Ruby

Twenty-five, brunette and living in De Pijp, Ruby is practical about layovers in a way guests tend to find restful. She sets out her limits in the first minute, asks when the room has to be empty, and plans the rest accordingly. Soapy and nuru need a bathroom and some slack in the timetable; on a tight gap she offers oil work instead. Her route toward Schiphol is agreed with the house before a booking is confirmed. English is her one language, spoken without hurry, which is what a guest three time zones from home usually wants.

Ruby decides which bookings she takes and may decline any of them; she sets the limits for what a session includes, says what they are, and may end a visit at any point, as the terms set out.