sporting - Leisure Opportunities

The Bildeston Crown in Suffolk: “A very professional operation”
Flexible, focused and friendly
Delivering real guest satisfaction during a
difficult season – The Bildeston Crown, Suffolk
I
haven’t always been the greatest fan of The Bildeston
Crown. On occasions it has seemed a little bit ‘fashionable’
– although fundamentally good. A recent visit
in appalling weather answered any lingering doubts. It was
a last minute booking for two. The rate offered was terrific
value. We were shown to exactly the fireside table required
for our meeting and precisely the spot in the dining room
we wanted to continue our discussion over dinner.
It was quiet (the village was suffering from a power cut)
but the service couldn’t have been more attentive and
the quality of cooking was as good as ever.
Particularly memorable was breakfast; everything was
presented exactly as asked for and with complete attention
to detail. It is a very professional operation and we
appreciated the relaxed, friendly and attentive way in
which they dealt with two ‘old crusties’ in the deep midwinter.
It is a mark of a well run establishment to deliver
top-notch service when things are quiet.
ing the opportunity and taking the
action all in one go, we tend to pick it
up, put it down and pick it up again.
If you resolve to ‘do it once and do it
the first time’ it’s amazing how much
time you free up. It may sound like
‘shrink-speak’ but I recommend you
give it a try. It works for me.
Management by walking about
Remember business meetings – once
the main driver of many hotel businesses
A combination of terrorism
problems, airline difficulties, improved
electronic communication and cost
pressures have more or less removed
them entirely from our calendar. It
hasn’t damaged business. Business
executives still travel to deal with
research, sales and relationship matters
but the ‘talking shop’ meetings
business has significantly reduced.
In your own business it may be that
issues once resolved by meetings can
actually be resolved by direct conversation.
Talking to people on the job,
walking through and getting involved in
the processes as the action happens
can be much quicker and more efficient.
If everything stops for meetings,
Focus on the market,
forget the problems
and you will solve
the problems
everything stops. If the communication
and decision making that took place in
meetings is handled ‘on the hoof’, it
can be more practical and efficient.
This ethic works in just the same
way when it comes to the communication
that follows meetings or decisions.
Keep it simple and keep it practical –
fewer words – clearer message.
Communicate effectively
Use e-communication in a way that
works. E-communication etiquette is
much simpler and more direct than
that of print. It’s also a great deal
quicker. Communicating with the team
through text and email can mean messages
are read instantly and acted on.
To get the message across, make sure
everybody understands what’s going
on and takes action; it is the best way
to work. It also provides instant recording
of information and communication
in real time without any extra effort.
Reorganising your communication
structures so that you don’t waste
time distributing paper, engaging
in redundant meetings or filing and
recording means that everybody knows
what’s going on more quickly.
What’s it all about
Quite simply, it’s about cutting the
amount of time taken up by back office
and internal procedures and freeing
up more time to focus on what
really matters – guest satisfaction.
Recessionary times create a climate
of fear. It is very easy for a business
to fall into the trap of focusing on its
own concerns and affairs.
By concentrating on the problems we
move further away from the solutions.
There is a market out there, it wants to
enjoy its leisure experiences at good
value and with good human contact.
Focus on the market, forget the problems
and you will solve the problems.
The more time leisure businesses
spend looking after their customers,
the more they will prosper. ●
ISSUE 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 71