My wife, Christine, came back into the room after being at the shops, was
laden down with bags and they all thought she must be a star in the film.
There I was sitting with one of the best known TV stars in England and
nobody batted an eyelid but they all fussed around my wife!
The hotel is a big haunt for celebrities. I met Matt Lucas from Little Britain
in there and had a good chat with him, but he’s not a client. You can’t just
go into a bar and give someone a hard sell.
Is there much corporate hospitality in your job?
I’m a big motor sport fan and I have clients in the motor sport world. We’ve
taken a private suite at the British Grand Prix and been to Monza, Belgium
and Monaco. They’re great events and the clients love them.
Which airline do you choose on long haul trips?
I usually fly British Airways and always go business class. I’ve got an
executive club card and get upgraded on certain flights. I've been down to
Australia on Qantas and that was very good.
How do you pass the time on flights?
My greatest friend is my iPod, because I love my music. I’ve got a really nice
collection of about 20 vintage and acoustic guitars and I do a bit of
gigging, although I’m not that good as I only picked up the guitar ten years
ago and didn’t play it for long periods. I’ll listen to Pink Floyd, Dave
Gilmour, Steve Winwood, Al Green and some Motown and early blues stuff. If
you’re ever in New York, you have to visit Terra
Blues in Bleecker Street – it’s the best blues club I’ve ever been to.
I’ll also read autobiographies on flights. I’m just getting in to Sir Ian
Botham’s book and he’s had an interesting life, to say the least! I’ve also
read Eric Clapton’s book. Really it’s research, because I have to know about
these people in case I meet them and end up handling their finances!
I don’t drink on flights because I don’t drink much anyway, but I like the
food, which is usually good on BA.
What about short haul flights?
I use private jets to go around Europe. You can buy a private jet card for
£35,000 and that entitles you to ten hours flying on a 10-seater jet. So if
you make the most of it, it can actually be good value and certainly the
stars like it. Sometimes famous footballers do queue up at the Ryanair or
easyJet check in, but they would rather not.
