Oxford Today: June 2005

Something For the Romantic Weekend

It takes a certain spirit to find creative inspiration in a dismal hotel.  But that was where Tamara Heber-Percy (St Peter's 1992) and her husband James came up with the idea for 'Mr & Mrs Smith' - a series of guides to the best boutique and luxury hotels for a romantic weekend getaway.  'We had spent hours and hours on the motorway and hadn't eaten.  The hotel - which looked nothing like its picture in the guidebook - wouldn't even make us a sandwich, so we went to bed hungry.'

Where conventional hotel guides follow a template and are based on reports by hotel inspectors, Mr & Mrs Smith guidebooks read like a collection of letters from an amusing and perceptive friend.  Many of the reviewers - who stay at the hotels, under cover, with their partners - are, in fact, personal friends of the couple, a fair number from Heber-Percy's student days at Oxford.  'The idea is to tell people the things they really want to know: which are the best rooms to stay in; wheather there are any really great pubs and restaurants nearby, the kind of information a best friend would tell you.'

Since none of the major publishing houses wanted to get involved, the couple formed their own company and publish privately.  The first guide came out in autumn 2003 and their distributor told them they might sell 10,000 at the most.  By Christmas, the book was getting enthusiastic press and had sold 16,000 copies.  Mr and Mrs Smith - who have since launched a paid-for club scheme offering special perks and travel treats - were on their way.