The Everyday Rantings of an Hotelier!


The Paignton Blog
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	December 30th, 2009 The year is drawing to a close and we'd like to wish all our guests the Compliments of the Season and a Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing many of you in 2010 and are especially pleased that quite a few of you have chosen us for a break in January. It's always good to see people who appreciate our service so much that they come back again and again! Christmas was a particularly difficult time due to a copper pipe bursting underneath the floor in Room 7 and flooding Room 3 below it. British Gas were particularly unhelpful in their response and it was a local plumber, Adams Gas, who got me out of trouble. Having fixed the problem of course it was then a question of drying out the damage and re-decorating both rooms. In the case of Room 7 this was the second time this year it has been decorated! And Room 3 does look fresh and doubly clean as a result of it's re-painting. As our regular guests expect from us the place is looking good, as it should because Rooms 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 have all been re-decorated this year, Room 4 has the 4-poster bed and matching furniture and of course we now have a room designed for three people, in Superior Room 6 - or at least we will have as soon as John Lewis pull their finger out and deliver the mattress, and the sofa chair arrives. Pictures will go on the website as soon as these pieces of furniture arrive. Happy New Year. November 27th, 2009 It seems a long time since I took 5 minutes to update you all on progress here at The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE. Since my last update we've had the builders into Room 6 to remove the old fire escape corridor wall and reconfigure the ensuite. After almost three weeks of us dust-fighting they've finally gone, and it just remains to me to translate the newly plastered walls into the vision that we have for the room. And that's my job for the next week or so, since we're not overly busy. If you do visit you'll notice a faint whiff of fresh paint emanating from the third floor and I apologise for this in advance. It will be worth it though, because the ensuite is almost doubled in size and the room has gained around 5 sq. metres. in extra space. It's not only the extra space of course, although that's important, but the general upgrading to the furniture and fittings. The room will be graded at Superior level, reflecting the standards we always aim for. October 23rd, 2009 The Hotel Inspector (Visit Britain, AKA Quality in Tourism) visited us yesterday for our annual assessment. They did an overnight last year so this year is just a day visit to see that we're maintaining standards. And of course we are so were confirmed as being at 4 Star for another year. Apparently the soap holders in the showers could use a polish! They're chrome and really difficult to prevent going rusty - any ideas on how to protect them? September 19th, 2009 We received another reservation for a room in June 2010 yesterday, which seems a long way off as the nights are drawing in and Paignton is coming to the end of it's "season". Of course we open all year round so the end of the season only signifies a change in the weather and less crowding on the streets and in the shops to us. By June next year the new season will be getting underway and the crowds will be building towards their August climax. Yippee! For us, we're looking forward to November when our regular builder arrives to start the transformation of Room 6 from a standard double room to a three-person Superior Room. Part of this planning involves the installation of a classic 4-Poster bed and matching furniture in Room 4 which will make it even more of an experience for our guests - we hope. And since we're always looking to prove our contemporary credentials we have just put DAB Clock Radios with IPod docks in the Superior and Deluxe Rooms. They should prove useful to people who have IPods and want to wake up to their own tunes. You'll have noted that we follow the Japanese management system of continuous improvement in everything we do, so when you come back to us you should be able to tell us what we've changed and updated, making the experience fresh for you. August 29th, 2009 It's the August Bank Holiday weekend and Paignton is buzzing with families and couples enjoying the sunshine and dry weather. Some of them have travelled for hours to get here - guests who checked in yesterday reported 20-mile tailbacks on the M5 - so I'm pleased for them that it isn't raining. The Dartmouth Regatta is this weekend and since Dartmouth is only a steam train ride away I'm sure that a number of our guests will be enjoying the festival atmosphere. We have some New Zealanders and South Africans staying this weekend who I know will find the contrast between Paignton and Dartmouth worthy of exploration. There are a lot of reports in the press and TV about the numbers of people holidaying at home in the UK this year as the effects of the credit crunch/recession/poor exchange rates/rising unemployment hit home and I can confirm that we have been marginally busier this July and August compared to last year. I hope that we have managed to maintain our usual standards of service. The guest comments (click on the link above) have certainly been positive and they go a long way to motivating us to keep going. We have had the benefit of assistance this summer from young Carley - our Executive Assistant responsible for Product Maintenance (cleaner) - who has been invaluable. Thank you Carley. July 29th, 2009 It's raining. It does sometimes, even in south Devon. I found myself recommending a trip to Kents Cavern to a family today, because it would be dryer underground than above. Of course it's an interesting place to go to whatever the weather. The differences in language between the generations never ceases to amaze and perplex. Apparently "Can I get...." actually means "can you get...." when it is directed to me by a young person, when taking breakfast orders. English offers a wider vocabulary than most other languages, some of which can be incredibly vague - ie. Japanese, so I don't really think we need to put up with this tyrannical obtuse usage. English speakers of the world should unite and protest, quietly and in a dignified manner. Perpetrators of this outrage will be directed to the kitchen to "get" for themselves! July 23rd, 2009 You can tell we're busier because I haven't had time to blog for a while..... . Now of course, we're about to get even busier as the children are off school. Although we don't generally accept children we do get a lot of people who want to get away from children. They look at us as a sanctuary. When we bought The Hotel Fiesta in 2006 we took a huge gamble and changed the name to The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE, instantly alienating those for whom Hotel Fiesta had become their regular haunt. So we're pleased that three years down the line we are seeing P&M Paignton RESIDENCE customers coming back, sometimes three, four and even five times. We like regular customers because they are familiar to us, and us to them. Of course we'd like everybody to become a regular although we realise this is unlikely! Anyway, just to remind you if you do become a regular you do get 10% discount on the prices when you book. And the earlier in the season you book, the cheaper those prices are! That's because we offer you the current low season price when you book. June 25th, 2009 The donkeys are out on the green, the sea is blue and the sun is shining. Wish you were here! June 12th, 2009 Hurray, it's the annual Recycling & Waste Handling conference this coming week. Shorter than previously and smaller, but it survives despite the previous organisers deserting Paignton for the Excel Centre in East London, which, if you've ever been to you'll know to be a soulless lump of concrete. We wish the new organisers luck in their endeavours. June 3rd, 2009 Gosh, is it really June! Two bank holidays in May saw Paignton and The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE become really busy and the weather was glorious. This week in particular has seen temperatures in their mid 20's which has led some guests to coming back at the end of a long day rather sunburnt. Please remember to use sunscreen - skin cancer is a growing problem nationwide. Apart from the usual lovely guests that a general increase in numbers brings we've been troubled by a few who have ignored both the law and our no-smoking policies and smoked in their room. We take no pleasure at all in adding significant cleaning charges to their bills. We even had a couple who thought that it was OK to go out for the evening leaving candles lit in their room. I can't express how reckless that is. Still, every new experience brings with it some form of new regulation, and the newly edited Customer Information Folders will contain our new policy on the use of candles in bedrooms. (They're banned!) Sunday, 19th April, 2009 I thought I was prepared for the annual seagull convention that takes place in Paignton between February/March and June/July. The anti-seagull spikes were ordered and set up to prevent them from congregating on our flat roof and of course they largely ignored them, choosing to sit next to the spikes and occasionally twang them as they shift position to catch the sun. So next year I shall be be ready with nets hung in the appropriate places. They'll still be able to land there if they really want to, and none will be hurt, but they will be uncomfortable. Sorry for the noise this year. This largely affects the standard rooms 7,8,9 which are on the top floor. Other rooms are not affected as they are some distance from that flat roof. Tuesday, 14th April, 2009 The West Country Digital Changeover/Switch off started on April 6th, which necessitated a reprogramming of a total of 10 TVs. All our rooms have had the digital channels for a couple of years now but the last few months we've upgraded all the tvs to flatscreen LCD ones, with built-in Freeview instead of the digital boxes, which needed a separate remote control and have been a constant source of confusion for guests. So the standard rooms have 19", and the superior and deluxe 22" TVS. There is still another stage of the switchover to go, on April 22nd which will mean another morning spent retuning. Ho hum. The TV and DVD recorder manufactures must be loving it. Wednesday, 25th March, 2009 I thought I'd talk about room cleaning today. I clean the rooms at The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE. We don't have a cleaner. We decided when we came into this industry that from our experience paying people to do the job doesn't get the same result as when you've done it yourself. Of course I have an advantage since I also do the decorating so I know every inch of the building and hence know what needs cleaning (and what doesn't - which isn't much really). The rooms get cleaned daily when they are occupied. And of course when they are vacated. It takes about 40 minutes to do them properly when they are vacated and 30 minutes when they are still occupied. Why the difference? Well it's simple really - when the rooms are occupied you can't physically get to all the surfaces because there are peoples' things and belongings everywhere. Some guests make it incredibly difficult to clean their room by leaving the floor space covered with cases, clothes, rubbish etc. and some guests leave the room in such a pristine condition I sometimes have to confirm they are still checked in. You may not be aware that all graded properties, whether by the AA or VisitBritain/Enjoy England are required to clean rooms daily, including vacuuming. You'll be pleased to know that we take cleaning seriously and on our last inspection scored 95% on cleanliness. (But we're not actually allowed to tell you that!) We aim to do better next time. Wednesday, 4th March, 2009 Talking about events happening in and around Paignton through the year I thought it might be useful to mention a few: 1
	April 1st to April 4th - Sleuths! Torbay's festival of crime writing celebrating the genre of crime fiction with organised events and highly relevant of course to Torbay's own Agatha Christie.

	April 9th to April 19th - Anderton & Rowland Fair - Paignton Green.

	May 1st to May 4th - Paignton Bike Festival. With Charity Bike Nights weekly on Wednesdays through the summer.

	May 24th to June 7th - English Riviera Geopark Festival

	June 15th to June 17th - Plant and Recycling Show, Paignton Green. It's all about rubbish really.... .

	June 21st - Torbay Half Marathon and Torbay 1 Mile Fun Run - Paignton

	July 26th - Riviera Classic Car Show

	July 26th to August 2nd - Torbay Carnival

	August 10th to August 16th - Paignton Regatta

	September 13th to September 19th - 5th Annual Agatha Christie Week
	1 Tuesday, 3rd March, 2009 Last weekend's weather was quite nice so Paignton filled up a little. As the weather improves people start thinking about holidays and short-breaks and we're starting to book up for Easter and the May bank holidays. There's a bike weekend at the beginning of May so there'll be lots of bikes to view if you're into that sort of thing. We have a few bikers staying here and will be putting their bikes in the secure yard at the rear. There is room for a few more if you're thinking of coming. Wednesday, 18th February 2009 Some guests don't eat breakfast and although we think Miki's cooking is worth getting up for, it seems unfair to charge for something that you're not taking advantage of. So from today we've introduced a Room Only rate, saving £4 per person. Naturally this rate only applies if you ask for it on booking (call Piers on 01803 523118) and not if you just don't get up in time! (Because we'd be standing by to cook and serve you..... .) Tuesday, 10th February 2009 There are many hotel, guest house and B & B listing and directory sites on the world wide web but very few of them are truly local. For this reason we don't, as a general rule, advertise on them. www.TQ4Hotels.co.uk is an exception because it is focused entirely on Torbay and Paignton, Torquay and Brixham holiday accommodation (hotels, guest houses, B & Bs and holiday flats/apartments/caravans. So you'll find us on www.tq4hotels.co.uk from now on. Going back to the credit crunch etc.. We've always been reluctant to have single occupancy rates on any of our rooms on the premise that we still have to spend as much time cleaning as when there are two people in the room, however, on reflection and after discussion, we have introduced single occupancy rates on all rooms, with prices that we think offer a good saving over normal room rates. You'll find these rates on the tariff page. Saturday, 7th February 2009 Welcome to our online diary where we intend to keep you up-to-date with what's happening in The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE, and Paignton in general. We understand that jobs, savings, incomes, the environment are all under pressure at the moment. So we've done our best to help by reviewing our prices and our price mix. The result is that we've stabilised room prices at £62, £75 and £85 for the moment and increased the long-stay discounts so that 7 nights bed & breakfast in a standard room costs only £192.50 per person. Recognizing that some people won't be able to take 7 nights break we have a special offer to the end of March where you get 5 nights for the price of 4, in any room. This offer covers the Easter period as well. We hope these prices will be attractive to people who don't want to compromise on quality this year but who do want a good deal. Don't forget that "regulars" get an additional 10% discount! On top of what could be called "challenging economic times" of course, we also have the weather. It must be terribly boring in countries where the sun shines all the time. We hope that the snow, ice and general chill don't get to you. Our heating is on all the time so if you're looking for a warm bolthole you'll be welcome. Talking of heating leads naturally on to the environment. We had a couple of fellow hoteliers stay last week and when they'd checked out and we were servicing the room we discovered that they had very purposefully segregated their empty plastic water bottles from their other rubbish. We felt that we should therefore take heed of this and from now on we'll be recycling empty plastic water bottles, together with old newspapers. It would really help if you'd keep them separate to your main rubbish when you visit. Thanks very much!



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The P&M Paignton RESIDENCE® 2 Kernou Road, Paignton Torbay, Devon UK TQ4 6BA Tel: 01803 523118 Mobile: 0780 329 0568 EMail: Click Here International Telephone: +44 1803 523118 or +44 780 329 0568


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