It came as no shock to receive an invitation to Westminster Abbey – after all, Abbotts is a place where God is evoked most days (usually in sentences ending, "For Christ's sake, who's done this?").
It turned out not to be a religious occasion, but there was a congregation of the great and good, all there at the request of Small Luxury Hotels Of the World. Sales Manager Christine Silva greeted Dan, Pete and myself with a warm smile and chilled Champagne as we entered the beautiful Cloisters.
Inside were representatives from 31 of the nicest hotels around.
Some of them, like Max Tchanturia from Eagles Palace Hotel & Spa in Halkidiki, were old friends.
We made some good new connections including Jorge Collazo from The Betsy, a landmark on Miami's South Beach that has just had a major renovation.
Two fabulous properties (part of the wonderfully named Curious Group Of Hotels) also caught our attention: L’Hotel in Paris and Canal House in Amsterdam.
They were all fleeting visits and we aim to focus on them in more detail later. It was nice for us to be able to introduce ourselves as TTG's Top Travel Agency in London – something that many people knew.
The evening concluded with Danny falling over a floor light and losing his magnetic name badge at least 14 times...
Photo: Julie Gooding from Abbotts Travel and Max Tchanturia representing Eagles Palace Hotel in Halkidiki, Greece