Oh what it is to be rich...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Colleague at work went to watch the Ryder Cup over the weekend with some of his mates.

They were expecting to meet a friend’s parents who were avid golfers. In fact, this couple were so keen that they’d booked a suite at the Celtic Manor several years ago after Wales had expressed an interest in securing the 2010 Ryder Cup.

When they booked the suite it was pricey, but once the Ryder Cup was confirmed demand went through the roof and all rooms were booked out months ago.

So it got to last Friday and this couple were planning their trip down to Newport when the phone rang. It was the manager of the hotel, asking whether they’d be prepared to give up their room. “We have a couple of VIPs who are very keen to stay with us”, explained the manager, “and we’re willing to offer £10,000 [$15,800] if you cancel your booking”.

If you’re a golf fan in the UK the Ryder Cup is a big deal, and staying at Celtic Manor to watch is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So although this was a tempting offer it wasn’t vastly more than the price of the suite (it’s quite an upmarket hotel), so the couple explained they were big golf fans and politely declined the offer.

An hour later the phone rang again. “Sorry to bother you again”, said the hotel manager, “but these VIPs are really, really keen to stay with us, so we’re now willing to offer £25,000 [$39,500] for your rooms”.

This was seriously tempting, but the hype had been building around the Ryder Cup, so they once again declined (although this time wondering whether they’d end up kicking themselves).

Then the phone rang again. “I’ve been asked to call you one more time”, said the hotel manager, “I’ve been speaking with our VIPs and they’ve reiterated to me just how keen they are to stay with us. They wanted me to ask whether you had a mortgage on your home”.

“Well yes,” said the couple, “we owe about £90,000 [$142,000] on our house”.

“In that case”, said the hotel manager, “we would be willing to pay the remaining mortgage balance for you if you let us cancel your room booking”.

After a couple of moments to digest this the couple of course said yes, and sure enough on Monday morning a cheque arrived for £90,000.

The name of the VIP couple?

David and Victoria Beckham, net worth $250m.

2

Yep, those Beckhams, they’ve been paying off mortgages to get hotel rooms all over the place.

3

:smiley:

4

:wink:

5

I’ve heard this story a dozen times, always about a different location but starring the Beckhams, and always involving a friend of the friend of the teller. Usually told me by a taxi driver or the like.

I’m fairly sure it’s an urban myth. Either that, or the Beckhams do this an awful lot, and always to friends of people I talk to. Maybe I should start charging!

6

Candyman74 if only someone had checked that well known urban myth site Snopes and linked to it in the first reply to this thread, then you could have stopped being fairly sure and known for certain.

7

No honestly… my colleague heard it from his mate, who knows a guy that drinks in the same pub as a chap whose builder did some work for this bloke’s next-door-neighbour.

So take *that *Mr Snopes. I cock my snook at your so-called rebuttal.

8

I don’t know what this means, but it’s making me hot.

9

Either he’s about to throw one of these, or he’s had a date with this chick