20 entries

The journal

Notes from the concierge desk on the things that actually decide whether an evening works. Dress codes that explain nothing, reservations in languages you do not speak, the passport rule that cancels trips at the gate.

A wedding place card written in ink propped against a folded linen napkin, a gold-rimmed coupe and a candle beside it.

EtiquetteAugust 2026

A wedding is a twelve-hour booking, not an evening

Weddings are the longest bookings we arrange and the ones clients prepare for least. Almost all of the preparation happens before you post the reply card back.

A shredder beside a desk at night, a single sheet half fed into it under a brass lamp.

PrivacyJuly 2026

What a booking leaves behind, and how long it lasts

An evening creates records in about nine places and only three of them are ours. Here is the whole list, how long each one lives, and which ones you can have deleted on request.

A leather bill folder open on a white tablecloth, a printed bill and a fountain pen inside it, folded notes in the pocket.

DiningJuly 2026

Tipping in ten cities, and the people who are not on the bill

In most of the cities we work in the tip is already printed on the bill. The awkward part is the driver, the coat check, and the doorman who stood in the rain until a car appeared.

Two coupe glasses on a marble bar at a party, a blurred room of guests behind them.

EtiquetteJuly 2026

What to say when someone asks how you two met

The question arrives within twenty minutes at every event. Decide the answer before you arrive, keep it short, and give it to your companion in writing.

A handwritten seating plan on a card table beside place cards and a fountain pen, by lamplight.

EtiquetteJuly 2026

Seating plans, and what to do when the host decides for you

Where the two of you sit decides how the evening goes, and someone else usually decides it. What to ask for in advance, and how to handle being split up without it looking like a problem.

A letterpress invitation card propped on a mantelpiece beside a folded black bow tie.

Creative black tie, and other dress codes that explain nothing

Invitations use phrases with no fixed meaning and then enforce them at the door. Here is what each one usually turns out to want.

An empty hinoki sushi counter in Ginza, eight seats set with chopstick rests under a single warm light.

DiningJune 2026

How to book a Ginza counter when you do not speak Japanese

The best small rooms in Tokyo take reservations by phone, in Japanese, from names they recognise. There are ways around each of those.

A passport open on a leather desk beside a boarding pass and a watch, from directly above.

The passport rule that cancels trips at the gate

A valid passport is not the same as an accepted one. Most trips that fall apart do so over a six month rule nobody checked.

A closed leather ledger on a desk with a brass key resting on the cover, lit from one side.

PrivacyMay 2026

Discretion is a set of procedures, not a promise

Every agency in this industry says it is discreet. The question worth asking is what specifically they do, and what they hold on file.

A Mayfair club doorway at night, brass handrail and a velvet rope, rain on the pavement.

City guidesApril 2026

London club nights: what the door actually checks

Private clubs in St James’s and Mayfair run on rules that are rarely written down in full. Four of them account for most of the awkwardness.

A laptop closed on a hotel writing desk beside a notepad and a cup of coffee, morning light.

TravelMarch 2026

Ten minutes on a video call before four days away

For any booking over four days we arrange a call first. It costs nothing and it is the single most useful thing in the process.

A long dinner table laid for twelve in a panelled private room, chairs pushed back before service.

EtiquetteFebruary 2026

Introducing your companion to a table of colleagues

The first two minutes set the tone for the whole evening. A name, a role, and one thing they can be asked about is all it takes.

A restaurant pass at service, printed tickets clipped above stainless steel under warm light.

DiningFebruary 2026

What happens to a dietary note between the form and the kitchen

A dietary requirement passes through four sets of hands before it reaches a stove. Most of them cannot tell a preference from an allergy unless you say so, and the wording you choose decides how seriously it is treated.

A hotel terrace bar in Dubai after dark, glass towers behind a still reflecting pool.

City guidesJanuary 2026

Dubai: what a licensed venue changes about the evening

Almost every question visitors ask about an evening in Dubai has the same answer, which is that it depends where you are standing. A practical guide to the difference a licence makes and the rules that apply everywhere.

An open cabin case on a hotel bed at night, a dinner jacket in a garment sleeve laid beside it.

StyleDecember 2025

Packing for four days when two of them have dress codes

A four-day trip with a black tie evening and a business dinner in it fits into one carry-on, but only if you decide the shoes first. The working method, and the two things worth paying a hotel to fix.

A hotel reception desk late at night, two key card wallets on marble under a low brass lamp.

TravelNovember 2025

Two names, one reservation, and other hotel bookings that go wrong

Most hotel awkwardness happens at the front desk in the first four minutes, and almost all of it is caused by a reservation that was made without deciding a few things first. What to book, and what to say at check-in.

A cloakroom counter at night, one numbered brass tag left on the wood beside a folded coat.

EtiquetteOctober 2025

How to leave an evening early without making it a story

Leaving at ten when the room expects midnight is easy if you decided at seven. The mechanics of an early exit, the one sentence that closes it, and why the goodbye is the part people remember.

A leather-bound wine list open on a white linen table beside two empty glasses, by candlelight.

DiningOctober 2025

Ordering wine when you are not the one who knows about wine

You do not need to know anything about wine to order it well at a business dinner. You need one number, one question, and the willingness to hand the list to somebody competent.

A shuttered Paris restaurant front in summer sun, a plain paper notice taped inside the glass door and a folded cafe chair chained beside it.

City guidesSeptember 2025

Paris in August, when the city you booked for is shut

The restaurant you chose in June has a paper notice on the door and reopens in September. What actually stays open through the annual closure, and why August is a better week in Paris than people think.

A camera on a strap resting on a bar top at an event, the room beyond out of focus.

PrivacyAugust 2025

Photographs at events: who can take them, and what you can ask for

Event photographers, guests with phones and the venue social account all operate under different rules. What to decide before you arrive, and the two sentences that handle it on the night.

Something you would like covered?

If a question comes up often enough we write it down. Send it to the concierge desk.

Or write to hello@naughtyescort.com. Concierge Monday to Sunday, 09:00 to 23:00 local time.

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