Letters

ETB should use its muscle to get a fairer deal

I was interested to read your article on the English Tourist Board (ETB)/Daily Telegraph half-price promotion.

I find the manner in which the ETB appears to have had its tail wagged by the Telegraph very worrying. Instead of supporting all its members, it has colluded in a scheme that supports some hotels and not others.

What is worse, there seems to be a singular lack of explanation about why some hotels have been rejected when they were perfectly satisfactory the previous year. To my suspicious mind, failure to provide adequate explanation smacks of something to hide, and something underhand in order to gain acceptance.

If the ETB inspects its member hotels, then it should have confidence in its grading and classification. If a standard is laid down for inclusion in the Telegraph scheme, then it should support all its members and stipulate that those who meet the standard and who want to be included must be included.

If necessary, another page should have been printed to include the missing 275 hotels. The ETB could even use some of our subscription money to pay for it if the Telegraph cannot be persuaded to include another page in its budget.

Then there would be no losers. The member hotels of the ETB would perceive that they were all getting equal treatment and the public would get another 275 hotels to chose from.

While we have not been involved in the scheme, we have been affected by it. I believe, in the interest of all member hotels, the ETB and the Telegraph should look again at the period over which the promotion runs.

I am sure the present timescale is marvellous for the seaside hotels whose peak season is high summer. They are able to charge their premium prices during their peak period and then top up with the cut-price trade outside that period.

But for many country hotels like ourselves, the season is split into two, the spring and autumn, with mid-summer relatively quiet. Unfortunately, the Telegraph scheme begins just as our busy autumn season should start and continues until the end of the spring season.

We either charge our usual rates as usual and get very reduced trade because of the competition from half-price establishments, or we reduce our prices to compete and fill our rooms. Either way, we fail to get in the "fat" needed to see us through the winter comfortably.

Again, the ETB could use its muscle to ensure that the promotion was geared to benefit everyone, not just one group at the expense of another. The offer would be better restricted to the November-to-March period, where it would be of benefit to all taking part but would not cause such injury to those members who could not or did not wish to be involved.

The Telegraph promotion can seriously affect the health of those not participating, particularly where a decision is made to only include one hotel in a given area.

If a number of hotels of similar standard are situated within a few miles of each other, the one hotel awarded a place will scoop much of the trade.

Those left out could well find themselves close to bankruptcy. To try to share the benefits by giving the trade to one hotel one year and another the next would not work, for not everyone could survive the lean years.

I think it ill-fits the ETB to be party to a scheme which can so seriously damage the wellbeing of some of its members.

NIGEL EATON-GRAY

Great Tree Hotel,

Chagford, Devon.

Haven't we had a good summer?

I wonder if other hoteliers, particularly inland, experienced the same upsurge in business as we did this summer.

Historically, August has been one of our poorest summer months, but this year against all expectations our hotel and restaurant ran at an average of 86% occupancy.

Some people suggest that the brilliant weather was responsible, but in fact most of our bookings were made long before the good weather arrived. The weather did bring people out, but in our case we were usually unable to accommodate them.

Is there a bit more confidence in the economy, or was it just good luck?

MARY ANN GILCHRIST

Carlton House,

Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys.

Interviewers need to sharpen up

Having recently gained a hospitality management degree, I spent the summer job-hunting. What I have come to realise is the appalling way an industry that prides itself on providing a total quality service treats potential employees.

The following is an account of my most recent interview. It was the deciding one, and I was to be interviewed by the hotel sales director and general manager.

They kept me waiting for over an hour and failed to give an explanation or apology. My CV was in front of them, detailing over two years' hotel experience, including a sandwich year in a large business and resort hotel in the USA.

The first question I was asked was "Do you have any hotel experience?" It was immediately clear that my CV had not even been glanced at, let alone read.

Another question was: "Do you realise a hotel is a 24-hour operation and you can't leave a guest at 5pm just because you want to go home?"

I found this a little insulting. I do not for a moment feel I know everything, but I would have had to have spent the past five years of my life asleep not to realise this most basic of facts.

Job applicants have to ensure they dress right, have the right CV and act right in the nerve-wracking interviews. The interviewers, however, are able to act as they please, even if this means downright rudeness.

Staff turnover has always been a problem in the hospitality industry, but it amazes me that candidates accept jobs in the first place.

KIRSTEN O'HALLORAN

Buckingham.

Why graduates are trainees

As a recent graduate in hospitality management , I am writing in response to the letter by Marc Adams (31 August) who asked why big hotel organisations only offer management training positions to graduates.

My main motivation for opting to attend university, thus neglecting four years of potential earnings, was to develop a theory-based understanding of the industry. This was combined with the short but vital practical experience developed during the third year of a sandwich course.

The theories and concepts covered by such degree courses spread over many areas of the industry, from operations management to corporate behaviour. Often, many of the ideas generated are as yet unused in industry.

So by employing a graduate, hotels have access to both new ideas and knowledge combined with practical experience, which can then be applied to many different departments.

It is also possible to promote these theories and concepts to a top corporate level. It is, however, unrealistic to expect a graduate to enter the industry at this level, so junior management positions are offered. Unfair as this may be, it appears to be the case.

SCOTT JONES

Trainee manager,

Bass Taverns, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Ageism gets everywhere

AS A 38-year-old with a BA in hospitality management and more than 10 years' catering experience mainly as a chef, I applaud your stance on ageism in the industry.

However, it may be a good idea to put your own house in order first by refusing to accept ageist advertisements for vacancies from various companies. Each week I scour the appointments section looking for a position, only to find several for which I would (I believe) be suitable, stipulating that the age limit for the position is about 35 years. These are often for senior management posts.

If I feel alienated below the age of 40, I can only sympathise with those who are over 50.

I keep reading about the shortage of skilled staff in the industry, yet with this attitude from a large section of the trade, the term "shooting oneself in the foot" comes to mind.

MARK CORBLUTH

Norwich,

Norfolk.

Unless the law changes, Caterer & Hotelkeeper cannot prevent advertisers stipulating age restrictions in their adverts - Editor.