For Queennylon.
Thomas did the drive in record time. He was looking forward to his stay at the Hotel Beaumont in London's West End and desperately needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the airport and cure his jetlag with a beverage and a plush bed. He booked the The Beaumont on recommendation that it features Art Deco architecture that would "please the most astute critic".
"Period furniture from the twenties that work effortlessly with their modern refurbishments. A bit pricey but well worth it!" Remarked his art nerd friend, Jess.
Stepping out of his Porsche 911, Tom greeted the bellhop that offered to park his car and gestured at the entrance where he was greeted warmly by the doorman. "Give this tag to Evelynn at the concierge, she'll have our team bring your luggage up." The doorman, James (as his namebadge would suggest), smiled and uttered.
With that Tom paced his way over to Reception. In view were checkerboard floors in black and white marble, the rounded contours of retro-inspired furniture shapes and decorative columns detailed with bands of gold and brass, ornate gilded frames containing the finest oil paintings, and highly polished mahogany wooden wall panels drench it in exquisite glamour.
"Welcome to The Beaumont!" Exclaimed a bubbly, charming voice. The owner of said voice wore a smart, form-fitting blazer in navy with a matching shift dress. The shift dress featured a diamond jacquard trim around the waist and collar that makes a perfect nod to the Art Deco heritage of the hotel. To Tom, Evelynn was definitely easy on the eyes with her soft features and elegant blonde hair that was tied neatly into a bun.
"Nice to meet you, Evelynn." Tom said as he glanced at her brass namebadge. "Hoping to check in under the name Thomas Bradford?"
"Just Eve is fine! Nice to meet you too. I'll just need you passport, a card that I can hold for incidentals and your booking details please."
"Quiet day? I would have expected a place of this size to have at least two concierge." Tom tried to make small talk as Eve checks for his reservation.
"Oh, Danielle is on her break at the moment so it's just me holding the fort down."
Something caught the corner of Tom's eyes as Eve waltzed over to the back counter to fetch his keycards, Eve's legs appeared smooth and blemish-free and her modest heels had Tom's heart racing for more than a second. "I wonder if she's wearing nylons. That's so rare even among concierge these days."
"Here we are, since it's off-season I've taken the liberty of upgrading you to our Deluxe Suite which has a king bed and a spa! Room 1306, it's on Level 13. We have your card on file so you can have that back. Welcome to The Beaumont once again. Oh, don't forget to try the cookies. We just had some brought up from the kitchen. I've been caught stealing them more than once." Eve giggled then handed Tom his keycards, a brochure with information about the hotel and a brief guide to London.
Tom shoved the keycards into his pocket, grabbed a couple of the bite-size chocolate cookies that were resting on a gorgeous square tray near the reception area and headed for the elevator. As he rounded he corner, he glanced back over his shoulder toward the concierge desk to see Eve give the other girl, presumably Danielle, a hug as she returned from her shift. Danielle then glanced around and lifted the hem of her dress to pull up what appeared to be matte nude stockings; giving the bands a tug to ensure they're secure. The cookies disappeared almost instantaneously as the elevator doors opened. "Hmm, Eve was right. These ARE good." That little encounter definitely worked up Tom's appetite.
The elevator hummed with efficiency and John Coltrane's "Mr. Day" was playing quietly in the background as the button for 16 was pressed. Before he knew it, Tom was greeted with a lavishly designed suite that was fit for anything discerning traveler; featuring a plush King bed, as promised, and a gorgeous view of the Grosvenor Square and beyond.
Tom was delighted to find that not only was his luggage brought up and already in his room but also arranged neatly in a dedicated corner. On his plush king bed was a handwritten welcome note from the Concierge team that ended with "Dial 0 for Concierge if you ever need anything." Tom thought it was nice touch and the hotel was meeting and beating all of his expectations so far; thinking that he might just take them on that offer to test their service.
He headed straight for the minibar to grab some ice, and casually threw a handful of cubes into the nearest tumbler and poured himself a drink from the complimentary selection. "Lagavulin 16, my they really shouldn't have!"
The thought of over-indulging never really occurred to Tom but after a quick shower and shave, he gravitated back towards the bar and made himself a couple more drinks. "Why not indeed, I am on vacation after all." Before he knew it, the geometric carpet was spinning before his eyes and had blurred into a kaleidoscopic mess. With a thump, he collapsed like a wounded beast on his king bed...