Annie Brown

General Manager – The Stratford

Crewe Hall is a grade II listed hotel full of hidden treasures, elaborate décor and exquisite marble. When you drive up the scenic drive you will already get the sense of the magic that awaits you, but imagine it everyday when you work here. WOW!

The spa and leisure club is the newest addition to the hotel and been here for 3 years which offers a wide range of treatments from your classic pedicures to get the Christmas party look started to the hot stone delights for the ultimate relaxation. We also offer state of the art gym equipment, classes to get your pulse racing and an 18 metre swimming pool. After your workout and dip in the pool why not come to the spa for some TLC and chill out in the relax room before heading off for some amazing food in the Brasserie to tickle your taste buds.

On our website you can take a sneaky peek at the treatments we have to offer which I know would not disappoint, however if there’s something on there that your unsure of or want to change slightly then fear not we are very versatile and will accommodate your needs. We use ESPA products at Crewe Hall. They have been chosen for the fabulous array of natural ingredients and effective qualities they offer. Don’t forget, you can carry on your experience and purchase ESPA products from the spa and take the magic home with you.

If all this isn’t enough then take a walk around the historic grounds where you will not be disappointed on the wonders it has to offer. I can ultimately say I am apart of the furniture here and never want to leave the delights it has to offer me everyday.

Its ‘hall’ you can ask for!

Katie Hill

Spa Manager – Crewe Hall

I have also been able to celebrate the launch of our new spa day offering to market last week. We have created 5 brand new spa days to meet everyone’s needs for a day escape from reality. Somewhere warm and welcoming to relax and re-charge those batteries. There is even a day specially designed for men as we want you to feel comfortable coming along for some R & R as well as the ladies. Check out our website for all our new spa days.

I hope you enjoy the brand new spa rituals and spa days. Please do keep your feedback coming, whether you let us know through your spa therapist, our customer relations manager or indeed through social media, either on Twitter or Facebook – I really do appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Until next time,

Jess x

Jessica Boughen

Group Spa Operations Manager – QHotels

I was blown away by its size; the largest shopping centre in Europe! It has beautiful walkways and large stores. The final wow factor is the Olympic Park that appears as you walk through the centre to the other side. 

With this in mind we have created an accommodation package to include £30.00 worth of shopping vouchers at the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, accommodation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis and a glass of champagne on arrival for that special touch. For those wishing to shop a little closer to home we also have this package available for the Ashford McArthur Glen Designer Outlet. Shopping breaks at Ashford International Hotel start from only £72.50 per guest per night and two nights start from only £60.00 per guest per night. We have recently introduced Garra Rufa Fish Pedicures so you can return from your shopping trip to have your feet ‘renewed’. If that’s not your cup of tea we still offer standard pedicures amongst many other relaxing spa treatments in our six treatment rooms.   

So whether you are staying to shop till you drop or if you were lucky enough to get your hands on some Olympic tickets, the Ashford International Hotel is ideally located close enough to enjoy the hustle and bustle of London and the Olympics but still surrounded by peaceful countryside in the Garden of England.

I look forward to welcoming you to the Ashford International Hotel.

Deirdre Billing

General Manager

Ashford International Hotel, Ashford, Kent

The move is over, when relocating from Edinburgh to Stratford-upon-Avon it makes you really appreciate the M6 toll road! The move to QHotels has been exciting and rewarding. It is great to work with a team that is drive to succeed and consistently delivers fantastic service. I continue to be impressed and excited about our produce at The Stratford and I am sure if you get the opportunity to visit you will too.

I thought you may be interested to hear a quirky fact about The Stratford. Did you know that the hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon used to be a hospital in the town? You can still see the original clock tower on the hotel roof top.

Stratford-upon-Avon provides history, theatre, culture and fabulous shopping, why wouldn’t you want to have your next break in Stratford-upon-Avon? Why not come and stay and see what I mean? I am sure you will love it just as much as I do. The best thing is that as the north is snuggling up for the winter, it is still relatively warm here and you can still get out and about and enjoy the town. So whether it is a short break or you are in town for business, come and see us. Click here for our latest offers. I would love to meet you and say hello.

Stay with me for my update and I hope to read your reviews soon…

Annie Brown

General Manager – The Stratford

When the marketing team approached me about writing my very first blog, I felt quite excited. Social media is simply mind-boggling but I absolutely love it and love how people can so easily express their opinions and interests. My name is Jessica Boughen. I work for QHotels in Spa Operations. My day consists of looking at ways we can improve the quality and standards of our spas for our hotel guests, spa visitors and leisure members. Also, I am always looking at new opportunities and striving to offer exciting and unique experiences too.

I have been in the spa industry for 16 years and the first thing I wanted to create for QHotel guests was a selection of Q signature rituals. These treatments would be completely exclusive to QHotels. Along with this I would give the therapists a chance to really use their skills and expertise in a mixture of treatments and add special touches such as heated blankets on the treatment beds, pillows and bolsters for support and some extra special touches such as inhalation bowls. I am delighted to say, after 3 months of very hard work, training and preparing we have just launched these exclusive spa rituals at all QHotels 17 spas throughout the UK. If you want to be the first to try one of these delightful rituals, you can find out more information here.

Until next time, enjoy your spa rituals, and don’t be afraid to let us know about your experience through Facebook or Twitter! We would love to hear your thoughts.

If you blinked you may have done. As you all know I am an avid golf fan and was thankful that I was securely tucked up at home with a cup of tea and a chocolate hobnob whilst the irrepressible Darren Clarke strode majestically to a three shot victory in Sandwich in what was arguably the worst weekend of weather the Open had seen in quite some time. Northern Ireland now boasts three major champions in three years – incredible achievement for them. Now that the Open has passed Olympic fever grips Kent with qualification at Medway Park this weekend for team GB’s pentathlon hopefuls. With the recently released news that Brands Hatch will host around 34 cycling events for the Paralympics in 2012, this is fantastic news for Kent. Bridgewood is only a short cycle ride from the famous circuit and very well placed for Ebbsfleet (less than 11 minutes) with the Olympic village a further 18 minutes on – the whole games less than 30 minutes away – what bliss.

Don’t forget to check out our summer offers on our web page, we have a great bucket and spade promotion which will help you make the most of some of Kent’s blue ribbon beaches. The weather is set to change so make sure you take advantage and book one of Bridgewood’s great packages which also include free dining for the kids. If the beach isn’t your thing then check out the Olympic Village – you’ll be there before you know it.

Have a great summer break.

Simon Barker
General Manager
Bridgewood Manor

I say No, The Stratford is a beautiful boutique hotel in a town centre and I loved my 3 years there but change is so important in this industry and when I was aware that Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel had an opportunity I grabbed it with both hands. With the golf comes a fresh challenge and one that I was not used to at The Stratford. This challenge is both professional and personal, I played the championship 18 holes course and quickly realised why Hellidon Lakes’ golf course is so highly regarded in The Midlands. Her shortcomings in length are certainly made up for in challenges around the course with strategically placed bunkers and as our name would suggest, so many water hazards!! A challenge indeed and one I am determined to succeed in.

One phrase I have always liked is ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and I believe that England is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and something that us Brits take for granted. As I type this, I overlook the Cherwell Valley from the Terrace Bar of Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel with an un-obscured view of Mother Nature in all her grandeur, I gain an incredible amount of my inspiration to generate new ideas and initiatives to improve Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel and make it an even better resort and conference venue by looking out into the valley and delve into my deep thoughts. The vista is one to be seen and if you have not made your way to Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel I suggest it to be high on your list and experience it for yourself.

I will certainly update you on my father-to-be saga as it nears and as time runs out for me to gain a golf handicap around Hellidon Lakes’ golf course!

Chris Steadman
General Manager
Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel

In October this year the Basingstoke half marathon will be taking place and the main sponsor of the event is Shire Pharmaceuticals. As Shire are a company who choose to use The Hampshire Court Hotel extensively, it seemed only right that we submit a team for the event. Our team is made up of Chris - Ops Manager, Georgina – Leisure Club Manager, myself and 2 more unsuspecting people who have that pleasant surprise to look forward to. Since we first talked about the half marathon, Norton Park, our sister hotel near Winchester became quite competitive and asked for a team to be entered on their behalf. QHotels now have 2 teams and 10 people entered all raising money for Asthma UK. I will update you on results / fatalities after the event in October. Although significantly better at sports than computers I am by no means a natural runner and I had taken the view that participating in the half marathon would be a one off which supported a great client for the hotel, a worthy charity and a promising new local initiative. However I did not bank on the efforts of Kelly Taylor, Hampshire Court’s new Director of Sales. In all of the appointments Kelly has had with our corporate guests, the merest mention of a run has been greeted with a ‘Dan our GM would love to do that.’ As a result my non use of the gym really does need to change.

There is a silver lining to this state of affairs and that is, I will be able to get into shape in the newly refurbished gym suite here at The Hampshire Court Hotel. We have spent just over £220k in the gym and in conjunction with Pulse fitness can now boast the most innovative, state-of-the-art cardiovascular and resistance equipment, including IPod integrated systems. The new gym is sure to be a real hit with both residents and members alike… …and it will give me an opportunity not to disgrace myself in October…

Dan Kelly

General Manager – The Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke, Hampshire

I first became involved in the spa concepts at Mount Juliet in Ireland and followed through to my own spa at Inchydoney Island in Ireland where we created the first Thalasso (fresh seawater) spa in the UK and Ireland. In those days spas were created as a health option and could be quite Spartan. Today the spa culture has re-invented itself as a tranquil place to unwind and escape the stresses of the modern world.

The interesting part is where do spas go in the future? What will be the next requirement? There are many treatment options these days be it Thalasso, Asian influenced residential havens like Norton Park or even high street shops fitted out for day treatments.

What is becoming clear is that the spa industry is one that, in these hard economic times, finds a ready selection of clients who will find the funds to be pampered and cared for. The unique aspect that makes and challenges the industry is the absolute requirement for a team in a spa to be able to capably and genuinely care for our guests in a manner that creates that calm. Thus the service care that the Asian spas brought to the western spa industry needs to be translated into the care in the west. These are the challenges and making sure that our future therapists are fully aware of the skills and guest care requirements. My current concern is that the training systems are at times very weak and guest care also takes a secondary place. Further, individual therapist beliefs still invade a company or spa culture as a result of poor training in their past.

The key to a very good spa must therefore be an excellent spa manager who has a very focused and disciplined approach to guest care and a strong people approach to the team to define what they must or must not do. The challenge is training and discipline – two key aspects to the spa and, in fact, the hospitality industry.

We will be delighted to see you at our brand new Spa at Norton Park – pop in and experience the tranquil haven we have created.