Client Care
The Terms of Engagement.
The contractual basis on which every Noble & Hours engagement is made. Written plainly, printed in full, and referenced in every invoice. There is no second set.
The contractual basis on which every Noble & Hours engagement is made. Written plainly, printed in full, and referenced in every invoice. There is no second set.
These Terms of Engagement are the contractual basis on which every booking with Noble & Hours is made. By confirming an engagement, you agree to them — and we, the House, agree to meet them. They are written to be read by the person actually signing, not by the lawyer drafting for them.
These Terms of Engagement ("Terms") govern all bookings, engagements, and services provided by Noble & Hours LLC (a New York limited liability company, NY DOS filing no. 5884721, operating worldwide) and its affiliates ("the House," "we," "us") to you, the client ("you," "the Client").
For clarity, the following terms carry these meanings throughout:
Engagements are offered to adult individuals (18 years of age or older, or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is higher) acting in their personal capacity or as authorised representatives of a family office, private office, or corporate client. All new clients are received either by referral from an existing client or, for unsolicited inquiries, after a private consultation with our Director of Clients.
The House reserves the right, at its sole discretion and without disclosure of reasoning, to decline any booking inquiry or terminate any engagement at any stage. Declined inquiries carry no obligation on either party, and any deposit paid is returned in full within five business days.
An engagement is not confirmed until (a) the House has issued a formal Engagement Confirmation in writing, (b) the Client has executed the Mutual NDA, and (c) the agreed deposit has been received in our nominated account. No verbal agreement, email indication, or telephone understanding constitutes a binding booking on either party.
We typically request three to five days' notice for local engagements and seven to fourteen days for travel engagements. Same-day and urgent bookings are occasionally possible in founding cities, subject to companion availability and to a 35% expedite surcharge described in our Honoraria page.
Each Engagement Confirmation is accompanied by a brief of the companion's profile, the planned arrangements, and any bespoke protocol specific to the occasion. Clients are encouraged to review this brief and raise any adjustments no later than 24 hours before the engagement begins.
A deposit of 50% of the Engagement Fee is payable upon booking, with the remaining balance due forty-eight (48) hours before the Engagement begins. For travel engagements, multi-day functions, and retainer accounts, bespoke payment schedules apply and are set out in the relevant Engagement Confirmation.
Accepted payment methods include wire transfer (preferred for Engagements over USD 2,500), major credit and debit cards, AMEX corporate cards, and — for House Account clients — consolidated monthly invoicing. We can invoice in USD, GBP, EUR, CHF, AED, or SGD. Invoices are issued under a discreet and generic corporate entity name unrelated to the nature of the service.
All fees are quoted exclusive of any applicable taxes or duties, which, if payable, are the responsibility of the Client. Payment made on the Client's behalf by a family office, corporate entity, or trusted third party is accepted, provided that the ultimate contracting party is identified in writing before the booking is confirmed.
The following cancellation schedule applies to all standard (non-travel) engagements:
For travel engagements, cancellation terms are bespoke and reflect genuine third-party commitments already incurred on the client's behalf (flights, accommodation, pre-engagement preparation). These terms are set out in writing within each Engagement Confirmation and typically apply a tiered refund schedule based on days-out: 30+ days full refund less 10%; 14–30 days 50% refund; under 14 days no refund.
Where an engagement is interrupted by documented medical emergency, bereavement, force majeure, or a comparable circumstance on the Client's part, the House will apply reasonable discretion and — where possible — credit the unused balance of the Fee against a future booking.
The House reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or substitute a companion for an engagement in the event of the companion's illness, personal emergency, or material change of circumstances. In such cases, we will:
Noble & Hours provides professional social companionship services. All engagements are conducted on an entirely non-intimate, non-sexual, strictly social basis. The following clauses are the most firmly drawn in these Terms and are non-negotiable.
No Engagement involves, implies, or permits any form of sexual or intimate physical contact. Any request, suggestion, or attempted conduct to this effect — at any stage of the engagement — will result in the Companion's immediate withdrawal, forfeiture of all fees paid, and permanent removal of the Client from our register.
Clients are expected to conduct themselves with the standard of courtesy ordinarily expected of any professional engagement. In particular, the Client agrees to:
The House's Director of Clients is available by telephone throughout every engagement to manage any situation that either the Client or the Companion feels requires escalation. We encourage both parties to use this line freely and without hesitation.
The House provides wardrobe guidance and preparation appropriate to every occasion, included in the Engagement Fee at Tier II and above. The Client is encouraged to specify dress-code expectations in the booking brief (black tie, cocktail, smart casual, resort, morning dress, and so on), together with any specific preference on colour, formality, or avoidance.
Where a specific item of wardrobe is purchased or hired at the Client's express request — a bespoke gown for a specific black-tie event, for example — the cost is invoiced separately at the supplier's actual cost, without mark-up.
The following provisions apply to any engagement involving overnight travel away from the Companion's city of residence:
Except where expressly included in the Engagement Fee, all third-party costs arising during an engagement are payable by the Client. These typically include: event entry, restaurant bills, transport (beyond standard transfers), accommodation, flight tickets, and any purchases made during or around the engagement.
Where the House arranges third-party services on the Client's behalf (restaurant reservations, private drivers, event entry, and similar), those services are invoiced at the supplier's actual cost, without mark-up, and itemised transparently on the final invoice.
The Engagement Fee includes the Companion's full compensation, and the House passes to each Companion a transparent 60% share of the Fee. Gratuities are never expected and always appreciated; where offered, they are passed in full to the Companion with no deduction by the House.
Gifts of significant value — typically items with a retail value in excess of USD 1,000 (jewellery, watches, handbags, artwork) — should be discussed in advance with the Director of Clients and routed through the House under our gift policy, for reasons of tax, provenance, and audit transparency. Small tokens of appreciation (flowers, books, notes, modest items of personal taste) may be given directly and require no such formality.
Each party — Client, Companion, and the House — retains the absolute right to decline, pause, or terminate an engagement at any time without disclosure of reasoning. This is a cornerstone of how we operate.
A "no" from any party at any stage is honoured immediately and without prejudice. No party may pressure, incentivise, or penalise another for exercising this right.
Financial consequences of termination are governed by the cancellation schedule in Section V (by the Client) or Section VI (by the House). Where a Companion withdraws from an in-progress engagement for reasons relating to the Client's conduct, the full Fee remains payable by the Client; where the Companion withdraws for their own personal reasons unconnected to the Client's conduct, the Fee is prorated or refunded per the House's assessment.
The House's total liability to the Client arising out of any engagement is limited, to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law, to the sum of fees actually paid by the Client for that engagement. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Neither party is liable for any failure to perform, or delay in performance, caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control — including but not limited to: acts of God, war, civil unrest, pandemic, airspace closure, governmental order, or any other force majeure event. In such circumstances, the parties will coordinate in good faith to reschedule the engagement or, if that is not practicable, to refund any sums paid less unavoidable third-party commitments.
Confidentiality is governed principally by the Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement executed in connection with each engagement, and by our Discretion Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. In the event of any inconsistency, the NDA prevails over these Terms, and the Discretion Policy prevails over both for the limited purposes it covers.
The Client undertakes to respect the Companion's confidentiality with the same rigor the House extends to the Client's. This is an enforceable obligation under both these Terms and the NDA.
These Terms and any engagement made under them are governed by the laws of the State of New York, USA, unless the parties expressly agree otherwise in writing prior to the engagement — in which case, English, Swiss, or Singapore law may be selected by mutual election.
Before commencing any formal proceedings, the parties undertake to attempt resolution through direct, good-faith discussion with the House's Director, and — failing that — through a single mediation session with a qualified mediator (JAMS in New York, or in London, Geneva, or the agreed seat).
Where proceedings ultimately become necessary, the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the seat of governing law, save that the House may bring proceedings for injunctive relief in any jurisdiction where a breach (particularly of confidentiality) has occurred or may occur.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the Terms continues in full force and effect, and the offending provision is replaced by the nearest enforceable equivalent preserving the parties' intent.
These Terms may be modified from time to time — for clarity, to reflect changes in law, or to refine our practice. Substantive revisions are announced at least 30 days in advance to all active clients, and the version applicable to any engagement is the version in effect on the date the Engagement Confirmation is issued, not the date of the engagement itself.
For any question, clarification, or formal notice relating to these Terms, please contact:
By confirming an Engagement, you acknowledge that you have had the opportunity to read these Terms in full, that you have sought any independent advice you considered necessary, and that you accept them as the contractual basis of the engagement. We hold the same standard to ourselves.
These Terms exist so the evening itself can unfold without friction. If anything here raises a question or would be better discussed, our Director is available — and has time for the conversation.