Kempinski has some great and highly-admired leaders, led by cajoler-in-chief, CEO Bernold Schroeder, and including on-property bosses (see above, Holger Schroth, left, and Xavier Destribats). Two days ago, BERNOLD SCHROEDER WAS OVER THE PROVERBIAL MOON: he was above to share with his team that Kempinski is #1 for travel and leisure in Forbes‘ 2021 best employer ranking.

And if Forbes should ever do a creativity+capex ranking, Claridge’s would stand a good chance of winning. First we have investment digging out five additional floors beneath the LONDON ICON. Turn one of these into CLARIDGE’S ARTSPACE, a versatile studio that currently hosts a Damien Hirst exhibition. Now add a partnership with The Currency, a collection of 10,000 NFTs which correspond to 10,000 unique physical artworks which are stored in a secure vault in the UK. The works are now brought to life through their launch on the blockchain. THE CURRENCY APPEARS TO BE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DAMIEN HIRST AND HENI, a considerably-anonymous virtual art concierge managing this-all. The Currency explores how  art changes to become currency, and vice versa. Paul Jackson, GM of CLARIDGE’S, explained to Girlahead Claridge’s is official ongoing partner of The Currency. Claridge’s ArtSpace is now showing Damien Hirst’s OUTRAGEOUSLY LARGE PIPECLEANER SCULPTURES, SUNSHINE, really, through to 31st December.

GIRLAHEAD IS IMPRESSED BY LOS ANGELES’ DESTINATION MARKETING. Los Angeles Tourism sets its sights on New York, its largest domestic visitor market. Timed for the Rams vs. Giants game at MetLife Stadium this Sunday, October 17, Los Angeles Tourism is hosting four days of activity beginning TODAY, October 15. There are Los Angeles-themed tailgate experiences open to the public October 16 and 17 – and on Monday there’s lunch for key sales clients. Adam Burke, President/CEO of Los Angeles Tourism, has built in consumer attractions, say tasting tacos from Enrique Olvera’s new LA taqueria, Ditroit; beer and wine from LA brands Golden Road Brewing and Angeleno Wine Co; LA trivia  by dumbfoundead; limited-edition merchandise from Obey Clothing by House Industries and Studio Number One – all these are at the aptly-named TailGate Outdoor Sports Bar in Brooklyn. There are also American Airlines ‘specials’.

And LOS ANGELES LOOKS AHEAD. Forthcoming significant events include the 2022 Super Bowl LVI; 2022 MLB All-Star Game; 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship; 123rd U.S. Open Championship; 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball West Region Championship; AND THE 2028 OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS.

Girlahead had the great joy of speaking to one of Los Angeles-based best known hoteliers, Rosewood’s RADHA ARORA.  Hear him now

Seen above, at the JETEX terminal at Dubai International Airport, is the crew of the UK’s Red Arrows flying professionals. The Red Arrows were in town to celebrate the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai. GIRLAHEAD SAW THEM ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS SOARING ABOVE BOURNEMOUTH AIRPORT FOR THE AIRSHOW THERE and gosh, the crowds. There is so much interest in flights, old, new and spectacular. As part of the education around this enthusiasm, before the Dubai display, engineers and pilots hosed a STEM engagement event at Expo’s UK Pavilion to showcase what goes into an aerobic display and pilots are also appearing at the Pavilion to meet the public.

Officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows team is based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The team consists of 11 pilots, nine of whom fly in the display (Squadron Leader Tom Bould is front of the formation of Hawker T1s, flying Red 1), and more than 100 support personnel and technicians. All the pilots have experience flying Tornados, Typhoons or Harriers.

They say all gals love a sailor. SHE says all gals love an airman, or most of’em. TAKE SPACE AVIATORS, in the form of that three-way sandwich, in alphabetical order Messsrs Bezos, Branson and Musk. The flanks are admirable. The middle is a perennial showman. A few days ago Richard Branson was in New Orleans with a high school marching band, to inaugurate a Virgin hotel. The brand’s highly-admired CEO JAMES BERMINGHAM of course was there. Girlahead wonders if he wishes he had stayed with Montage.

On which tack, listen again to Montage Director and CEO OF PENDRY HOTELS, Mike Fuerstman, here:

Afterglow, above, is by Finbarr Notte, also known as Finbarr DAC, OR FIN DAC. Born in Cork, he specialises, for some unexplained reason, in Eurasian portraits. See his exhibition, a SOLO SHOW, in London. THERE’S A SPECIAL EVENING 21ST OCTOBER THANKS TO LUXURY MORTGAGE LEADERS ENNESS GLOBAL This is only Fin DAC’s second public exhibition and is a culmination of 12 months of studio work and six years’ street work. Self-taught, he has defined and perfected a spray paint style he calls‘Urban Aesthetics‘.

IHCL’s head of UK, Mehr(navaz) Avari deliberately did a degree in psychology and sociology to understand hospitality better. SHE’S A SMART COOKIE. Perhaps she could understand Fin DAC? GIRLAHEAD THINKS ALL HOTELIERS NEED TO STUDY THOSE TWO ‘OLOGIES’. In her previous role, running IHCL’s Umaid Bhawan, Jodphur, part of IHCL’s TAJ brand, she initiated considerable unward movement of profitability. How? One of many secrets was to offer three tiers of ‘welcome’. Lowest was complimentary. Of course no important customers want that lowest level. They paid up, just as they did for varying levels of decorative lighting.

As a KEEN CYCLIST – AND FOOD LOVER – Girlahead applauds what LeBlanq is doing.  This is a company that tweaks the decades-old Butterfield & Robinson and considerably raises cycling concierges, gourmet levels and, of course, prices. Enthusiasts are already signing up for LeBlanq’s ISLE OF WIGHT WEEKEND, 13-15 May 2022. RIDE WITH BRADLEY WIGGINS, Laurent-Perrier Champagne and food by such England-based chefs as Ashley Palmer-Watts, of Mandarin Oriental London Hyde Park’s Dinner, and Claude Bosi, chef of the forthcoming THE PENINSULA LONDON.

Which is a good opportunity to listen, again, to Mandarin Oriental’s COO Christoph Mares. Hear him here: