Helvetia Hotel

Star Guests

A music agency booked a hotel suite for a Russian pop diva. The rider came with a set of fairly standard requirements: an executive suite, air temperature in the rooms had to be strictly 23°C, etc., but these were followed by “All windows and window-frames securely draped with black fabric. No joints or seams. One hundred percent light-proof at any time of day.” To me, this was a totally new one.

I called the manager in the morning, asking what the black draping on the windows was for. Their answer left me in shock. It transpired that the diva had undergone numerous plastic surgeries. Among the several surgeries that had gone wrong, one had caused irreparable damage to her eyelids, so that even the tiniest sliver of light disturbs her slumbers.

We decided to leave the window apertures alone. Instead we scotch-taped each windowpane individually with black garbage bags, the thickest kind.

The diva’s stay was a success. In fact, she turned out to be a modest, tactful and intelligent person. Over the years, I have discovered that the more successful, professionally fulfilled and sought-after a celebrity is, the fewer tantrums and demands of “special treatment” you get. The real stars are exceptionally hardworking people. They have had to work really hard for their success – sometimes to the detriment of their health and personal life.