Matchbox magazine recently featured an interview with Emyr Thomas, which we have posted here for you to read. The original article can be seen here.
Name, age and job title – Emyr Thomas , 30, Director
When did you start Bon Vivant and why? I started Bon Vivant in early 2009 as I saw a gap in the market for proving a highly personalised and affordable lifestyle service. Bon Vivant offers affordable luxury, which is far more accessible than other concierge companies and focuses on great client service.
Why should one use Bon Vivant? Bon Vivant is aimed at people who lead busy lives who want great service, access and our insider knowledge, who don’t have the time, inclination or expertise themselves. They also have special perks at hotels, restaurants and lifestyle services all over the world.
What does your work involve? We arrange the lives of our members, involving anything from arranging holidays, booking restaurants and bars, and advising on a range of lifestyle services – anything from sourcing sold out tickets to finding the best decorator.
Where do you live? In Clerkenwell. It’s central and has excellent restaurants.
How many people are on the Bon Vivant team? As a relatively new company, there’s a small team of us at the moment but we’re making big strides and looking to expand shortly.
How many clients do you look after? We give every client a personal concierge as standard, so each person only ever deals with a limited number of clients so that we can give everyone a great level of personal service and learn our clients’ tastes to make better recommendations.
Describe a typical day at Bon Vivant for me? The beauty of the job is that every day is a little different, depending on the specific request from our members, although we do speak to restaurants often!
What is the most common request? It usually involves restaurants as it’s the activity that people do most often in their social life – we keep our members informed of all the new openings and the best restaurant for them based on what they like.
Who’s your favourite celebrity client? Unfortunately, we can’t disclose any information about our clients – discretion is assured!
Who’s your fantasy client? A client with peculiar requests can be great fun!
What’s the one thing you’d like to say to your clients but can’t? It would make things easier if clients were more specific, but it’s up to us to pre-empt what they like and sometimes work it out for ourselves as we try not to bother them too much.
Should you tip a concierge? Our members pay us a monthly or annual subscription, so there’s no need to tip us, but you should tip a hotel concierge if they are particularly helpful.
Where do you go for a drink at the end of a long day? I love the bars at the Connaught – The warmth and intimacy of the Coburg Bar and the glamour of the Connaught Bar.
What’s the best restaurant in London and why? Marcus Wareing for fine dining, Scott’s for the glamour and Caravan on Exmouth Market for a local gem.
What’s the best bar in London and why? I love hotel bars such as The Connaught, Donovan Bar at Brown’s and Artesian at the Langham – they offer great drinks in a beautiful setting with impeccable service.
Where is the best place for cocktails in London and why? Duke’s and Rules for old school classics and Callooh Callay and 69 Colebrooke Row for a modern take on the classics.
Where should you go in London to escape the crowds? Collect a picnic from Melrose and Morgan in Primrose Hill and enjoy the view of London from the top of the hill in style.
If you want to get an upgrade (at your hotel) you should… be polite, well mannered and well dressed and ask if they have availability. You should also mention if it’s a special occasion. Using a concierge service will also help as we have arrangements with hotels all over the world to give our members excellent perks.
What is the best part of your business? The variety and knowing we are making a difference to the lives of our members.
What is the worst part of your business? It can involve long hours, but thankfully it’s very rewarding, so you really don’t mind working every hour of the day!
No one knows this but… I was a national folk dance champion!
For further information on Bon Vivant and how we could help you, please visit www.bonvivant.co.uk.
Related posts:
Pingback: London Alfresco Dining - a Top 10 list | GoUK.com