Nine statuesque companions who make an entrance in any W2 lobby

Violetta leads at 178 cm, sleek and composed with a comedian's timing. Stacy follows at 176 cm, bold and spontaneous, then Milena at 175, direct and glossy. Karolina and Samanta share 174 cm, one a pianist with a dry line, the other a violinist who collects hotel lobbies. Michelle and Vanessa stand 173 cm, Michelle chatty and caring, Vanessa easygoing with a phrasebook in her bag. Both Angelika and Patricia measure 172 cm, one sharp on contemporary art, the other gentle and observant.

The Hilton London Metropole fills with delegates most weeks, and four of these nine are made for a working evening. Karolina, Samanta, Milena and Violetta are the names the desk puts forward as a conference plus one, each at ease being briefed, introduced and walked into a room of lanyards. Samanta likes dinner plans settled by three in the afternoon; Karolina needs a few days for anything that involves an opera house.

Much of W2 is best seen on foot. The towpath between Paddington Basin and Little Venice, the Italian Gardens and the long railings of Bayswater Road all reward a walk, and at 175 cm in heels every cobble is felt. Mention a walk when you write and she can plan her shoes around it. Vanessa, who explores London by bicycle, and Angelika, light on her feet from tennis, both enjoy an evening that begins outdoors in Hyde Park.

Vanessa is the only W2 local, a few minutes from the platforms. Angelika and Samanta come from Mayfair, Michelle and Stacy from Chelsea, Patricia and Violetta from Belgravia, Milena from South Kensington and Karolina from Covent Garden. Journeys run from about fifteen to thirty minutes, and while she stays within Zones 1 and 2 her fare does not move by a single pound.

Height overlaps heavily with slim and slender, where six of the nine also appear. Michelle and Milena are curvaceous as well, and Angelika is toned. Their hair splits evenly between black and brown, four each, with Patricia the single auburn exception.

Tall companions are often chosen for bookings that run past one evening. Karolina and Patricia are both suggested for extended stays and W2 weekends, where the plan is agreed in advance and weekend fares are quoted on request. Violetta almost always asks for four hours, £900, so that dinner can end at a late show. An overnight, ten hours at £1,800, is easiest arranged the day before.

For a single evening in a park view hotel, the lobby itself can set the tone. Samanta, who collects hotel interiors the way others collect postcards, and Michelle, who can keep a conversation moving through the slowest room service, both suit a quiet night that never leaves the building.