I'm not usually one for Company Christmas Dinners, but the one we had in December was the exception, and it's made not by the food, not by the place, not by the season ... it's made by the people. Truely, we have an exceptional team at Well House Manor who are really great to work with.
Yesterday, I was working from home. But I was secure in the knowledge that Well House Manor was being run professionally, efficiently and politely. Indeed, I would have been in the way - a loose wheel - had I been in the way on one of the busiest days with over half the guest rooms being checked out, all bar one rooms being checked in (and the changing of rooms that implies) together with an external conference / event running in our larger "Wilts" room.
And this morning, a note from a guest who arrived during the weekend and left very early for Heathrow and her mornng flight to the USA: "Graham, your staff are some of the kindest people in the world. It was a true pleasure to stay here. Thank you for having me as a guest, yet treating me like family". Again - what a delight. And that's the most important of all the plaudits as it's the customer that makes it. Add to the excellent team our small size, and we truely can and do enjoy having everyone to stay, and to making their stay enjoyable.
(written 2013-01-24, updated 2013-01-26)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
M400 - Well House Manor - The Hospitality Business [774] Bed and Breakfast, or Hotel? - (2006-06-22)
[884] Drive time - (2006-10-02)
[922] Staying at your own hotel - (2006-11-12)
[988] You should think you're first in a hotel room - (2006-12-15)
[1002] Meet the neighbours - (2006-12-20)
[1046] Bounce, bounce, bounce - (2007-01-20)
[1048] Getting rid of people - hotel techniques - (2007-01-21)
[1084] Writing terms and conditions for conferences and other events - (2007-02-17)
[1108] Express service - (2007-03-14)
[1122] Hotel - online feedback forms compared - (2007-03-30)
[1161] A contrast in room rates and facilities - (2007-04-25)
[1180] Conjugation - (2007-05-08)
[1248] How NOT to oversell a hotel - (2007-06-27)
[1284] An update on the West Wilts show ... - (2007-07-30)
[1421] Castle Lodge Hotel, Ely, Cambridgeshire - (2007-11-04)
[1422] Wiltshire - speaker / after dinner talker offer - (2007-11-05)
[1445] Looking after you Christmas Customer Crowds - (2007-11-26)
[1548] Hotelympia - show report - the lighter side - (2008-02-21)
[1622] An extra step - victory from defeat - (2008-04-25)
[1792] All the pieces fall into place - hotel and courses - (2008-09-10)
[1877] Guests doing a bunk? - (2008-11-09)
[2007] Launch of Melksham Food and Drink Festival - (2009-01-24)
[2283] Everyone is in the customer relations business - (2009-07-12)
[2303] Turning potential customers away - (2009-07-24)
[2593] Food and drink launch - (2010-01-21)
[2724] Escapee Grandparents welcome - Henfield and Melksham - (2010-04-15)
[2879] Night Porter and reception - 24 hours a day? - (2010-07-20)
[2936] The service that customers should receive - (2010-08-27)
[3147] Hotel star ratings - towards a better system of review - (2011-01-25)
[3164] Brown - or Mrs Sally Brown, accountant from Whitstable? - (2011-02-10)
[3309] Tipping Policy - Well House Manor - (2011-05-29)
[3660] A Pivotal Incident - learning how to welcome your guests - (2012-03-18)
[3743] Sunday - no longer a day of rest - (2012-05-28)
[3832] A busy day at Well House Manor - so come in and make it even busier! - (2012-08-10)
[3838] Guest review - Well House Manor, Melksham - (2012-08-14)
[3909] Every Customer Counts - (2012-11-01)
[4033] Official Star ratings for hotels - still worth having? - (2013-03-07)
[4051] On reading a new hotel review - (2013-03-24)
[4202] Excellent Railfuture conference, but some setup lessons - (2013-11-03)
[4232] Not wanted here - hotel guests who will not be happy - (2013-12-30)
[4321] Are administration / review charges on hotel guests acceptable? - (2014-11-20)
[4521] Should we get an AA or Visit Wiltshire hotel assessment? - (2015-10-09)
[4543] Saturday morning at Well House Manor - (2015-10-17)
[4603] Happy New Year. Our customers are our ambassadors - (2016-01-01)
[4613] Our best hotel customers help us ... to help them ... be our best customers. - (2016-01-04)
M301 - The Well House Manor team [849] Staff Meeting - (2006-08-30)
[895] Welcome, Martin - (2006-10-16)
[972] Both one team and two - (2006-12-08)
[1065] Graham Ellis - an Introduction - (2007-02-05)
[1083] Behind the scenes - (2007-02-17)
[1324] Well House Manor appoints a General Manager - (2007-08-28)
[1580] Congratulations, Martin and Marta - (2008-03-17)
[1585] Well House Consultants / Manor - Staff - (2008-03-21)
[1805] Carlisle High School - Class of 1973 Reunion - (2008-09-21)
[1839] Job application - (2008-10-13)
[1927] Team changes at Well House - looking forward - (2008-12-06)
[2021] Short health and safety course - (2009-02-02)
[2027] Who sticks by you in the snow? - (2009-02-05)
[2037] The Interview and The Lift - (2009-02-12)
[2924] Job applicants - wondering why they apply - (2010-08-16)
[2938] An opportunity to join our team! - (2010-08-28)
[2946] Level playing fields, job vacancies, lemons and peaches - (2010-09-05)
[2952] Concluding the interview process - (2010-09-10)
[3201] A change to the Well House team - thank you and good luck, Chris - (2011-03-14)
[3312] Are you cheerful, reliable and available on Saturday mornings? - (2011-05-30)
[3425] Our National Autograss Champion, from Melksham - (2011-09-08)
[3871] On getting noticed for the right reasons when you ask about job availability - (2012-09-26)
[4004] Annual Accounts - a big job for a small business - (2013-02-15)
[4227] Happy Christmas from the Well House Manor team - (2013-12-25)
Some other Articles
Conference and Meeting Rooms available in MelkshamEmail from Christopher Columbus to announce finding America?Stripes of SnowPlenty to see and do - even in Winter - on a Well House Manor weekendThree cheers for the staff at Well House ManorMelksham Chamber of Commerce - join us in our futureRail services in Wiltshire - up in the air? We need to say what is best required.Special weekend at Well House Manor - come and see Wiltshire20 minutes in to our 15 minutes of fameUpcoming courses at Well House Manor - Ruby, Python, Perl