When Martin Ballard started working as a pageboy at Claridge’s in London in 1980 things were very different. “The hotel had a dedicated glass and china department!” laughs the South London native, now the hotel’s head concierge.
“When I started, you had the concierge and the inquiry office, which were two different things. I wound up getting an apprenticeship in the inquiry office, then moved to the concierge desk in ’82.”
Ballard stayed in the department until 1991—then took a break to travel through Asia, Australia and the U.S.—and later returned the following year. “I’ve been at Claridge’s ever since. I still enjoy it after all this time.”
Top Picks
Emerging Neighborhood: Near the Tower Bridge and The Shard—the tallest building in London—is Bermondsey, an up-and-coming area in a really old part [of the city]. When I was young, no one used to go down there, because it was home to a vinegar factory. Now, there’s the White Cube art gallery, a few very good Italian restaurants and the housing is great. This is where poor people lived before the war, in traditional one up-, one down-style houses and all the traditional facades have been preserved.
Best New Restaurant: Kitty Fisher’s is a very small, little restaurant that everyone wants to go to. It’s in Shepherd Market, a cul-de-sac of streets you enter through a small little alcove that was our red-light district years ago. The food, by chef Tom Parry, is modern English and the atmosphere is like an intimate private club.
Quintessential Pub: You couldn’t get 40 people in the Grenadier, a quaint little pub that I love situated behind the Barclay Hotel in Knigthsbridge. It’s decorated with pictures of the Duke of Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo and even has a [sentry box] out front. They serve a very good fish and chips.
Must-See Play: Right now you have The Audience in New York with Helen Mirren and in about a month it will be playing at the Apollo with Dame Kristin Scott Thomas. It’s about her Majesty the Queen and her audience with Prime Ministers throughout the years.
Under-the-Radar Museum: Not many people know about Sir John Soane’s Museum, which is in this very small house at #13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Soane was a famous architect of the empire as well as an explorer, so inside you’ll find lots of interesting [artifacts] from India and Egypt.
Royal Spotting: Every time I’ve spotted royals it’s been while walking about James Park. Sometimes you can see Charles in the car. There’s also a club on Dover Street, called Mahiki, that Prince Harry uses a lot. It’s a nice [Tiki-style] cocktail place with a fun, mixed crowd and a VIP section.
Shopping Spree: Liberty on Regent Street is quintessentially very, very English. Whether you’re young, middle-aged, [or] whatever, you can find something great at this department store: men’s clothes, women’s clothes, candles, flowers… all housed in an interesting 100-year-old Tudor building. It’s a place where you should go if you want to be dressed like an English person, if there’s such a thing.
Local’s Secret: There’s is a very, very interesting cinema called Electric Cinema on Portobello Road where you’ll only find locals. The reasons it’s so popular is because it feels like someone’s house, you go in there and it’s so comfortable. They play a mix of new releases, independent films and great old movies like Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster.
Must-Have Souvenir: Tea from Fortnum & Mason you have to bring back. The store has a royal warrant, which means the Queen shops there. Their Earl Grey is very light, but I love it.
Best Room in the House: One of the best rooms I think is the Diane von Furtsenberg-designed Grand Piano Suite on the third floor. It’s not the most expensive, but it’s a very interesting suite with lots of nice pictures on the wall, fabrics in colors that work well, [marble fireplace] and a grand Steinway. A lot of interesting guests have stayed there over the years—but I can’t tell you who.
Speed Round
Age: 54
Neighborhood: Wimbledon
Minibar temptation: “A bottle of gin, preferably Tanqueray No. 10”
Favorite hotel in the world: The Splendido in Portofino. “The view, the swimming pool, the food, the smell of the flowers… it’s very romantic.”
Next vacation: New York City
Most outrageous guest request: “I couldn’t possibly tell you; there’s a lady present.”
A great concierge is: Humorous.
A $10,000 Day
We asked Martin Ballard to plan for us a single, singular day London. Here’s what he came up with.
“I would arrange a tour of the top British gun makers Holland & Holland’s gun rooms and factory. Holland & Holland were founded in 1835 and have become one of the best known and highly regarded London gun and rifle makers. Following that you would attend the Burberry London Fashion Week catwalk show—sitting front row of course. For the afternoon, you would play tennis at Wimbledon with former UK number-one, Greg Rusedski. Following this, a private view of the hottest ticket in town: the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A museum, which has received a rapturous reception here in London. We can then hire a private capsule on the London Eye to enjoy cocktails while the sun sets over London followed by an eight-course tasting menu at the chef’s table at Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing’s restaurant Marcus [previously known as Marcus at The Berkeley] in Knightsbridge.”
Fortune’s Concierge Black Book is an occasional series in which we interview guides in the world’s most desirable locations. For more, visit fortune.com/tag/black-book
