Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

Quintessentially L i f e s t y l e 2 8 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Quintessentially story began in December 2000, when Ben Elliot, Aaron Simpson and Paul Drummond put their heads (and enviable contact lists) together to create a lifestylemanagement service that would cater to busy individuals with impeccable taste but precious little time to plan. A shared flair for enterprising, extensive movie and nightlife industry expertise, and valuable insight into the A-list lifestyle, meant that this charismatic trio had very soon cornered a rather crucial niche in the market. It was at this point that Quintessentially Lifestyle started to emerge as the Little Black Book for jet-setters and high- flyers, and the timing was perfect. The beauty of the service is that it provides for both private and corporate memberships and tailors its entire eco-system to suit clients' tastes, preferences and required degree of assistance. The global team is astonishing in scale and capacity, comprised of 2,000 Lifestyle Managers who speak more than 35 languages between them, working throughout over 60 offices around the world. What makes Quintessentially Lifestyle’s service so thrilling and singular is that it can deal smoothly with any request, regardless of the scale. Tasks as involved as creating a bespoke travel itinerary for your international holiday in an obscure location, scouring the entire globe for your dream residential property, guiding you through the daunting process of enrolling your child into an elite school or university, sourcing that rare vintage handbag or artwork, or gaining an exclusive invitation to a star-studded, sold-out film premiere. It’s the access to our specialist insider knowledge and experience, which is the ultimate client drawcard, and it’s available 365/ 24 hours a day wherever you are. In 2008, Quintessentially launched the Quintessentially Foundation, the charitable arm of the Quintessentially Group, which has raised an incredible £8 million for a number of partner charities through a host of innovative events. These inspiring events range from an annual Christmas concert called ‘The Fayre of St James,’ and the epic ‘Travels to my Elephant’ campaign, for which Quintessentially Foundation masterminded a 500km rickshaw race across India in aid of the Elephant Family. Aside from the everyday or ‘usual’ requests, Quintessentially’s teamhas been known to carry out some rather extraordinary ones too over the years, often on a tight deadline. Unusual requests that spring to mind include leaving a Member stranded on a desert island to fulfill a ‘Castaway’ birthday dream, organising amarriage proposal on the top of Sydney Harbour bridge and delivering a small zoo of animals to a child’s jungle-themed birthday party. Quintessentially opened the Dubai doors 12 years ago and continues to support and manage requests from within the UAE and the GCC, and has since become the hub for the Middle East. With requests such as these fulfilled on a daily basis, Quintessentially has transformed the very notion of a concierge service. No surprises then that Quintessentially Lifestyle wears its global mantel so very well.