Mathilde Maitre’s Guide to the Art of Entertaining

What makes a party memorable? Is it the flowers, the food or the finishing touches? Perhaps it’s the music, the perfect playlist that guests can’t resist dancing to? Or maybe it is simply a relaxed and happy host? Having hosted everything from weddings, bar mitzvahs and milestone birthdays to whimsical tooth fairy parties and LA pool parties - complete with synchronised swimmers - Maybourne knows the answer: all of this. And more.

One woman who is certainly well placed to answer such a question is Mathilde Maitre, the new Global Director of Events at Maybourne. She has organised everything from a life-size white horse on wheels for which David Walliams to ride through a star-studded crowd for his Studio 54-themed party, Bianca Jagger-style, to a party where HM Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance.

Presiding over six luxury properties from London to Los Angeles gives Maitre an enviable canvas to work with; from 200-strong weddings overlooking the Côte d'Azur to intimate showers in London's most iconic ballrooms. ‘Each of our hotels is unique,’ she notes. ‘We’re lucky all have something different to offer. We set ourselves apart from our competition with distinctive designs and locations.’  

At Maybourne, expectations are, rightfully high. Here, the philosophy is centred around celebrating the art of entertaining. 'It’s all about the detailing and bespoke tailoring: understanding the client on a personal level, and striving to find a way to go beyond their expectations. It’s creating an experience out of every occasion; making every stage of the planning an enjoyable part of the journey.'

'The Diane von Furstenberg Christmas Tree Party was epic,’ she declares. The plan was to host a supperclub in the ballroom but there were so many RSVPs that an additional room needed to be added. How to make guests sit in the ballroom-adjacent room without feeling slighted? ‘Diane said, “Well if I sit in there then suddenly that’s the VIP room.” Of course, she was right - people were desperate to be in that room.

Maitre loves a milestone birthday. Party-planner-to-the-stars Michelle Rago held a three-day sixtieth birthday party at Claridge's. 'We had rickshaws to take guests to Annabel's on one night and on another, a double-decker bus taking guests to the River Café, complete with Claridge's waiters onboard serving copious espresso martinis accompanied by ALR's The Juke Joints.' There was also a life-size zebra cake. 'We had to hide it in the table store cupboard!' she recalls. 

Maitre really loves to surprise clients with hidden details or unique gifts. For Rago, who had expressed a passion for artist-in-residence David Downton's work, she comissioned a portrait she knew would be treasured. 'It's not always about the cost. Sometimes the simplest things go the longest way.'

Bigger once meant better, but Covid changed the perception of a luxury event. ‘We are finding a lot of clients are prioritising intimacy,’ Maitre notes. ‘It’s simplicity, but elevated. It’s spending more on the food you choose, and the wine you drink, but for fewer people. It’s much more important to have excellent wine than a third outfit change'

What are the biggest mistakes people make when throwing a party? ‘Not hiring a photographer,’ she says without any hesitation. ‘There are so many moments to capture at an event, from the food being plated to the waiters standing tall in a line. Phones just aren’t the same.’

After more than a decade planning events at Claridge’s, Maitre is ready to cast her sights beyond Mayfair: ‘We share a lot of the guests across the group, which is such a joy as we can get to know them very well and offer unique experiences just for them.’

‘Our guests love our hotels and they have come to really trust Maybourne. All the hotels have their individual identity and charm, and, as you visit them, you see there is a magical thread that runs throughout them all.’

‘We are experts in creating memories that last a lifetime and thinking outside the box. Luxury hospitality has always been defined by understated elegance, with discreet and genuine service at the forefront.’

So, aside from the guestlist, the flowers, the ballrooms and the views, what event stands out in Maitre’s long career? ‘I was once asked to be a last-minute witness for a royal wedding - that was rather special.’