Poll slams country house conferences

SOME small country house hotels treat conference delegates "like something the cat dragged in", claims a recent poll by conference reservations and services specialist Banks Sadler.

A "bad attitude" was highlighted in a survey of 80 clients, who complained of inflexible dining arrangements and staff unable to cope with tight meeting schedules. The poll concluded that many smaller country properties "trade on their character and charm, not their conference professionalism".

Some hoteliers were surprised at the allegations of inflexibility and a "superior attitude", although John Cushing, proprietor of Golstone Hall in Market Drayton, Shropshire, agreed that "some of these country house hotels get a bit above themselves".

Philippa Hughes, owner of Holne Chase hotel in Ashburton, Devon, said: "Sometimes the delegates do look like something the cat dragged in" and could be rowdy and annoying to other guests as they "slouched in chairs wearing sweatshirts bearing their company names and bonding and drinking until 3am".

As it was hard to segregate guests with such differing needs in small hotels, Hughes will only run conferences by closing the hotel to other guests.

Hoteliers added that some of the blame could lie with events organisers who did not check what small hotels could and could not offer.

Some, said Frances Michaelis of the Traddock hotel in Austwick, North Yorkshire, pushed prices to rock-bottom levels or would book delegates wanting single rooms into small hotels offering only doubles.

by Angela Frewin