Winter Refurbishment Plans

Now that the summer season is past, it is time to start planning our refurbishment schedule to be carried out during the quieter winter months.

As usual, the decision on what needs to be done is not an easy one, as each of the Partners and General Manager, Stephen, have different opinions on priorities! My sons, Mark & Chris, are keen to invest in new technology and want to create a more modern image for the hotel. Stephen (being at the sharp end) is more concerned with customer’s first impressions and his priorities lie in upgrading the major public areas of the hotel. I am the balancing act between the two camps. My first priority is to finish the ongoing upgrade of the restaurant and drawing room to complete the overall effect, then refurbish a few more bedrooms & upgrade bathrooms.

One thing we all agree on is to continue to invest in our facilities so that we meet or exceed customer’s expectations, in spite of the recession. Customer feedback is therefore extremely important to us in prioritising the work to be carried out, and comments from our monthly on-line guest surveys are taken into account when making our investment decisions. (Sorry, no swimming pool or leisure facilities are in the pipeline in the foreseeable future)! Unfortunately we won’t be able to tackle a major upgrade of the reception and front hall area this winter much as we would like to, but this will be reviewed at a later date.

This winter our agreed priorities are:

- Complete the installation of LCD flat screen TV’s with freeview
- Complete the replacement of radio/alarm clocks with ipod dockers
- Redecorate & refurbish three principal bedrooms
- Upgrade bathrooms in recently refurbished second floor bedrooms
- Replace curtains in the Terrace restaurant
- Complete the refurbishment of the drawing room

As ever, your views on the above proposals are very welcome.

Rufflets announce their 2010 Open Championship corporate hospitality package. Now we are aware that corporate hospitality is not in vogue at the moment but we feel our offering will be attractive. It is ideal for smaller groups of 8 people upwards and is at least 50% less than the Official (read expensive) packages on offer.

More details Open Championship Hospitality.

Rufflets are working on a new website for the winter of 2009. The project started as something much smaller but has since turned into a full blown re-development. The new site will have a more image rich look and be easier to navigate.

Have a look at the sneak preview and feedback anything you would like to see.