How do they do it?

Whilst going about my work around Hotel Reception desks, I often look at it's staff and think to myself, how do they do it. The patience often required by these people must be akin to enduring Chinese Water torture with little complaint and a smiley pleasant demeanour.

It often seems multi-tasking in this business has come to mean appeasing angry Mrs Smith on the phone who wants to book twenty rooms for her daughter's wedding tomorrow and is surprised you're fully booked at a days notice, dealing with Alan the grumpy delivery driver who believes he requires your immediate attention as he is double parked outside and obviously doing you a favour by doing his job, and helping good old Mr Jones who decided it would be a good idea to go for an afternoon tipple and has now consumed enough Courvoisier to forget how to walk!! All at the same time.

To come out of that still smiling and not contemplating suicide is a feat unparalleled by many, and for that I take my hat of to you all!!           

Posted by: CW | November 26, 2007

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Our roads are the best, apparently

As if to compound the misery of driving the length of the M5 only to be greeted by a further 90 miles of badly-managed, pot holed A roads, the radio station I was tuned to launched into a debate about the state of Britain’s roads.

According to the government, our roads are amongst the best in the world when it comes to the management of road works and general condition of the tarmac.  No, really, that’s what they said.

Travelling over thirty-thousand miles a year, I’d like to think I’ve got good grounding to refute  that statement.  For example, heading south of Northamptonshire is akin to the journey Captain Oats took after remarking ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’.  Indeed, the pointless widening of the M1 at least doubles the length of any journey to the capital and makes the process of driving quite unbearable.  And you shouldn’t even think about choosing a different route as that will inevitably be jammed with likeminded souls seeking liberation from the grasps of the roadwork-infested M1.

As many hoteliers will know, the roads to their premises are quite often treacherous.  Single-lane dirt tracks which inevitably greet you with the unwelcome site of a tractor travelling in the opposite direction, roads with pot holes so big you could lose your entire car down them, routes so remote that they prompt TomTom to enquire as to why you’re driving through a field ... the list is endless.

However, I can honestly say that these roads give me far fewer headaches than the large ones connecting them to the rest of the country. Maybe the next time you've got a member of parliament staying at your establishment, you can point this fact out to them!

Posted by: ME | September 28, 2007

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Introduction

Welcome to the WCS blog! This has been set up specifically as an outlet for general musings and comments on the fascinating hospitality industry we have been serving for the last twenty three years.

An insightful and often light-hearted take on the business, we aim to fill that spare five minutes you may have whilst browsing our site.

So, please check back regularly for any updates and, if you've got something you want to get off your chest, please email your piece to the link below...

Posted by: WCS | September 25, 2007