Perfect match
THE first time I came down the drive of Cannizaro House, I thought: "Wow!" It's just so beautiful andin a terrific setting. You'd neverthink you were only six miles from central London.
We are extremely popular during the Wimbledon tennis championships. Corporate entertaining means that most of our function rooms and a lot of the bedrooms are booked up a year in advance, as soon as the previous championships finish. In that sense, the marketing of the fortnight takes care of itself.
For all of us, it's a really hectic time, and everyone is expected to help out wherever needed. Last year, I was in washing pots, cleaning glasses and sweeping the terrace.
We also get the staff from personnel and accounts to meet and greet guests as they arrive. They enjoy it, as it's so different from their normal jobs.
I live about 15 minutes' drive away and am here from 7am. The first thing is to make sure that the menus are out and prepared for the pre-match luncheons. These are aimed at corporate clients who are entertaining their guests. Cost per head is about £90 and includes Champagne, lunch, an official programme and transport to and from the All England Club.
We have a big staff briefing at 8am and make sure that everyone knows what's happening. That includes being aware of our wet-weather plan. That means using function rooms inside rather than our terrace, which overlooks Cannizaro Park.
All that takes us up to 11.30am, when the first guests arrive and the real hubbub starts.
After the Champagne, there's usually about 90 minutes to serve the food before our courtesy coaches take everyone down to the All England Club for the 2pm start of play. The traffic can be horrendous and even the side streets become choked, so it's important to build extra time into the timetable.
When all the guests have gone, I'm back in the office organising conferences for the following weeks. Just because we're absorbed in the tennis championships doesn't mean anything to the outside world.
By 4.30pm, some of the guests return for afternoon tea - or, when it rains, they return even earlier. Sometimes, if it rains all day, the hotel stays full.
During the tournaments, we usually get a few of the big-name players dining here, but normally they'll be staying nearby as many local houses are rented out for the fortnight.
We don't have problems with autograph hunters or press intrusion. It's all very discreet and tennis players don't like a fuss.
The most stressful element for me about the fortnight is ensuring that all the corporate hospitality bills are pre-paid, and checking that bar and restaurant staff know precisely who has paid for what. It means a lot of paperwork, but you have to be thorough. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare. As a lot of this business is repeat, there are always requests for specific tables and it's important to see they get them.
In the evenings after the tennis, there are a lot of corporate receptions and dinners in the function rooms, and I'll stay around to make sure they are all running smoothly.
The atmosphere in the hotel during the tennis is fantastic. It's so busy and buzzy, and the best bit is seeing so many people having such a good time. We have a harpist on the terrace and a pianist in the lounge, and different events such as last year's International Tennis Federation presentations on the terrace. That drew in some of the big players and, of course, the TV crews.
I'll normally be here until 8pm or 9pm and then I go home. During those two weeks, all I do is work, sleep, and sometimes eat. n. and canapé
