UK Edition
'Whatever our clients want, I make it happen': Head concierge at Claridge’s admits he faked press passes to get guests into show
The head concierge at Claridge's hotel has revealed how he recently secured tickets for a group of guests desperate to see a show by getting fake press passes made for them.
Martin Ballard has worked at the exclusive London establishment for 37 years. Known as "Mr Fixit" and "Lord of the Lobby", he is regularly asked by guests - who pay up to £8,400 per night if they want to stay in the royal suite at the hotel - for help to improve their stay.
"Whatever our clients want, I make it happen," he disclosed in an interview with The London Magazine. "That can mean booking flights, getting a BlackBerry fixed, or finding tickets to sold-out shows.
"Audrey Hepburn asked me to get her brother into the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera – tough but I managed it – and this week some clients want to see a show but can only make the press night. I’m getting badges made and they’ll make out they’re journalists."
Journalists are sometimes offered tickets to shows for free, or may get exclusive access to a show before tickets are available to the public for the purposes of reviewing.
Mr Ballard, the son of a London taxi driver, also said knowing the city "inside out" allows him to recommend places to visit, though sometimes he has to admit defeat when dealing with clients' more outlandish demands.
"I love being able to give guests the inside track. I often recommend smaller museums such as the Sir John Soane’s – it has plans of what London would look like if we hadn’t spent so much money fighting France," he said.
"The requests never cease to shock me. One client wanted to land a helicopter in the middle of Wimbledon.
"It’s one of the few times I’ve had to say no – I live there and knew it wasn’t possible. But on my way home that night I saw a helicopter land in the playground of King’s College School. The client laughed at me and said I was losing my juice."
Though London is "food capital of Europe" he said "the most romantic dinner in London is Claridge’s room service. You can drink fine wine by the light of a candelabra".