Say when, and for how long
A date and a start time, plus a length from rates. Out here the length matters: two hours works in Slough or Windsor, three is the honest minimum anywhere involving a drive or a terminal.
BookingMeter starts at£250
How to book an evening, from the first message to the knock
Booking here takes one message. Etta runs the desk, answers the same evening in almost every case, and would rather have four plain facts than a composed paragraph.
If you are still working out what is reachable from where you are staying, every area we cover sorts that out, and rates has the figures.
5 stops
The run and a knock
Say where
The hotel name and the town, or the street for a private address. Etta will tell you straight away if the evening works better from a different area.
Name her, or describe the evening
Pick somebody from who is on, or describe the night you have in mind and let Etta suggest two names. Either is normal.
One check, then a written yes
Before your companion leaves, Etta has in writing the full name the reservation is under, the hotel and the room number, or the street and door for a home. Then one reply: who is coming, when, for how long and at what figure.
She arrives, and the fee goes to her
Your companion turns up at the agreed time, dressed for the plan you described. The fee is handed to her in person when she arrives, exactly the figure in Etta's reply.
The booking line, fill the brackets and send it as it stands
Hello, I would like to book [name] on [date] at [time] for [duration]. I am staying at [hotel name], and will share the room number on confirmation.
02
What to send, word for word
Hello, I would like to book [name] on [date] at [time] for [duration]. I am staying at [hotel name]. WhatsApp or Telegram both reach the same desk. A table already booked, a curtain time or a morning flight is worth mentioning too.
03
How much notice is useful
Same day works more often than not in Slough and Windsor, where a companion on the Elizabeth line can be with you inside the hour. A table in Burnham or Maidenhead wants a couple of days, and a flight wants its number as soon as you have it.
04
If the plan changes
Message the desk. Three hours of notice or more and a booking moves or cancels at no cost, and a delayed flight is not treated as a cancellation. The full ladder is on rates. If you want longer once the evening is running, tell your companion and message Etta.
Before you message
Asked at the desk
01How quickly does Etta reply?
The same evening almost always, and usually within the hour between six and midnight. A message that lands overnight is answered first thing.
02Can I book for tonight?
Often yes, particularly in the SL1 and SL4 hotels. Send the hotel and a start time and Etta will tell you within minutes who is free. Anything near a terminal needs more warning.
03Do I have to choose a name?
No. Describe the evening instead, including how tired you are and what you want out of it, and Etta will put two names in front of you.
04What if I am not sure which area I am in?
Send the hotel name and Etta will work it out. Half the hotels around here are named after a town they are not actually in.
05When should I send the room number?
With the confirmation rather than the first message. The hotel and the town are enough to start with; Etta asks for the room when she runs the one check, and it is kept only as long as the evening needs it. No documents or photographs come into it.
The light is on
Flag her down
Give a town and give an hour. What comes back has a name in it, the minute she can knock and the figure for those hours, all three in the one reply.