GGL Ritz do tonight (10/10)
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: London/Beijing/Sub saharan Africa
Programs: GGL, BA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 67
GGL Ritz do tonight (10/10)
For those of you not invited or did not come - tough luck. This was BA at its best at the best hotel in London. The evening deserves a longer report than this - perhaps another FT scribe would like to contribute but let me say:-
1. Great reception with a genuine attempt to help people mingle; and
2. Fantastic wines with the buyers on hand to explain why they bought this wine for BA.
I have not even mentioned the food prepared and delivered over four courses by one of the top three chefs in the world.
The only negative was an intervention by a guest who tried to disparage the contribution by another BA guest giving the vote of thanks but otherwise a 5 star evening. If the critic is a FT member perhaps he could explain his point or otherwise shut up.
More to follow.
1. Great reception with a genuine attempt to help people mingle; and
2. Fantastic wines with the buyers on hand to explain why they bought this wine for BA.
I have not even mentioned the food prepared and delivered over four courses by one of the top three chefs in the world.
The only negative was an intervention by a guest who tried to disparage the contribution by another BA guest giving the vote of thanks but otherwise a 5 star evening. If the critic is a FT member perhaps he could explain his point or otherwise shut up.
More to follow.
#3
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL & CCR, GFL
Posts: 495
The only negative was an intervention by a guest who tried to disparage the contribution by another BA guest giving the vote of thanks but otherwise a 5 star evening. If the critic is a FT member perhaps he could explain his point or otherwise shut up.
More to follow.
More to follow.
Extolling the virtues of BA? Or somewhat of a diatribe against his polite hosts?
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: London/Beijing/Sub saharan Africa
Programs: GGL, BA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 67
KARFA - you let me down. My wife was at LGW en route to Seville and texting me to say having boarded they faced a four hour delay for take off due to the ATC issues in France. My guest for the evening had cancelled on short notice ( his grandees funeral). How could I not have considered you were the freeloader I needed, be more proactive in future.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: London/Beijing/Sub saharan Africa
Programs: GGL, BA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 67
As far as I recall the guest was recalling an anecdote about how BA had helped him in foreign climes when he was interrupted by another guest who said he should get to the issue of why BA was useless. He was ignored and the evening progressed.
#6
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL & CCR, GFL
Posts: 495
And it's good to hear BA are inviting FT-ers to speak at these events!
#7
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Glasgow / London
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 3,457
KARFA - you let me down. My wife was at LGW en route to Seville and texting me to say having boarded they faced a four hour delay for take off due to the ATC issues in France. My guest for the evening had cancelled on short notice ( his grandees funeral). How could I not have considered you were the freeloader I needed, be more proactive in future.
Sounds like a great night. Glad you enjoyed it ^
#8
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,996
For those of you not invited or did not come - tough luck. This was BA at its best at the best hotel in London. The evening deserves a longer report than this - perhaps another FT scribe would like to contribute but let me say:-
1. Great reception with a genuine attempt to help people mingle; and
2. Fantastic wines with the buyers on hand to explain why they bought this wine for BA.
I have not even mentioned the food prepared and delivered over four courses by one of the top three chefs in the world.
1. Great reception with a genuine attempt to help people mingle; and
2. Fantastic wines with the buyers on hand to explain why they bought this wine for BA.
I have not even mentioned the food prepared and delivered over four courses by one of the top three chefs in the world.
#12
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: London
Programs: Sir Ratechaser Seigneur de la Patience d'un Saint (Mucci), BA Silver, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 2,570
"Let them buy cake"
Last edited by ratechaser; Oct 11, 2017 at 1:19 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
And perhaps also a wonder that the senior executive team who choose to arrange such events are the very same managers whose corporate culture encourages & condones the often dreadful responses to aggrieved customers of the airline, as regularly recounted here on FT.
#14
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,842
If you were being cynical you could argue it’s a lot cheaper to identify a selection of high value customers & influencers, fill them full of booze and nice food and offer platitudes every once in a while about things getting better, than it is to actually improve service issues in a cost cutting environment.
#15
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
If you were being cynical you could argue it’s a lot cheaper to identify a selection of high value customers & influencers, fill them full of booze and nice food and offer platitudes every once in a while about things getting better, than it is to actually improve service issues in a cost cutting environment.
Plus ..... who knows .... maybe a good proportion of BA's HVC's and 'influencers' are so wedded to the airline as to feel that things are actually fine & dandy in BA world, under the current regime.