Profile: Toptable’s Karen Hanton

Hanton, 49, is the chief executive and founder of toptable.com, the restaurant bookings site that counts Sir Alex Ferguson and Gary Rhodes as shareholders. The company represents 5,000 restaurants in 14 countries, mainly in Europe, and brings in £100m of revenues to restaurants every year. Hanton travels regularly to see clients and restaurants and to watch trends among people who eat out.

So you actually prefer to fly economy on long haul flights?

Usually, I’ll buy an economy seat on Virgin and use my American Express points to upgrade to premium economy. It’s enough to make me feel good without getting on my nerves.

So how do you pass your time on flights?

Well everyone does a bit of work to start with. You do a few things to prepare for meetings the other end. I’ll read up about the people I’m going to meet and places I’m going. Then I might watch a movie. I’d watch something I wouldn’t usually see, like a comedy. I also like factual programmes and I watched that incredible film Man On Wire about the man who walked on a tightrope between the Twin Towers.

I quite like to get through books quickly and you don’t want to be carrying a great tome with you, so I’ll take something short and easy to read. On flights, I’ve read the Tennessee Williams plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar named Desire, which are bite-sized. You can read them in a flight and I often leave them for someone else to read at the other end.

Do you listen to music on flights?

I do and like most people have everything on my iPod. My taste is across the board and it could be absolutely anything from The Killers and Babyshambles to classical piano.

Do you eat or drink on flights?

Well, I don’t get on the flight and see how much I can consume. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ll quite often have the vegetarian option because they are nicer and they seem to travel better. I do like a nice English breakfast on a plane, but these days you just tend to get a little croissant, which is not the same. I’ll have one glass of wine or nothing, because I do think you get quite horribly dehydrated on flights. I can sleep anywhere, so I’ll also sleep for some of the flight.

Do you travel heavy or light?

I’m a very light traveller and can go away for a week with just a light carrying bag, which is very unusual for a girl. But I’ll tell you the secret – I wear a lot of the stuff. If it’s winter, wear it all to go – boots, bags, etc. Then just get the other stuff washed. You’re going to be meeting a variety of people and no-one knows you’ve only got one jacket or pair of boots. I’m not one of those women who needs three pairs of shoes a day. I care about how Iook but it doesn’t drive me at all. Also, if you’re somewhere new, it’s always nice to buy something from there.

Do you arrive early or late to airports?

I get there early as I’m quite fussy about time-keeping. One of the best kept secrets is the Priority Pass for airport lounges. It doesn’t cost much but it gives you access to some lounges that you wouldn’t normally be able to get into. They’re not swanky, but they are somewhere less crowded and you get free newspapers and drinks. It’s actually very pleasant and you feel like you’re getting a glamorous experience without it costing much money. If you’re delayed, you’ve got somewhere nice to sit.

How do you travel to Europe?

If I’m going to France, I’ll go on the Eurostar for lots of reasons. It’s very much easier to get to the train station than airports and it’s very quick. It is now so difficult travelling through airports that flying is a last resort and that’s quite apart from the fact that it’s wrecking the planet. I have cared about the environment before it became popular to care about it. In all honesty, I’ve always had the view that commoditising travel in the way we have with no-frills airlines is not a great way forward. Having said that, I have used easyJet for flights from Gatwick to European destinations.

Any scary moments on flights?

I was flying from Edinburgh to Gatwick with British Airways and somehow felt that something wasn’t quite right. At the last minute we overshot our landing and went straight up in the air at an acute angle. Observing human nature was interesting. The flight was packed and obviously we were absolutely terrified. Nobody really said much and then the captain came on, sounding as if he’d been winded. But just on hearing his voice saying there had been something on the runway so they’d had to overshoot, but now it was fine, there was a collective sigh of relief that it wasn’t anything more serious.

What do you look for in a hotel?

I look for somewhere where I’ll feel welcome. Some of the very edgy modern hotels forget that people need to feel welcome, that smiling doesn’t go amiss and it can be cool to smile. Some hotels are just too cool for their own good, quite frankly, and I avoid them. They are best visited, but not stayed in.

I like a hotel that has a good business centre because communication is very important. I’m also fussy about cleanliness. I don’t want a suite but I’ll ask for a big, quiet room. You don’t want somewhere near to the main drag in a city centre and you also don’t want a room next to a lift. I like The Carlyle in New York. Some people say it is old-fashioned, but I actually like old-fashioned.

I also liked the Gramercy Park because the service is very good and it is in a good neighbourhood. I often look for a purpose-built hotel because the insulation is better. We all know what it’s like to be next to a honeymoon couple when the walls are thin. You get partly envious and partly annoyed.

Is there much socialising on your trips?

There certainly is. We might have a breakfast meeting in a hotel and often I’ll then have a lunch and a dinner in the same day with different restaurateurs, talking about trends in the business. I’ll always take my shorts and trainers so I can keep fit and make sure I don’t put on weight with all these meals!

Any funny stories from travelling alone?

I have always quite liked travelling alone. I’m very sociable and approachable and a lot of people come up to me and talk to me when I’m on my own. I meet all kinds of people and you find that complete strangers often talk about quite personal things, probably because you’ll never have to see them again. I once travelled to Caracas to get some papers signed for a property deal. Venezuela is quite a dangerous place and I stayed in the Hilton because I thought it would be safe. It was, but I got propositioned in the hotel by a German businessesman who thought I was a working girl.

What about your UK travel?

By and large, I’ll use the train. You get the luxury of spending a bit of time when no-one can get to you and I quite like being in a carriage where mobile phones are not allowed. Mobiles encourage people just to talk about nothing. They’re good to deliver a message but I sit and listen to people’s conversations on mobiles and think ‘why?’ I like the idea that you get to see the countryside and characteristics of a place when you are on a train. Train travel can be expensive but if you go off-peak it’s not crippling.

Do you drive in the UK?

I haven’t got a car. I don’t need it really. It’s quite hard to justify the cost of having one as I live in central London. But I have tried the service where you can use a car for a day. I was picking up a Mini in Westminster and I had a problem getting in it and just got a taxi. But I think it’s a good idea and will get better in time.

What’s the best thing about travelling?

I think the operational aspect of a job can kill creativity. One of the beauties of travelling is that you can clear your mind and have time to think and be creative. I love walking around and looking at retailers and seeing what the trends are and what people are buying, because these customers are also my customers.