Sunday Star Times July 2011

Never say no to a celebrity!

No request is too strange when it comes to meeting the needs of the rich and famous guests a Queenstown company hosts.

And when the staff at Touch of Spice aren't busy pampering celebrities, their talents are in demand from lesser motals looking to set up the perfect wedding proposal.

Jacqui Spice's luxury holidy company had hosted golfer Tiger Woods, tennis ace Andre Agassi and supermodel Tyra Banks but Spice is too discreet to name the client who commuted daily by helicopter to a table tennis centre for his entire 16-week visit.

"His whole stay was about keeping him close to the centre," she said. But her company also had to find him international-standard opponents first. "That was a unique one certainly."

Celebrities can be particular although she has never been asked to remove all the green M&Ms from a packet. "No request is too strange. We have a 'never say no' approach, so if we can't do it we just refer it to someone who can. One client said there were only to be lilies allowed on the property.'

'They can just get down to those kinds of specifics so when you arrive you can be running around changing mattressses and pillows and gettign darker curtains to black out rooms, and that type of thing.'

Catering to the whims of celebrities and wealthy international guests might not be everyone's cup of tea but Spice says it's really just like a personal concierge service, albeit aimed at satisfying any request.

"We can be a mixture of maid, nanny,, event planner, wedding planner, travel agent and an agony aunt if we have to.' she said.

Set up six years ago, Touch of Spice hs also become the go-to comapny for getting yes to a marriage proposal.

"We've done a number of proposals and they've all said yes, although one guy did come back a year later with someone else, and one went awry when the couple ended up stranded in Christchurch because of snow in Queenstown, but we were able to get a limousine to drive them down to their villa for champagne on ice."

The proposal went 'without a hitch' - so to speak.