Try to look to the future with optimism

Now that we have had the first snow of the year, we can be certain that winter is truly upon us. The year seems to have flown by, as it seems only yesterday we were closing for our month's rest in January.

Although it is too early to tell for sure, the year appears to have been a success. We have welcomed more new guests and this, combined with the fact that we have seen more return guests than before, allows us to look to the millennium optimistically.

Like it or not, the New Year is going to be seen as a watershed, and many of us will be attempting to wipe the slate clean and start again.

Certainly, with forward reservations and a database of previous customers, we must have an advantage over those businesses starting out. This gives me all the more respect for my parents, who began here in 1973 with no hotel experience and few firm plans, just plenty of dreams and ideas. Nowadays, these qualities rarely stack up with financial backers or potential customers.

When we opened more than 27 years ago we worked flat-out until we closed in September. Now we are operating for 11 months of the year.

As a recognised Investor in People, the importance of our staff cannot be overemphasised. However, this week our head chef Robert MacPherson and his kitchen team took this a step further.

We have linked up with our Local Enterprise Company and high school in agreeing to give a series of classes to the school's hospitality and tourism department. The intention of this is twofold. First, to open a channel of understanding between the pupils, teachers and business so that we can provide experience of what they will meet in the workplace. Second, to find out what sort of grounding students receive before they start their first job. So far, it has been a real eye-opener, and plans are under way to expand the scheme to other businesses in the area.

We are also going to welcome one of the teachers to the hotel for a few days. This will give them an indication of what will greet pupils when they leave school and hopefully establish communication between them and our staff.

As a small property in an isolated position, it is difficult to join the nationwide schemes as we have to work around both time constraints and staffing abilities.

While I accept the positive work by Springboard and other such organisations, I hope that, in our own way, we too will be able to work at raising the perception of the industry among school leavers.

BEPPO BUCHANAN-SMITH

is director of the Isle of Eriska, a privately owned hotel on the west coast of Scotland Next diary from Beppo Buchanan-Smith: 3 February 2000