Top 10 tips for being your own concierge

Quintessentially is a private members' club offering what it calls "global concierge services" and one of Quintessentially's founders agreed to share his tips. These ones are free.

Quintessentially is a private members' club offering what it calls "global concierge services". What that means is that for Dh16,250 a year, they will arrange almost anything for you - from dinner reservations to finding a lost camera in Shanghai to hiring a published novelist to be a child's tutor. On a recent visit to Dubai, Paul Drummond, one of Quintessentially's founders, agreed to share his top 10 tips for being your own concierge. These ones are free:
1 Make friends. The quality of your life is directly linked to who you know. Network like crazy.
2 Be charming. And sociable and nice and polite. People like to deal with people they like. Make sure you are one of them.
3 Get upgraded. You can fake deep-vein thrombosis but an easier option is to employ the above two tips on airline staff. Airlines also reward loyalty so try to stick to one and get the air miles card.
4 Look the part. At least appear to be the kind of person exclusive places want. Dress snappily and make sure you are well-groomed.
5 Never try to be funny. At least when it comes to getting into exclusive clubs. Bouncers do not have a sense of humour. And whatever you do, do not say, "Don't you know who I am?" He does not. And he doesn't care.
6 Chat up the maître d'. At exclusive restaurants like The Ivy in London there are 80 seats. The maître d' will hold back around 40 a day for preferred clients. Become one of those clients by being charming, well-dressed and polite.
7 Get passionate about something. If the Grand Prix is your thing, then network within that world and tickets will flow your way. Join the local autodrome, go online and meet like-minded friends.
8 Spend money in the right places. If you want an invitation to the Paris fashion shows, then go and spend a lot of money there. Next year you will be on the preferred guest list.
9 Treat everyone like your best friend. You never know when they might come in useful.
10 Get a little black card. Join the Quintessential Club and you won't need any of the above tips. Paul and colleagues will do it all for you. But of course he'd suggest that.
Quintessentially has offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Bahrain and Kuwait. Reach the Dubai office at 04 437 6800 and the Abu Dhabi office at 02 622 4545.