Caterer Letters

Business guests deserve better than budget…

There is no denying the growth of the budget hotel sector (Caterer, 5 June, page 5) and its appeal to corporate guests who simply want a place to rest their heads. But our research suggests most corporate guests do want additional facilities such as a gym, pool, restaurant and dataports in rooms. Many bookers look to the mid-market sector to offer great value for money and good accommodation.

Our research also indicates that location is one of the main motivations for booking. At Best Western, many of our hotels in the UK are within a convenient distance of a motorway. This may be an indication as to why the group has shown a healthy growth in the domestic corporate market, with a 23.4% increase year on year to date.

It is a myth to suggest that budget hotels are less expensive for corporate clients as most companies have access to corporate and preferred rates that often include a full breakfast.

Companies must take care of their staff and using budget hotels to accommodate those who spend days on the road is not beneficial to their long-term job satisfaction.

David Hayes Chief Executive, Best Western Hotels, Clifton Moor, York

…and we all merit more than dreary uniformity
In Forbes Mutch's eulogy on budget hotels (Caterer, 5 June, page 5), he is right to say they offer consistency to customers - consistently ugly buildings that add nothing to the appeal of our British countryside and a consistently dull offering.

Must we always applaud the successfully cheap at the expense of those who take pride in style and creativity? The independent, mid-market hotel sector is certainly not consistent. And thank heavens - we have enough dumbed-down uniformity in our world. Let us agree with the French: vive la diff‚rence.

David Smith
Managing Director, The Direct Tableware Company, Royston, Hertfordshire

…but in the long run quality will shine through Next week a 40-bedroom budget hotel opens on the outskirts of our town. It has meant the destruction of an orchard and the loss of two hotels. A motel depends on high visibility, garish neon lights and lots of passing trade. And as they only compete with full-service hotels on price, planners allow their shacks to be erected willy-nilly, at huge loss to our green and pleasant land.

But longer term we proper hotels will benefit because, as Berni Inns found with food, an increasingly affluent society will not tolerate just a basic night's sleep for long.

John Jenkinson Director, The Evesham Hotel, Evesham, Worcestershire

Wine screwcaps should be put in their place In the article "Screwcap revolution" (Caterer, 29 May, page 36), I was quoted as saying "over my dead body". I find it sad I was quoted without giving the full story of how I see the screwcap revolution.

Although it may provide the best airtight seal, it still has a cheap image. There is no doubt screwcaps have their place in the production of wine and that because of the shortage of good cork bark, it is necessary to look at alternatives.

But much as I believe screwcaps can be acceptable in the off-licence trade, I cannot accept offering a screwcap wine to a client where the ceremonial opening of wine is part of the dining experience. Our clients are not ready for the screwcap.

The wine representative of Hatch Mansfield, who passed on my comment, should understand the principles of our industry and that traditional establishments strive to give superlative service.

Fiona Sims also said a benefit of screwcaps is that they are resealable. This is true but it will not stop wine oxidizing once opened.

I am all for screwcaps in off-licences and supermarkets but it would take Château Lafitte Rothschild or even Cloudy Bay to use them to make it acceptable to clients of traditional restaurants.

Laurent Petas Club Manager, Phyllis Court Club, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Catering values should start at primary school
I am in total agreement with Sara Jayne-Stanes ("Food education will lead to a better society", Caterer, 5 June, page 18). I believe school is the place to start food education.

There was a time when this could be gained from home but families do not sit together for meals and parents are often too busy to provide a meal that doesn't come out of a packet.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, even at primary school we were taught the nutritional value of what we ate. By the time I went to secondary school, domestic science was part of the regular curriculum, even for boys.

An enthusiastic teacher inspired me to follow a career in catering and I have never looked back. I went to the local technical college, where I did O level and A level cookery, before moving to catering college. I can remember the enthusiasm all the teachers had, which confirmed to me I had chosen the right career.

Schools can still have a major influence over food education but not if they call it "food technology" and give it only 40 minutes a week.

Come on Government, wake up. You are failing to provide a decent education in food appreciation - for our children's sake and for the future of our industry.

Barry Eustice Consultant for HCIMA, By e-mail

PRS should keep event charges in proportion It was interesting to read that Christmas parties are getting smaller (Caterer, 12 June, page 8). Isn't it time the Performing Rights Society (PRS) realised that while a dance/banqueting room can be licensed for 450 people, perhaps only 100 use it at a time? Why does it charge 100 people the same fee as for 450 people?

Average numbers have fallen in all but a few of our capacity functions. We run 74 discos, three live music events and 23 other musical functions, and have an average of 193 people at each. Yet the PRS charges us for 100 functions, x 450 capacity, which equates to an overcharge of £1,736.

Does anyone else agree that the PRS should charge by the number using the venue, not by the capacity of licences?

C E J Bryan Managing Director, Drayton Manor, Tamworth, Staffordshire