice at dinner and someone who knows the city after dark. This encounter adds one companion to that evening, as good company for both of you.
It is booked on the ordinary ladder, one fee for her time however many guests share it: £250 for an hour, £900 for the four hour dinner length. Her fee is settled with her directly when she arrives, and it buys time and companionship only.
The desk likes to hear from both partners before anything is confirmed. Usually one of you writes, and a short line from the other, in the same chat or a second message, settles it. That is not bureaucracy. An evening for three only works when everyone at the table wanted it, and the companion deserves to know that too.
A typical plan. 19:00, drinks at your hotel bar, where she meets you both. 19:45, a short walk to a table in Covent Garden, or a pre theatre menu before a show on the Strand. 22:30, the curtain comes down and the three of you walk back through the lanes for a last glass at the Beaufort Bar at The Savoy. She knows which streets are quiet at that hour and which bars still have a table. Theatreland rooms a short walk from that stretch of the Strand appear in the Soho and Covent Garden notes.
A good companion for a couple divides her attention evenly. She will not pick a favourite, take sides in a friendly argument or leave either of you out of the conversation. She asks the questions a local friend would ask, points out the dish worth ordering, and notices when one of you is flagging before either says so.
Browse the rota side by side, or describe what you both enjoy: art, music, food, a long walk. Henrietta sends two or three names who suit a mixed table and you choose between you. If one of you is quieter than the other, mention it; a calm, chatty companion can change the whole evening.
Not every couples booking happens after dark. A Saturday afternoon at the galleries of Mayfair, lunch somewhere with a long wine list, a walk through St James's Park before an early dinner: two or three hours in daylight suit visiting couples who want a guide to the city as much as company. She knows where the queues are short and which museum cafés are worth sitting down in.
Michelle, from Chelsea, looks after everyone at a table without ever appearing to. Tina, 158 cm and Covent Garden based, is quick, confident and warm, and knows the lanes of WC2 by heart. Nancy, also from Covent Garden, is thirty, sunny and relaxed enough that a changed plan never becomes a problem. Lea, from Belgravia, has an eye for interiors and a sweet, spontaneous nature. Michelle and Nancy appear under curvaceous.
The evening can stay in: dinner sent up to a suite in Knightsbridge, a good bottle, a long conversation. Or it can go out and come back. Either way the check is the same, done once in the chat, and nobody at reception is involved; the SW1 discreet stay notes show where two guests draw the least notice. Book a little longer than you would for one guest, since three people take more time to settle than two.
Most couples book a day or two ahead, which gives the widest choice. Same night requests are welcome too. Cancelling or moving the time with three hours' notice costs nothing, and the booking page shows every step. Write together, and Henrietta will reply to you both.
Straight answers from the night desk. Anything missing goes to Henrietta in one message.
No. She is booked for her time, and an hour of it costs the same however many guests share it: £250, then up the ladder like any encounter.
Ideally, yes. A message from each partner, or a line from the second in the same chat, confirms that the evening is a shared decision.
Yes. Buy three seats, book three hours or the four hour dinner length so there is time for a drink afterwards, and she joins you in the foyer or at your hotel beforehand.
Beyond Zone 2 the desk adds her return cab to the quote, so you still agree a single figure. At Heathrow or Gatwick, the three hour minimum applies.
Gladly. Tell the desk your hotel and what you both like, and her suggestions come back with the confirmation, usually a table close enough to walk to.
Describe the plan for couples in a line or two, and the desk comes back with names, a figure and a time.
