Tamara Heber-Percy, the Mrs behind the bookings website, talks rejection, working with your spouse and what makes the perfect hotel
We kept having disastrous breaks. A weekend in the Lakes sold to us as a boutique spa hotel resulted in being unexpectedly weighed upon check-in and put on on a calorie-controlled diet – needless to say, it wasn’t the romantic getaway we were hoping for [the couple didn’t realise it was a health clinic]. We spent that night compiling our ultimate wishlist of what we wanted from a hotel guide. The world didn’t need another luxury hotel brochure. It needed a stylish, in-the-know handbook on the best boutique hotels. We considered all of the things that were important to us, such as what’s the best room to book?; does the bartender mix a mean martini?; can you get two in the bath? Our book needed to feel as though you were getting trusted recommendations from a friend.
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Success is often down to sheer hard graft
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