Tara Howard, joint owner of the Langtry Manor hotel
The joint owners of the Langtry Manor hotel in Bournemouth, Tara Howard and her 80-year-old mother, Pamela, bravely agreed to appear on Channel 5's warts-and-all series The Hotel Inspector, which starts today. Tara tells Alix Young about the experience
How did you get chosen for the programme?
I think they were initially attracted because the hotel was built in Bournemouth by Edward VII for his mistress, Lillie Langtry. They also felt we had three other points of interest - we wanted an extra AA rosette, are refurbishing the rooms, and there is a bit of tension between my mother and me.
Did you feel you needed help?
We thought we were doing pretty well, but there were evidently some things the inspector, Ruth Watson, felt she could do to help us. It was quite stressful having her and her film crew around, but the worst bit was the first interview - Ruth doesn't mince her words and, when she was grilling me, I just had to forget the cameras were there and concentrate on the questions.
How invasive was the filming?
We had no idea what they were actually doing while they were here, which was nerve-wracking. They had the run of the place and often hid behind doors and looked in detail at the rooms. That was terrifying as, no matter how clean a room seems, with a magnifying camera you can find all sorts of things. We're not allowed to see the programme until it airs on 13 July, so we still don't know what will be shown.
How did the staff react to filming?
They were tense because one thing Ruth suggested was reducing staff expenditure - we have a very high staff-to-guest ratio, and the staff know this. But we have very loyal and dedicated staff and they benefit the guests enormously, so we didn't want to compromise on that. As a family business, we are not just out to make money - we do it because we love it and want to do a good job, and that applies to our staff as well.
What is the working relationship really like between you and your mother?
They probably made it look far worse than it is. We're not sure who will be worse off - whether I'll come across as a spoiled brat or if she'll look like a dominating old woman. The thing is, we both love the hotel and both want the best for it, but we have very different ideas about what is best and that's where the tension comes from.
What improvements did they recommend?
They thought that the restaurant was very fusty and old-fashioned, so they modernised it. Ruth also updated the bathrooms and put in Jacuzzis. I hope it will be good for business - even the worst hotels featured have seen an increase. I think they will make us look really bad to start with but they should show that we had turned a corner by the end.
