Congratulations…
…Pat Skinner, on reaching the milestone of 20 years at WLP! [top left pic]
…Carol Pearce, Guest Service Co-ordinator at WLP on being voted “Simply the Best” for November 2010 [top second from left pic]
…Aleksandra Subocz [top third from left pic], promoted to Front office manager at BH, and to Mihaela Mindru promoted to Reservations at BH
…Jamie Curtis, Dan Smithson, Tendai Muhone (all from BH and bottom left pic), and Barry Crossley (WLP & top right pic), on passing their level 2 Food Hygiene qualification
…Tatiana Valentova, Kamel Fekih (from BH), and Carol Pearce, Krzysztof Baczek (from WLP) on passing their level 1 Food Hygiene qualification
…Denise Parkinson, Lynne Norman, Aleksandra Subocz (all from BH), and Dawn Brumwell, Lauren Hendon, Alex Hendon, Jason Reynolds (all from WLP) on passing their Emergency First Aid at Work qualification [bottom middle pic]
…Farewell to: Clare Markham [bottom right pic], Front of house manager at BH after over 5 years at the hotel to a position in London in the reservations team at the Maybourne Hotel group, which run Claridges, the Berkeley, and the Connaught.
Estates News…
…The snow and ice at both hotels has made it a very busy time for the estates team, but we have kept driveways and car parks clear, paths gritted, and boilers and other equipment all in working order [top left and middle pics]
…The WLP kitchen has had a £45k makeover with Executive Chef Wayne Turner [top right pic] and his team benefitting from new ovens, hobs, grill, etc leading to faster cooking times, speedier service and hotter food for our restaurant, room service, and banqueting guests
…The new WLP cloakroom opposite reception has seen much use during this Christmas period, offering a secure and easily accessed place for coats, complete with a numbered tag system.
…Room 10 at WLP has had a makeover, with new wallpaper, paint, wardrobe, safe, lighting, and the rather noisy pipework has been well insulated now. It is a very spacious executive bedroom and one to be proud of for all our guests [bottom left and middle pics].
…A new air conditioning control system has been installed in the Lancaster room at WLP, giving full climate control of this beautiful room [bottom right pic].
Sales news
…The new BH video is live on the BH home page of the website – a stunning video of over 4 minutes long, also posted on youtube.
…Both hotels are doing superbly well on Tripadvisor, with WLP currently in 1st position out of 143 Hertfordshire Hotels, and BH in 2nd position – what a result!
…The new BH special events and weekend breaks 2011 brochure is being worked on and will launch in mid January.
…Special events to look forward to at both hotels include Burns Night at WLP on 21st Jan, and Valentines dinners at both hotels over the weekend of 12th Feb.
And finally…
…the economic outlook does not look great with this month’s VAT rise to 20%, public sector cuts starting to bite, a deep freeze gripping the country, and energy prices rising. However, both hotels are in great shape with well maintained facilities, fantastic teams, a level of care and attention not seen in chain hotels, and competitive prices for our guests. Happy new year to all our guests, staff, shareholders and suppliers!

Andrew Beale
Managing Director