High hills and holidays

If there has been any concern that the economy was still entrenched in recession, the recent takeover of Forte, as well as the $1.4b bid for Cunard's parent company, Trafalgar House, by Norwegian conglomerate Kvaerner, leave no doubt that the recession is over - mergers and acquisitions are alive and well.

The Kvaerner announcement posed a challenge to Cunard: to ensure that travel agents and consumers realise that despite speculative press accounts, corporate life at Cunard is unaltered.

Indeed, every Cunard employee has been charged with one goal: to turn around the business in 24 months.

In mid-March, we travelled to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for a weekend break at Keswick Hall. This is one of three beautiful Ashley House properties (two are in the USA, the third one is in Wales).

From New York, we took an 80-minute flight on a 12-seater plane to Charleston, Virginia.

Then it's a brief drive to Keswick Hall, which aims to bring an English country-house experience to the USA .

The predominantly local clientele enjoys Keswick's beautifully appointed suites, elegant public rooms scenic grounds and samples excellent cuisine. The locals are quite curious about the traditional English tea served there each afternoon.

General manager Stephen Beaumont and corporate director of sales and marketing David Taylor, both Brits, oversee a very well-run property.

New arrival

On a personal level, February was especially rewarding as my wife Camilla gave birth to a son.

While Camilla was in the hospital, an ex-colleague, James Sherwin, formerly of the Savoy Group, but now executive manager of the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, sent a wonderful dinner to Camilla and myself. It was a thoughtful gesture that complemented perfectly our happy mood.

It's good to see so many British in the industry have gotten such good jobs in the USA!

Next diary from Peter Bates is on 9 May