Saturday with hotelier John Fitzpatrick: 'I’m married to my business — it’s my life'

John Fitzpatrick in New York: 'I need 24 hours out of the city once a week.' Picture: James Higgins

09.30

I get up at about 9.30 or 10am as midweek I’ll be up at around 8am. I’m not an early bird because, in my business, I might not get home until midnight depending on what’s going on.

In the US it is very hard to find an owner operator run hotel. I have a great team around me including many Irish people so they know Irish hospitality and what I want at my hotels. It’s all about customer service — I can’t stand staff walking by a customer and not looking after them.

Saturday morning I’ll go into both hotels. After 40 years in this business I can look around and tell within five minutes whether everything is running smoothly or not. I couldn’t walk by my hotel and not go in — it’s part of my DNA.

I was very lucky in the early years to buy a small apartment in the Plaza Hotel. It is a 12-minute walk to the Fitzpatrick Manhattan and an 18-minute walk to Grand Central. I’ll always pop in on a Saturday morning. I might meet someone from Ireland or someone from the west coast. I’ve met a lot of friends through my business — my job is part of my social life.

11.30

I never have breakfast first thing. I’ll have a cup of coffee with someone and will wait till 11.30 or 12 to have my brunch. It’s my Saturday ritual to have a full Irish breakfast once a week.

Shane Cookman, my general manager, might join me and we’ll spend an hour talking about what’s going on. I’ve been very lucky — my success is down to the team around me and I couldn’t have done this on my own. I always try to keep an eye out for Irish customers because we wouldn’t be where we are without them.

13.00

I will probably arrange to meet someone and we might go to midtown for a coffee or a bite to eat. If I have visitors I always tell them to visit the ‘Top of the Rock’ in the Rockefeller Centre, to go by the 9-11 memorial and in the summer to take a boat around the island. It’s good to get downtown and to visit some of the more casual, residential areas or to go to the Upper West Side.

In the summer I’ll go up to the Hamptons on a Friday night and in winter I’ll go out on a Saturday. I need 24 hours out of the city once a week. It’s not like other cities — New York never quietens down. I need to get out, and then after 24 hours away, I come back ready to take on another week.

I’m not into museums or art galleries — I’m more of an outdoor person. I prefer to go for sailing or to walk the beach. In the winter I will go up to Sleepy Hollow where I play golf and where I host my parents’ annual golf memorial tournament.

I also like to go fishing or biking. I cycle a lot and love to go to Montauk and around East Hampton. I’ll take the ferry to Shelter Island to cycle.

15.00

If I’m in the city on a Saturday afternoon I will always go back to the office to do two or three hours of paperwork. I find that I can get 10 times as much work done at the weekend as I can during the week because there’s no one around and no one knows I’m there.

Later I will go for a meal. My concierge and managers always know more about the hottest new places in town than I do. I always try to stay away from the tourist restaurants when I have guests over. If you see locals in a restaurant then you know it’s good. My favourite places to eat are Le Bilboquet and Mr Chow.

20.00

If someone’s in town and they want to go to a show or a musical I’ll go with them but what I really like to do is to go to a concert in Giants Stadium (MetLife Stadium) or Madison Square Garden.

I might be in Ireland on a Saturday and if so I’ll always meet up with friends. No matter how long you’re away it seems that your friends in Ireland are always your best friends. You don’t ever seem to lose that connection. I’ll play golf, visit my family and take my beloved classic car out for a drive. I love Ireland, particularly when the weather’s right— a sunny day in Brittas Bay will beat just about anywhere in the world.

00.00

When I hit the pillow I will fall asleep immediately and will stay asleep until I wake up the next morning. People tell me to slow down but I’m married to my business — it’s my life.

It took me a long time to get it off the ground, and we’ve gone through some very tough times including 9-11 and covid, so my business is my main priority. It’s not like work though — I never look at my watch to see what time I’ve to go home.

• Hotelier and philanthropist John Fitzpatrick is the owner of the Fitzpatrick Manhattan and the Fitzpatrick Grand Central in New York. To find out about available packages see fitzpatrickhotels.com. For all there is to see and do across New York City visit nyctourism.com.