Taking it lying down

8 December 2007

TO GENEVA, for the glitzy opening party for Sir Rocco Forte’s newest hotel, Le Richemond. This grand hotel overlooking Lake Geneva used to be the Claridge’s of the city but the place went to seed before Forte snapped it up.

There were at least 700 guests enjoying the sumptuous buffet; the only snag being there weren’t enough tables for many of Geneva’s finest to sit down to eat. I was lucky enough to have been forewarned about this so was sitting happily in a booth, tucking into my grilled veal in the packed out new dining room, chatting with Stefanidis, when a bizarre Tiananmen Square social incident occurred.

Right in front of me, a distinguished looking man in a well-cut dark suit along with two society women dripping with diamonds and couture decided to lie down in a row in the middle of the dining room floor, champagne glasses in hand. The ringleader of this lie-down turned out to be Sir Rocco’s old friend, City figure Sir Ronald Grierson.

Within seconds of them prostrating themselves on the floor, and with Rocco Forte, his wife Lady Forte and Arnaud Bamberger, head of Cartier in Britain, just walking through the door, two horrified looking waiters arrived with three chairs and the rebel party was quickly adjoined to my table.

When I remarked to my unexpected new table companion that I had never seen such swift service in a hotel, Ronnie informed me that he used the “lie-down” ploy regularly. “It’s particularly effective in banks and post offices when you aren’t getting noticed,” he said. “I would strongly recommend it as way to get immediate service”.