The Winter Blues.....

I am pleased to say that the roads are all now completely clear of snow - a bit of slush still around, but all passable.

The last week has been interesting to say the least - we have been working hard to make sure that the hotel is clear and safe for access for our customers, but the main problem has been the wider travel issues.

Most of the staff did try very hard to get into the hotel for work - even Dorothy who looks after breakfast service (she lives in one of the highest villages in the area but managed with her 4 wheel drive car).

Always listening.....

One of the things that has been raised by our residents over the past six months has been the matter of full wifi coverage in the hotel. We have now extended the coverage to all the bedrooms in the main hotel as well, offering free access to the high-speed internet system that we have.

And finally......

We are all looking forward to a busy few weeks and for those of you who won't be able to pop in we would like to wish you a very merry Christmas, and we hope to see you again in 2011.

The Hotel Inspector

Twice a year, we get a surprise visit by secret inspectors (from the AA and Visitscotland), and last week, we had our annual visit from Visitscotland.

Being scrutinised (un-announced) by someone who uses a fine tooth-comb is always difficult , and this time around was no exception, but we are really pleased that we have, yet again, had a very good report.

Perhaps the fact that the total score has gone up, meaning that we have been again recommeded for 4 gold stars, is pleasing. But for us, the fact that he looks at the service that other guests receive is even more important, and the staff have been highly praised for the overall high level of customer service that they have delivered.

The fact that we are now at No. 1 in Tripadvisor for hotels in St Andrews means that many of our other clients think that we are very good as well!

Staff on Secondment!!

One of the good things that happened last year is that one of our reservations team, Sam Adam, was awarded a scholarship in conjunction with HIT Scotland and Golf Tourism Scotland (GTS), as she had won the 'Young Industry Person of the Year' at the GTS Awards last October.

The reward for winning this was to spend a week in the USA working with an agent specialising in golf tourism into the UK, and she went out last week to Florida to carry out her secondment with a company called Golfpac.

She is obviously being kept very busy, as we have not heard from her as yet, but I am sure that when she returns next week she will (as always) be full of enthusiasm and energy - and full of new ideas.

It is good to know that our staff are recognised by the industry for the hard work that they put in, and the fact that they do work hard to promote the very best of what our country (and Fife) can give to our visitors.

I hope that when she returns, she might find time to be able to post a blog all about her experiences.

The end of the Summer - we hope not!

It is always interesting at this time of year to see that, even with the days getting shorter, we still have lots of clients visiting the hotel for a whole range of reasons.

Golf is still clearly a real draw, and although now approaching the end of the season, we are really pleased that all our golfing parties are enjoying some fantastic golf, and more of them enjoying the Old Course.

There are still many other reasons for coming to St Andrews as well, and the numbers of people coming for short breaks - whether it is mid-week or weekends is increasing all the time.

For me personally, the end of the summer is marked by the fact that my children have started school again, and so the reality of school-runs and homework sessions has hit home again. So, our plans are that we will be looking for a short holiday sometime in October, and hopefully we will be able to find some options as good as the ones on offer at Rufflets!

So, for those of you reading this, keep an eye on our breaks page on the site, as well as the 'Late Deals' page, as these do offer some great value.

We are also finalising the Christmas and New Year menus at the moment, and these will be published very soon, so again, keep a watch for them on the site.

Finally, we will be launching the new a la carte menu in mid-September!

Regards to all - hope to see you soon........

Another great Open Golf Week.....

The dust is settling after what has been a very busy week for the hotel (and obviously the town), and whilst we still have a few of our guests with us, we are now back to the normal operation.

As can be expected, we have seen a huge rise in enquiries from overseas from clients who have seen the delights of St Andrews on TV wanting to come and see it in the flesh, so the phones have been busy.

The dates for the next St Andrews Open are yet to be announced, and it will probably be September before they are confirmed, but we do know that there is a desire to have the 150th Open in St Andrews, which means that the next time the show will be in town will be either 2015 or 2016, so watch this space.

The sun is shining, and the East Neuk is looking at its best, and we are looking forward to a good second half of the summer.

As always, we are keeping our webiste up to date with all the room rates, and so if you are planning on coming our way, do check them out.

Getting Gold Award from GTBS

We are really pleased to be able to announce that for the 7th year running, Rufflets has been awarded the highest level of award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme - the Gold Award.

Each year, the audit becomes more and more detailed in what they look for - not just about low energy light bulbs, but many other criteria.

They do make us jump through various hoops to achieve the Gold Standard, but to stay as one of the leading hotels in terms of sustainable tourism in Scotland in important to us.

Our green credentials are, we feel, very very strong.

We remain one of the few Carbon Nuetral hotels in Scotland - and continue to invest a large amount of our money each year in off-set programmes around the globe.

To find out more about GTBS, do ask us the next time you are here.

We have now opened our bookings for Dinner during the week of the Open Championship and can offer the following options:

The Terrace Restaurant – Monday 12th – Sunday 18th July

Enjoy a leisurely four course dinner each evening in the elegant surroundings of our 2AA Rosette Restaurant overlooking our manicured formal gardens.

£55 per person inclusive of vat @ 17.5%

The Garden Suite - Thursday 15th - Sunday 18th July 2010

Three Course Buffet Menu - £45.00 inclusive of vat @ 17.5%

Includes a choice of starter and dessert (served to your table) with main courses self-served from the hot and cold Buffet.

Please see full details on our website.

With the knowledge that Easter is nearly upon us, it is clear that summer is also just around the corner.

One of the really good things that I love about St Andrews is the buzz that can be felt with the change in the weather, seeing the cutters out on the golf courses, and the students all getting tense with the forth-coming exams!!

On the issue of golf, my clubs have been dusted off, and my name is down for the first medal of the year (for me at least) next week. So the annual dream of reducing the handicap starts again.

As for the hotel, we have finished the various bits of refurbishment works that we wanted to do - redecorating two rooms and re-vamping another 3 bedrooms, all of which has made a great impact. All we need to do now is to get the boss-lady (that's Annie Murray-Smith) to start planning the next round of work which will take place towards the end of the year.

One sad bit of news is that Andy Duncan, our gardener for 32 years, has retired. It was with heavy heart that we said farewell, but we are pleased that he is planning to keep himself busy (he has even got a passport for the first time ever!)

His replacement, Phil Harper, has been with us for four weeks, and has settled in well.

Well, that's it for now. Remember to check our late deals page on the website - we do have some great offers going in at the moment.

What the Inspector Said......

We have said before that one of the things that we wanted to do with our blog was to communicate to our followers the thing that are happening at the hotel - both good and bad, and so I thought that you might like to know what the AA Hotels Inspector said about us this year.

Remember, this is the professional hotel reviewer who travels incognito, and so we do not know when to expect him. So, his comments make interesting reading:

They are as follows:

Cleanliness:

Housekeeping has been a definite strength on a number of visits. No issues with high or low level cleaning in bedrooms & public areas. In the bathroom there was no evidence of a previous guest having used the facilities. No smears or hairs on nay of the contact areas. Professional turndown service carried out with all expected areas covered.

Service:

Professional booking backed up with confirmation email. No meet and greet at the car but good welcome. Guest roomed and full induction given. Lounge Service poor initially with guest not approached. Bar, Dinner and breakfast were all well paced & attentive showing good customer care awareness. At check-out bill made ready in advance & quickly processed giving good last impression.

Bedrooms:

The refurbished bedrooms all meet with Red Star expectations, older bedrooms are showing a quality gap which fall below this required level. Good space and ease of use, beds are comfortable & on the whole well dressed. Carpet quality differs with some wear and tear noted. New TVs and Ipod docking stations are well received with good lighting & storage space noted throughout.

Bathrooms:

Investment in the bathrooms is great to see & the refurbished areas are pleasing to the eye, older bathrooms look dated in comparison but on the whole are not as big an issue. Quality branded toiletries & well laundered towels with good set down space is noted. Hand was basin in 23 is too small & a definite mistake to install, although this was not repeated.

Food:

Dinner was enjoyable with a thoughtful & imaginative menu. Accuracy of cooking was perfect but some of the balance of flavours in the main course were not as pronounced as they should have been. Side order of roast potatoes had not been roasted & were disappointing. Good breakfast from the cold table & hot menu choice giving the guest a great start to the day.

Hospitality:

Hospitality remains a definite strength in this guest experience. James, Russell and Adri all worthy of particular praise.

Public Areas:

The public rooms remain well presented and providing a choice of areas for the guest to relax, good reading material & access to Wi-Fi and a PC.

Dining Area:

Tastefully appointed restaurant with evidence of coordinated design providing an intimate and relaxed atmosphere for guests. Well spaced tables.

Exterior:

Gardens present well & are pleasing to the eye, ample car parking was free from litter & well lit at night offering positive impressions upon arrival.


So, all-in-all, a very good report, and we are pleased that our merit score, star rating and rosettes will remain as they were.

I only hope that some of you will be able to come and experience the same as he did!!

January Sale







Rufflets have launched a January sale offring a 17.5% discount on accommodation booked in January 2010 for any periood in 2010. If you are planning a trip, book it before January 31st to take advantage of this offer.

Goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010........

I suppose that I should be sad to see the close of 2009, but along with the rest of the team, am very much looking forward to 2010.

The last couple of weeks has been very busy as you might expect, with all the festive parties, followed by Christmas, the New Year celebrations, plus a wedding on the 2nd January, but I am pleased to say that all went well.

The challenges of the weather was perhaps the only main concern for us all. Thankfully, more or less all the staff managed to get to the hotel for their various jobs - which is a credit to them all as it would have been simpler to stay at home, and, with a few exceptions, all our guests also arrived safely, and as far as I am aware, had a safe journey home.

The hotel looked especially festive, with a good cover of snow all the way through from the 22nd December. The biggest problem for us has been to make sure that the access paths around the building were kept clear - a real issue when the supplies of salt and grit were running short. Even today, Andy (the gardener) has been out and about clearing the snow that fell last night, and there is more to come according to the forecast.

Our Hogmanay House Party was once again a great success, with a good mix of guests, many of who had been before for the same event.

After all the dancing on Hogmanay, we were delighted to have 45 people out in the big field for the Highland Games. Despite the snow, we did manage to have the caber-tossing, welly-boot throwing, and of course, the Haggis Hurling. There was a clean sweep for the Haggis Hurling, with the Sears Family winning the gents, ladies and under 15s competitions - so well done to them!

With a good bonfire, and some mulled wine, everyone managed to stay warm and at the same time blow away some of the cobwebs.

So, now onto the planning for the next twelve months - it should be lots of fun, especially with the Open championships in July!