Hotel Secrets by Harry Pope

Author:Harry Pope
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fawlty Towers, hotel, anecdotes, amusing, funny, hilarious, hospitality, bb, Airbnb, abroad, holiday, vacation, travel, USA, UK
ISBN: 9781789820638
Publisher: Andrews UK
Published: 2019-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine: Autumn, First Year

We knew that belt tightening was going to be necessary, it was just how it was going to be applied. By this stage as well as Moaner on £25,000, we had two housekeeping staff, two in the kitchen, a Polish man who could put his hand to most things, including night porter, and Pam and me. We worked it out that we were on £2.80 per hour, each, barely sufficient to pay the rent on our flat, so it was a good job that we were eating at the hotel so often. We took nothing else. Mark’s attitude by then was that as we were partners, we should take nothing, just like him. His investment equalled our hours in his eyes, so he became increasingly pointed in his comments about the wages we received. The bloke was so dim he couldn’t see our point, he never did.

The two in the kitchen were on a combined £25,000, the night porter was living in on minimum wage, the housekeeping were also on minimum. It was becoming increasingly obvious that we couldn’t afford Moaner. But I just couldn’t bring myself to be ruthless. She had given up her job to come and work for us, I considered it obligatory to remain loyal to her.

Her attitude became increasingly divisive, she wasn’t daft, she could see that the hotel had to ditch superfluous staff, and as she was the highest paid with the lowest manual return, it was obvious to all that she was the natural candidate for the chop. However, service had to be continued, we would address that problem when it became really necessary.

That autumn was a difficult period for all of us. Mark was becoming more demanding financially, I stopped sending the money over to California. The accountant was insistent that we didn’t send him any more money, because the turnover of the hotel couldn’t sustain such a huge hole. We were members of the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce, an organisation I have a lot of admiration for. They work for the business community, not just the successful part but also the struggling, as they appreciate their responsibility for the whole.

Every Tuesday I would attend the weekly breakfast meetings, recounting amusing incidents with guests, trying to drum up extra business. One such incident concerned two elderly sisters staying in room eight. This was a twin bedded room.

The ladies were regular guests, staying for a week at a time three or four times a year. They had independent means, lived in the Midlands, always arriving and departing by private taxi. They were absolutely charming, less demanding than some guests, but expecting and receiving individual attention. I always checked that their rooms were spotless, if I wasn’t around then Moaner would. It wasn’t usually necessary, because the rooms were maintained to an excellent standard by this time.

The sequence of events went like this. The younger sister dropped an earring on the floor, close to the bed, so went on her hands and knees to look for it.

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