Buffett, Gates pay quiet visit to Fort Worth

Under tight security — along with tremendous discretion and restraint by the Ashton Hotel staff — the world’s two wealthiest men recently spent a couple of days in Fort Worth mostly unnoticed.

Warren Buffet, legendary investor and Berkshire Hathaway chief executive, and Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and a Berkshire Hathaway board member, attended a company meeting at the 39-room downtown boutique hotel, 610 Main St.

They arrived Thursday afternoon and departed Saturday morning.

Berkshire booked the Ashton for its meeting six months ago. The chief executives of some Berkshire companies also attended. Berkshire owns Fort Worth-based Justin Industries, which includes Acme Brick Co., and TTI, an electronics components distributor.

A couple leaving the Ashton’s 610 Grille on Friday evening noticed Gates waiting in the hotel lobby and spoke with him for several minutes, hotel staff members say.

"He couldn’t have been nicer," Ashton General Manager Mark Michalski said of Gates.

Ashton owner Matt Mildren said it was "extremely" difficult keeping the visit hush-hush. The staff was told to honor the men’s privacy but also to treat them like other guests, he said.

The hotel made sure it had only Coke products on hand — Buffet not only likes Cherry Coke but Berkshire also owns a stake in the company — as well as Buffet’s favored Tootsie Pops, Hershey’s Kisses, Fritos and Cheetos.

On Thursday, Buffet had a private board dinner in the wine cellar, while the others dined at nearby Grace restaurant. Friday’s lunch was held in a second-floor meeting room overlooking Main Street as a chuck wagon parade passed.

"It was good timing," Mildren said. "It looked like we staged it for them."

Friday’s dinner was at Del Frisco’s.

Before checking out, Buffett and Gates complimented the hotel, its staff and downtown, and Buffet even posed for pictures.