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HE MAY BE THE MOST WELL-CONNECTED MAN IN THE WORLD: JET-SETTER BEN ELLIOT IS THE OWNER OF THE GLOBAL LUXURY 24-HOUR CONCIERGE SERVICE, QUINTESSENTIALLY. (JUST RECENTLY THEY SET UP A ROMANTIC DINNER ON AN ICEBERG & AND EVEN SHUT DOWN SYDNEY HARBOR FOR A CLIENT TO PROPOSE!)

by Jera Lee Sutton

How did Quintessentially come about?
My partners and I saw there was a need in the UK for wealthy individuals to be properly looked after by a personalized and first rate concierge service. There was nothing that seemed up to standard at all and there was a demand for something proactive. Our members are generally very low on time, but they want the best that life has to offer, which we knew we could provide. Quintessentially launched in December 2000 as a small and targeted London-based concierge company, but within a year it was evident that there was a more global demand, so we began expanding. In a decade we are now in 61 cities globally and have 32 luxury sister businesses.

What are the membership levels?
There are several membership levels depending on a client’s needs: General membership?has an annual membership fee of £1,000. This provides members with access to the Ask?team, on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to deal with everything from last minute? restaurant recommendations and bookings, to travel arrangements, sourcing theatre?tickets, finding babysitters, plumbers, access to art previews and sporting events and all?other lifestyle requests. Dedicated membership is £2,500. This level of membership provides you with a Dedicated Lifestyle Manager in London, whose mission is to alleviate daily stresses with a complete lifestyle management service. A more personal and proactive level, this includes information on special discounts and exclusive access and advanced notice of upcoming events according to preference and travel location. Elite Membership starts at £24,000 and goes up depending on the global needs of the client. At this level, Quintessentially provides an exclusive team of personal Elite Account Managers in each Quintessentially territory, 24 hours a day, to cater for every whim, retaining discretion, promoting exclusivity and ensuring full-time on-site assistance wherever appropriate.

Who are your typical clients?
We really don’t have a “typical” client as we provide services for such a vast array of people. Many are entrepreneurs, but we also cater for business men and women, sports personalities, actors, royalty, politicians, and anyone else who wants the best that life has to offer.

How many clients do you have?
We never have more than 5000 members per office.

What countries are you in?
We are in 61 cities globally, including offices in USA, India, China, Greece, Ghana, Turkey, Malaysia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Portugal, Brazil, Thailand, Jordan, Panama, Korea, Singapore, Malta, Sweden, Russia, Canada, Austria, Australia, France, Ukraine, Colombia, Morocco, Lebanon and many more.

Has there ever been a request you couldn’t execute?
We strive to give our members access to the inaccessible and fulfill all their desires. We have accomplished some extraordinary requests in our time, including closing the Sydney Harbor for a member to propose, and hosting a romantic dinner on an iceberg for another couple. However, some things really are impossible. For instance, we’ve had a few requests in the past for tea with the Queen. Sadly, this is not something that we can do and at the moment we are being inundated with requests for front row seats at the Royal Wedding.

Is there one particular service that’s asked for most?
It is less about having one service that is more popular than the others–it’s the fact that we can offer expert service and advise globally, in over 32 different luxury industries. Obviously, we get a lot of the day-to-day requests like last minute restaurant bookings and emergency travel needs, but it’s the ability to immediately take care of the more unusual requests and emergencies that our members really cherish.

How many hours a day are you on your cell phone?
I spend a lot of my day in meetings or in the office, so not that much time is spent on my mobile.

If you were a client of Quintessentially, what services would you ask for?
I regularly use all the Quintessentially Services, most recently relying on the exceptional travel services provided by Quintessentially Travel for my trip to Kerala in India, but the whole Quintessentially team is invaluable to me.

Does your aunt, Camilla, Duchess of York, ever use Quintessentially?
I would not possibly comment on any of our members.

Finally, is it true you wanted to be magician before Quintessentially was formed?
Yes! I was a very bad conjurer called Merlin the Marvel as a child.