Comments for QHotels http://blog.qhotels.co.uk 21 beautiful 4 star hotels in England and Scotland | 21 outstanding conference, meetings and event venues throughout the UK Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:33:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 Comment on Annie Brown joins The Stratford by Hotel Desk http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=126#comment-1106 Hotel Desk Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:33:44 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=126#comment-1106 Hope all is going well in your new role Annie. Hotel Desk have a corporate client event booked in with you today - thank your team for their help with the booking process and I hope the event has ran smoothly. We look forward to receiving client feedback and working with you again in the future. http://www.hoteldesk.co.uk/posts/todays-events-at-conference-hotels-and-conference-venues/ Hope all is going well in your new role Annie. Hotel Desk have a corporate client event booked in with you today – thank your team for their help with the booking process and I hope the event has ran smoothly. We look forward to receiving client feedback and working with you again in the future. http://www.hoteldesk.co.uk/posts/todays-events-at-conference-hotels-and-conference-venues/

]]> Comment on A new beginning at Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel by Steve Morgan http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=96#comment-1104 Steve Morgan Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:50:17 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=96#comment-1104 Having had the great pleasure of playing Hellidon Lakes several times in the past, i am itching to play there now i am a member of the Chesford Grange staff and that Q Hotels have made their mark on it. The first time i saw Hellidon Lakes some 15 years ago, i was astounded by in natural beauty.It is one of the most stunning golf courses i have ever had the pleasure to behold and play. As you rightly say Chris it is also a very tough challenge too. I found the greens some of the hardest i have ever tried to read or putt on. Also the 18th hole is the biggest `tease`in golf...."do i or dont i" My advice on that one..not if you are having a good round, it bites. I wish you all the very best for the birth of your baby and on your new position. Kind Regards. Steve Morgan Having had the great pleasure of playing Hellidon Lakes several times in the past, i am itching to play there now i am a member of the Chesford Grange staff and that Q Hotels have made their mark on it. The first time i saw Hellidon Lakes some 15 years ago, i was astounded by in natural beauty.It is one of the most stunning golf courses i have ever had the pleasure to behold and play. As you rightly say Chris it is also a very tough challenge too. I found the greens some of the hardest i have ever tried to read or putt on. Also the 18th hole is the biggest `tease`in golf….”do i or dont i” My advice on that one..not if you are having a good round, it bites.

I wish you all the very best for the birth of your baby and on your new position.

Kind Regards.
Steve Morgan

]]> Comment on Welcome to the QHotels blog! by joanne egan http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=1#comment-1103 joanne egan Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:55:04 +0000 http://xblocal/qhotelsblog.co.uk/httpdocs/?p=1#comment-1103 Please do let us know if ever you want a guest blogger from the conference and venue booking agency side to contribute to your (very good) blog. We believe in the rise of blogs and social media for the conference, meetings and events industry and consider ourselves proactive in this area. Please do visit and link to www.hoteldesk/blog for our discussions and live business enquiries in this area. I look forward to your blog thoughts! Please do let us know if ever you want a guest blogger from the conference and venue booking agency side to contribute to your (very good) blog. We believe in the rise of blogs and social media for the conference, meetings and events industry and consider ourselves proactive in this area.

Please do visit and link to http://www.hoteldesk/blog for our discussions and live business enquiries in this area. I look forward to your blog thoughts!

]]> Comment on Social media – changing the way of customer service by joanne egan http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=53#comment-1102 joanne egan Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:48:45 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=53#comment-1102 An interesting concept as social media is very much going to be more than a marketing or PR tool in this industry! At Hotel Desk (www.hoteldesk.co.uk) we have embraced social media into our conference and venue finding operations - see http://www.hoteldesk.co.uk/posts/hotel-desk-leads-the-way-with-social-media-in-the-travel-industry/ will some great results. Unfortunately many of our hotel and venue colleagues are slow of the mark and need to think out of the box with social media so it is great to hear that you are on the ball. Well done of your customer service - you certainly are doing something right and please encourage your individual hotels to link to www.hoteldesk.co.uk/blog and social media pages for real live conference enquiry business An interesting concept as social media is very much going to be more than a marketing or PR tool in this industry! At Hotel Desk (www.hoteldesk.co.uk) we have embraced social media into our conference and venue finding operations – see http://www.hoteldesk.co.uk/posts/hotel-desk-leads-the-way-with-social-media-in-the-travel-industry/ will some great results. Unfortunately many of our hotel and venue colleagues are slow of the mark and need to think out of the box with social media so it is great to hear that you are on the ball.

Well done of your customer service – you certainly are doing something right and please encourage your individual hotels to link to http://www.hoteldesk.co.uk/blog and social media pages for real live conference enquiry business

]]> Comment on A new beginning at Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel by Wayne Dennett http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=96#comment-1101 Wayne Dennett Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:29:04 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=96#comment-1101 A very interesting and informative blog Mr Steadman. Your passion for the task ahead is clear for all to see and I have no doubts that you will use this drive to take Hellidon Lakes on to the next level. I for one am very much looking forward to visiting the 'challenging' golf course on my next visit to the area. I look forward to your next blog with great anticipation and wish you well with your new addition. A very interesting and informative blog Mr Steadman. Your passion for the task ahead is clear for all to see and I have no doubts that you will use this drive to take Hellidon Lakes on to the next level. I for one am very much looking forward to visiting the ‘challenging’ golf course on my next visit to the area.

I look forward to your next blog with great anticipation and wish you well with your new addition.

]]> Comment on Where do spas go in the future? by st pancras international http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=71#comment-1099 st pancras international Fri, 20 May 2011 12:39:25 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=71#comment-1099 travelled using st pancreas international! loved it! definately recommend it!! travelled using st pancreas international! loved it! definately recommend it!!

]]> Comment on Staff – Ambassadors or Assassins? by Supriya Gurung http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=24#comment-34 Supriya Gurung Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:26:23 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=24#comment-34 I must say VERY MOTIVATING.....nothing MAD about it at all !!! At the end of the day, it is all about being appreciated in return for appreciating others ! I must say VERY MOTIVATING…..nothing MAD about it at all !!! At the end of the day, it is all about being appreciated in return for appreciating others !

]]> Comment on TripAdvisor friend or foe? by Guillaume http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=16#comment-20 Guillaume Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:29:34 +0000 http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=16#comment-20 It was a pleasure to share the panel with you. And thank you for your contributions. It was a pleasure to share the panel with you. And thank you for your contributions.

]]> Comment on Welcome to the QHotels blog! by Dan Kelly http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=1#comment-15 Dan Kelly Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:21:23 +0000 http://xblocal/qhotelsblog.co.uk/httpdocs/?p=1#comment-15 Hi Mary I am so sorry that we made such a mess of your dinner last Saturday night while you were with us, here at Hampshire Court Hotel. I have spoken to your daughter Katie at length and also apologised to her. We had planned suitable arrangements for dinner for those guests who were not part the large party in the restaurant. Clearly though we did not carry this out and then to compound matters, handled the resulting situation badly as well. I can assure you that as well as compensating Katie financially the hotel will certainly learn from this experience and ensure that we take all the steps necessary to avoid this fiasco happening again. As I said to Katie I completely understand your reticence about returning to the hotel but if you do decide to return please let me know and I will happily arrange it for you myself. Dan Kelly General Manager Hampshire Court Hotel Hi Mary

I am so sorry that we made such a mess of your dinner last Saturday night while you were with us, here at Hampshire Court Hotel. I have spoken to your daughter Katie at length and also apologised to her. We had planned suitable arrangements for dinner for those guests who were not part the large party in the restaurant. Clearly though we did not carry this out and then to compound matters, handled the resulting situation badly as well. I can assure you that as well as compensating Katie financially the hotel will certainly learn from this experience and ensure that we take all the steps necessary to avoid this fiasco happening again. As I said to Katie I completely understand your reticence about returning to the hotel but if you do decide to return please let me know and I will happily arrange it for you myself.

Dan Kelly
General Manager
Hampshire Court Hotel

]]> Comment on Welcome to the QHotels blog! by Mary http://blog.qhotels.co.uk/?p=1#comment-10 Mary Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:41:26 +0000 http://xblocal/qhotelsblog.co.uk/httpdocs/?p=1#comment-10 I'm sorry to say that my comments on your blog are not very favourable. They are given in the hope that future guests will not be treated in the way that myself and my two daughters were treated on our spa weekend last Saturday 26th February at the Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke. We arrived at the hotel mid morning. Had a reasonable check in experience at which time we were told that there was a function at the hotel that evening and at the time they did not know where our evening meal was to be but they would let us know. Our rooms were very nice and we were very pleased up to this point. We went into the Costa Coffee shop and had coffee, had a buffet lunch in the restaurant which was adequate but not that exciting. It appeared that there was a company there possibly having a team building event and we were sharing their lunch which was a bit strange. We then went on to have a swim before our spa treatments. The pool area was a little tired compared to the rest of the hotel and the jacuzzi shown in the photos on the website did not exist (apparently it has been gone for 2 years !). The spa treatments were excellent and we have no complaints about that at all. Our visit actually went downhill in a big way after we had dressed for dinner and after enquiring at reception where we would be having our meal (they did not come back to us as promised) we were told it was in the "Brasserie" which, to our dismay, turned out to be the Costa Coffee shop ! They had put two cloth runners down the wooden coffee shop tables and we were offered the coffee shop menu to choose from for our dinner. Having told the waiter that this was totally unacceptable he finally gave in after talking to chef and offered us the room service menu, this was after much persuasion by myself saying that if we had decided to eat in our rooms the very least they would offer us would be the room service menu. By this time it appeared that there were 9 of us ladies all enjoying a spa weekend but due to the private party in the restaurant we had all been put in the coffee shop for our evening meal and all very unhappy as we had been promised and expected a lovely three course meal in the restaurant. My daughters ordered Nachos to share which arrived topped with lemon cream rather than sour cream ! They then had to send back 2 main meals which were poorly cooked and inedible. I myself ended up with fish and chips ! We spoke to the duty manager who did nothing to resolve the situation at all. He told us that they took a "business decision" to seat us in the coffee shop which just added fuel to the fire as it was the most inappropriate comment to make -we all felt like the poor relations and the hotel valued the custom from the private party of 160 rather more than us. My daughters and I were so disappointed and unhappy, any effects from the relaxation of the spa treatments were long gone and we were more stressed that when we arrived that morning. The biggest point I want to make here is that the whole situation could have been avoided. The hotel knew they had a private party of 160 people and they knew they had 9 ladies on a spa weekend. They should have contacted us and told us the situation, giving us the option to re-book another day or accept our seating arrangement for that evening. At the very least they could have seated us in one of the many meeting rooms and made it look cosy, inviting and like a dining room. We were all treated very poorly by the hotel, and my daughters and I have vowed to never go there or any other Q Hotel again. I’m sorry to say that my comments on your blog are not very favourable. They are given in the hope that future guests will not be treated in the way that myself and my two daughters were treated on our spa weekend last Saturday 26th February at the Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke. We arrived at the hotel mid morning. Had a reasonable check in experience at which time we were told that there was a function at the hotel that evening and at the time they did not know where our evening meal was to be but they would let us know. Our rooms were very nice and we were very pleased up to this point. We went into the Costa Coffee shop and had coffee, had a buffet lunch in the restaurant which was adequate but not that exciting. It appeared that there was a company there possibly having a team building event and we were sharing their lunch which was a bit strange. We then went on to have a swim before our spa treatments. The pool area was a little tired compared to the rest of the hotel and the jacuzzi shown in the photos on the website did not exist (apparently it has been gone for 2 years !). The spa treatments were excellent and we have no complaints about that at all. Our visit actually went downhill in a big way after we had dressed for dinner and after enquiring at reception where we would be having our meal (they did not come back to us as promised) we were told it was in the “Brasserie” which, to our dismay, turned out to be the Costa Coffee shop ! They had put two cloth runners down the wooden coffee shop tables and we were offered the coffee shop menu to choose from for our dinner. Having told the waiter that this was totally unacceptable he finally gave in after talking to chef and offered us the room service menu, this was after much persuasion by myself saying that if we had decided to eat in our rooms the very least they would offer us would be the room service menu. By this time it appeared that there were 9 of us ladies all enjoying a spa weekend but due to the private party in the restaurant we had all been put in the coffee shop for our evening meal and all very unhappy as we had been promised and expected a lovely three course meal in the restaurant. My daughters ordered Nachos to share which arrived topped with lemon cream rather than sour cream ! They then had to send back 2 main meals which were poorly cooked and inedible. I myself ended up with fish and chips ! We spoke to the duty manager who did nothing to resolve the situation at all. He told us that they took a “business decision” to seat us in the coffee shop which just added fuel to the fire as it was the most inappropriate comment to make -we all felt like the poor relations and the hotel valued the custom from the private party of 160 rather more than us. My daughters and I were so disappointed and unhappy, any effects from the relaxation of the spa treatments were long gone and we were more stressed that when we arrived that morning.

The biggest point I want to make here is that the whole situation could have been avoided. The hotel knew they had a private party of 160 people and they knew they had 9 ladies on a spa weekend. They should have contacted us and told us the situation, giving us the option to re-book another day or accept our seating arrangement for that evening. At the very least they could have seated us in one of the many meeting rooms and made it look cosy, inviting and like a dining room.

We were all treated very poorly by the hotel, and my daughters and I have vowed to never go there or any other Q Hotel again.

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