- 5 months ago
The Hotel Inspector (2005) Season 20 Episode 2- Westbrook Lodge
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01I've been a hotelier for over three decades.
00:04Please remember at all times that you're representatives of the hotel.
00:08And I know just how tough this profession can be.
00:11It's 24-7. We're just exhausted.
00:14But not once in all my years...
00:16Oh, mother of God.
00:18...have I seen so many businesses...
00:20Everything I've owned has gone into this place.
00:22...and owners closer to the point of collapse.
00:25We are fired.
00:27It's too much.
00:28Sorry.
00:30So I'm back.
00:32Here to help rescue these flailing businesses.
00:35Can you put your belly away?
00:37It really looks like you just don't care.
00:39From hotel newbies.
00:40It's absolutely terrifying.
00:42To traditional seaside B&Bs.
00:44On the beach like Pamela Anderson.
00:46And village pubs.
00:48Sleeping under a pie may be a step too far for me.
00:51I wish I sensed humour.
00:52It's not my idea of fun.
00:54And I'm up against the clock.
00:57Feeling very anxious.
00:58Because they're all on the edge.
01:00Very critical situation financially.
01:03I don't like paling.
01:05I'll be rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in.
01:08That's closer to nature than I've been in a while.
01:11Delivering some tough love.
01:13It's a tip for me.
01:14I don't know which bit I hate most.
01:16I'm sorry to be hurtful.
01:17I mean hello.
01:19To help these hospitality owners on the right path.
01:23I don't have any way to put a pair of knickers.
01:25But I've got a recycling bin.
01:26Before it's too late.
01:28How are bookings?
01:29Empty.
01:30This time.
01:31It was like that film The Money Pit.
01:32We're like, what have we done?
01:33I'm called to rescue a seaside B&B.
01:34All we're asking is to keep this place afloat.
01:35Knocked off course by a flooded market.
01:36We've got nobody tonight.
01:37And then the rest of the week there's nobody.
01:38They're never going to make any money.
01:39Where the shared facilities.
01:40Well we haven't got a toy of that.
01:41No.
01:42It's not glamorous.
01:43And a spell of bad health.
01:44Sorry darling.
01:45Sorry, sorry, sorry.
01:46Threatened to sink the ship.
01:47It feels like we've failed.
01:50I'd say I'm the boss.
01:51No.
01:52No.
01:53I'm not.
01:54I'm not.
01:55I'm not.
01:56I'm not.
01:57I'm not.
01:58I'm not.
01:59I'm not.
02:00I'm not.
02:01I'm not.
02:02I'm not.
02:03I'm not.
02:04I'm not.
02:05I'm not.
02:06I'm not.
02:07I'm not.
02:08I'm not.
02:09I'm not.
02:10We are an equal partnership.
02:13Four years ago, cleaning supervisor Tracy and her husband Colin, a photocopier engineer
02:19and hospitality novice, took over Westbrook Lodge.
02:23The best bit about being here is there's the sea.
02:27I do love the sea.
02:29On the beach like Pamela Anderson.
02:32Situated on the outskirts of the arty seaside town of Margate in Kent.
02:39The sea front facing 11 bedroom guest house also has living quarters for them, their two
02:44youngest children and their pets.
02:47Ten out of the 11 rooms we have are all animal themed.
02:52It's just a bit of fun.
02:53Though these cats look a bit moody.
02:55Both born and bred in Kent, Tracy and Colin met 15 years ago.
03:03We met at a campsite.
03:04You approached me.
03:05I didn't approach you.
03:06It sounds like I picked you up.
03:11Brought together through their love of VWs.
03:14The car's called Fiona.
03:15I used to have a green camper van and that was called Shrek.
03:20We actually used this as our wedding car.
03:22The rest is history.
03:23Now in their 50s with their blended family of seven starting to fly the nest, they sold
03:31their two houses and beloved camper vans and spent the lot on a lifestyle change.
03:37We had to have a year's rent up front.
03:40We had to pay for the business.
03:43Yeah.
03:44We bought the business but we didn't buy the building.
03:48It's not even ours.
03:49After shelling out £100,000, they still had to renovate.
03:54It just looked outdated and full of wood chip, which is beige and brown.
03:59And Tracy and Colin are far from beige.
04:02So despite being just tenants, they spent big on their animal themed decor.
04:07We spent about £85,000 altogether.
04:10It was like that film The Money Pit.
04:12We're like, what have we done?
04:14After working 15 hour days to get it open, business boomed.
04:18We were full.
04:19But personally, disaster struck.
04:22You were just getting tired and you had this pain, didn't you?
04:25So you knew something wasn't right.
04:27We found out Tracy had cancer.
04:31Obviously, I couldn't run at full capacity because there's no way I could do it on my own.
04:36Thankfully, after two years of health knocks, the couple were able to return to full capacity,
04:42but discovered the industry had become saturated.
04:46Over 50 Airbnbs have come up.
04:49The occupancy has just been absolutely atrocious.
04:51We've got nobody tonight, and then the rest of the week, there's nobody.
04:55Next month, we don't have enough money for the rent.
04:59If this was our own building, there would be something at the end of it.
05:02But we haven't even got that.
05:04But then, where do we go and what do we do?
05:06As much as my moaning, we do really enjoy it.
05:09We just still want to be here.
05:11I don't want to give up.
05:12I haven't been back here for about 16 years.
05:23Once labelled one of the most deprived regions in the UK, Margate has turned a corner, thanks in part to its burgeoning art scene, trendy food spots and vibrant community.
05:34There was a mere slip of girl last time I was here.
05:38And I found Margate quite depressed at the time.
05:42Since then, there's been a lot in the papers about the rebirth of Margate.
05:46The Turner Museum, dedicated to one of the most influential British painters, has generated over £70 million for the local economy.
05:55This, along with the revitalization of the town's amusement park, Dreamland, and local artist Tracy Emin investing in her hometown community, has led to Margate's cultural regeneration and thriving visitor numbers.
06:09Apparently, the young and trendy are flocking this way.
06:14I'm dying to see the difference.
06:16Very nervous.
06:17Didn't sleep last night.
06:19We're just hoping she can help us.
06:23Otherwise, we won't be here this time next year.
06:26Here we are.
06:29Well, it's not glamorous.
06:32Maybe I'll walk around to the front.
06:36By daytime cook.
06:41Nighttime landlady.
06:43It's nice and tidy.
06:45Hello.
06:46Come in.
06:52Alex, JC, very nice to meet you.
06:57Colin.
06:58Colin, very nice.
06:59I was confused, because when I looked on the website, you only had one room available tonight, so I assumed that you were busy.
07:05No, the website we've just launched, so we're just trying it out at the moment.
07:10And why have you decided to do that, rather than just putting all your rooms on an outside booking platform?
07:15It's because we lose 15% every time somebody books.
07:18However, getting 85% of something is better than getting 100% of nothing.
07:22Why have you called me in?
07:24So, the past few years, things have been going downhill.
07:27Airbnbs have popped up absolutely everywhere.
07:30In Margate, there's over 80 places to stay.
07:33Right.
07:34Okay, so I think we'll start with you taking me to my room, if that's okay.
07:39In the last five years, short-term lets through booking platforms like Airbnb have shot up by 30%, meaning there's half a million more across the UK today than pre-Covid.
07:52So you're in our sea view en suite.
07:55Thanks.
07:56Very nice.
07:58Lovely view.
07:59Very bright.
08:02Okay, so tonight what would this cost me?
08:05This room would be about £99 tonight.
08:07Okay, thanks darling.
08:08All right.
08:09She walked in and said, oh, very bright.
08:12I'm just guessing, wildly, could this possibly be the dolphin room?
08:19Or is it a whale?
08:21It's a bit brighter than I'm used to.
08:24I could have done without that.
08:27They've got a little mini fridge.
08:29Look, fresh milk can be provided, so that's a nice little treat, isn't it?
08:33They've got the essentials for every room, which is a long mirror, a nice tea tray,
08:38a chest of drawers, a bedside light on each side of the bed, a chair and a wardrobe.
08:44Definitely relieved that Alex is here.
08:47Lovely clean bathroom.
08:49Out of the 11 bedrooms, three are en suite.
08:52However, the other eight rooms share just two bathrooms.
08:57So, loo and shower room there.
09:01Another shower loo.
09:04In my experience, younger people are a bit more cool about sharing bathrooms,
09:10and slightly older people, not so much.
09:13Lots more rooms here.
09:15Oh-hoo, I suppose this must be rabbits.
09:19It's a lot of rabbits.
09:23Ah, this must be the cat room.
09:27Ah, monkeys.
09:30Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, I presume.
09:34It's easy to spend money and hard to make it.
09:36They obviously take enormous pride and pleasure in this,
09:39but this isn't their bricks and mortar.
09:42So then you go all the way along the corridor.
09:46It's quite a long way then for the loo in the night.
09:51Aha!
09:55They've got the clever addition of a sink.
09:57It means that you're not queuing for the bathroom
10:00when you're brushing your teeth in the morning.
10:02I mean, I'm a boarding school girl,
10:04and an extremist, you could have a pee in the sink.
10:07Ahem.
10:09Anyway, downstairs there's a fully stocked bar.
10:12This is a really good way to make a bit more money.
10:14Which appears to double as a reception.
10:17And next door is a large breakfast room.
10:20It's so spick and span.
10:22I now have to get to the bottom of why they're less busy than they should be.
10:26And to help me with this conundrum,
10:28I want to put multiple rooms under the microscope.
10:31So I'm drawing on a tried and tested tactic in the trade
10:35and activating a stress test.
10:38Who's that?
10:39There's a load of people.
10:40Yes.
10:41I have a small challenge for you.
10:42Oh, we've got a few people coming to stay.
10:44I'm in Margate, an up-and-coming seaside town on the Kent coast.
11:00To help struggling B&B owners Tracy and Colin improve their occupancy
11:04before they lose the roof over their heads.
11:07We don't want to give up.
11:09That's not what we're here to do.
11:11We've put so much time, effort, money into it.
11:15To walk away would be absolutely gutting.
11:19But I've only four days to turn around their fortunes.
11:23To quickly gain crucial intel on the guest experience here,
11:26I've set up a surprise stress test.
11:31I'm just a bit flustered, Alex.
11:34Just treat them normally.
11:37Hello.
11:38Hello.
11:39Welcome.
11:40Would you like to come in?
11:41How was your journey down?
11:42All right.
11:43Lovely.
11:44Thank you very much.
11:45Are you sharing together?
11:46If we could have a twin room, if that's possible.
11:48Yeah, no, I can do a twin room for you.
11:49So you're up the far end, but the other bathroom is in here,
11:53and then we've got a separate toilet there.
11:55All the lights are motion sensors, so when you get up in the night,
11:58if you need a toilet, it will all come on for you.
12:00Oh, we haven't got a toilet.
12:02Not in this one, no.
12:03Good night.
12:04So this is your room.
12:06Lovely.
12:08Along with two friends sharing, I've invited two couples to stay.
12:12All Kent residents who love visiting Margate.
12:15Just follow me.
12:17I'm hoping that after a night's stay, they'll be able to help me better understand why Tracy
12:22and Colin have so few bookings.
12:24So I shall leave you with your keys to get a selfie.
12:26Thank you very much.
12:27If you want milk, I can bring that up for you.
12:29That was a bit of a surprise to have people to suddenly turn up on the doorstep.
12:34The odd one or two walk-in, not six people all at the same time.
12:38Hello, we've come to stay.
12:40And I'll be moving this way.
12:43I need to find out what my guests think of rooms,
12:47to understand if there's anything wrong,
12:49and God knows I need all the help I can get.
12:52Just make sure there's no marks on the mattress.
12:55Now it's all nice and clean.
12:57Got waterproof on, which is good.
13:00It's nice and quiet.
13:04It's nice and clean.
13:06It's nice and clean.
13:08It's really nice, actually.
13:09Yeah, excellent.
13:10Really surprised.
13:11It came with the bed bug spray.
13:13It came with the hand sanitizer.
13:15We don't need any of it.
13:16It came with a lube brush that we normally come with,
13:18but it's got one anyway.
13:19Got one.
13:20Gorgeous.
13:21Love the colours.
13:22I've never seen a lion that colour.
13:23No.
13:25While my guests get stress testing,
13:28I want to arm myself with the finance info.
13:31Let's get down to business.
13:33There was an initial outlay.
13:34We had to pay 75,000 for the goodwill of the business.
13:38And then there was the first rent up front.
13:4030,000.
13:41And then there was a large deposit, about seven and a half.
13:45So how much have you spent on charting it up?
13:48It's about...
13:49Obviously too much.
13:50Yeah, about 85,000.
13:52Gosh.
13:53Tracey and Colin have spent almost 200,000 pounds on this venture,
14:00without owning a single inch of their accommodation.
14:03And all that money is now at risk.
14:06We had two houses.
14:08So we sold the two houses and that's what we invested.
14:11So that's now run out.
14:13Feels as though we've failed a bit.
14:15They've taken an enormous gamble.
14:17If this business fails, they could be homeless.
14:20You've put your money into a building that you don't own.
14:24And that's a particularly difficult one to tackle.
14:27How are bookings going forward?
14:29Empty.
14:30Oh, no.
14:31It's so extremely seasonal.
14:33This year, January was 6% occupancy.
14:37Winter may be their coolest period,
14:40but it's evident they need to boost their occupancy in every season.
14:44I wonder what costs they're facing.
14:46Talk to me about your overheads.
14:48A month, £4,439.
14:52That's utilities, rent.
14:54That's not including linen, card charges, VAT, food and bank charges.
15:01That's not including a lot of things.
15:03In the height of summer, it can be up to £10,000.
15:05So that's about £5,500 a month.
15:09How are you financing this, then?
15:13Our own personal savings.
15:15How long is that going to last?
15:18Not long.
15:19OK.
15:20So we've just got to stop the rot.
15:22I'm feeling very anxious.
15:23Just to fulfil their rent and overheads, they have to be completely full.
15:28All 11 rooms for almost six days a month.
15:32And that's quite a big ask.
15:34I just can't quite see how they're going to make this work.
15:37Honestly, they're never going to make any money.
15:49I had a really good night's sleep.
15:51Very comfortable bed.
15:53Beautiful sunrise.
15:55I can think of worse places to wake up.
15:58And that's part of the conundrum.
16:00All in all, it's sparkly clean.
16:01The rooms are well laid out.
16:03They're great hosts.
16:05And it smells like they can do a good breakfast.
16:08Morning.
16:09Good morning.
16:10Do you want to take a seat?
16:12We'll get on your breakfast for you.
16:13Thanks, darling.
16:15So I'm hoping that my stress testers can shed some light for me.
16:19After all, one of the best ways to improve a business is to involve the customer.
16:24One bowl of scrambled eggs.
16:28That's the weirdest breakfast I've ever done.
16:31Morning.
16:32Did you sleep OK?
16:34Absolutely.
16:35Oh, absolutely.
16:36What would you pay for your night stay last night?
16:3895, 100.
16:40Well, that's right on the nose.
16:41Yeah, it's worth it.
16:42Morning.
16:43Morning.
16:44Hello, lovelies.
16:45How are you?
16:46All right, thank you.
16:47How was the bathroom situation?
16:49Well, she did struggle.
16:53Not ideal.
16:54The only thing is was that trek to the toilet.
16:56Yeah.
16:57Morning, darling.
16:58How are you?
16:59You're all right.
17:00What would you pay for your room, you know, for last night?
17:0370 pounds, yeah.
17:0470.
17:05What would it have been for the room that they were in last night as a double?
17:0887.50.
17:0987.50.
17:10Yeah.
17:11You wouldn't have paid that?
17:12No, definitely not.
17:14So, my stress-testing guests have highlighted that the ensuite bedroom prices are spot on.
17:21But the shared bathrooms are a different story.
17:24It's been a worthwhile undertaking.
17:27While Colin starts making the rooms, I want to catch up with Tracy and find out what the
17:32last few years have been like.
17:34So, what were you doing before this?
17:36I worked at Premier Inn where I was head housekeeper.
17:39And what did Colin do before this?
17:41He, um, had his own company.
17:43He's, as a photocopier engineer.
17:45But, unfortunately, now everybody's working from home.
17:47He had to sell the company.
17:49And he was meant to stay in that industry still.
17:51But I got ill and he had to run this place.
17:54I was diagnosed with cancer.
17:56Poor you.
17:57My goodness gracious me.
18:00Sorry, darling.
18:01Sorry, sorry, sorry.
18:02Awful.
18:03Hmm.
18:04OK, well, you've just made me want to redouble my efforts to find something to do to help
18:10you.
18:11I've had a real run of bad health stories.
18:15Feels to me like we need to lift the curse.
18:18I think the next step is to have a look in Moorgate.
18:21See if it inspires me, gives me any ideas to find solutions to help them.
18:27Like most seaside towns, Moorgate is jam-packed with the usual tourist hotspots.
18:38But further into the town centre and I'm caught slightly unawares.
18:42Oh, very nice.
18:44Well, this is a prosperous little corner of Moorgate.
18:47It certainly wasn't here 16 years ago.
18:50It's odd how two sides of Moorgate seem to coexist.
18:53The kind of Kiss Me Quick traditional Moorgate and this rather bougie guest house.
19:00This is a nice little square, isn't it?
19:02I don't know.
19:03I'm seeing a different side to Moorgate.
19:05Rather unexpected.
19:06It's lovely.
19:07It's obvious why Airbnbs are swamping the market.
19:11But how to position Tracy and Colin's offering as a go-to place to book?
19:16To help me gain insight, I've arranged to visit a seven-bedroom guest house with shared bathrooms,
19:22run by Claire.
19:24Nice to meet you.
19:25Thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me.
19:28It was clear from the stress test that Tracy and Colin's shared bathrooms are a big turn-off.
19:33So how does Claire manage?
19:35How many bathrooms do you have?
19:37Four bathrooms.
19:38And what prices do you charge?
19:40Between £75 and £90 a night.
19:43We do have a rule that there's no shoes upstairs if you don't mind taking your shoes off when you live so close to a sandy beach.
19:50I assumed it was about dog shit.
19:52So this is what we call the family room.
19:57Wow.
19:58If you're a group, you can book the whole house out.
20:01The group bookings tend to be more kind of early thirties.
20:04Yeah.
20:05But then you also get intergenerational family bookings.
20:08I've got a 70th birthday this year, for example.
20:10This is getting my brain buzzing.
20:13Shared bathrooms would go down better with a group who know each other well.
20:19Now to give Tracy and Colin the lowdown.
20:23First of all, I went and saw another guest house that has four shared bathrooms for seven bedrooms.
20:29And she's doing it for about £70 to £90 a night.
20:33And we're going to have to compete with that.
20:35So what price point do you think we should do the double with a shared bathroom?
20:40I would say £75.
20:42£75.
20:43I'd like to try and get you group bookings because I think then the shared bathroom scenario is a lot less complicated.
20:49No one cares.
20:50It's just like staying in someone's house, isn't it?
20:52Yep.
20:53The shared bathrooms would definitely be an easier sell for groups.
20:57But only if they can get to grips with their website.
21:01We have to get your website working better.
21:03Definitely look at search engine optimisation and all that stuff.
21:06I'll send someone in before I come back because it's a crowded market.
21:11We need to get you under people's noses.
21:13If people were booking directly with us through our website.
21:16Yeah.
21:17We can say bye-bye to that horrible commission.
21:20A website consultant can help them with this too.
21:23Saving them potentially thousands on third party booking platform commissions.
21:29There's one more small change that I'd like to make before I go.
21:33Which has been bugging me since my arrival.
21:36I don't mind your theming.
21:38Mm-hmm.
21:39But I do think you've gone at it with a bit of a heavy hand.
21:44I'm not the taste police, but Tracy's passion for the bright and bold needs to be tamed.
21:51It would look much smarter, darling.
21:53May I say?
21:54If we...
21:55Yes, if you just did that.
21:56I just think it looks more grown up.
21:59Your tendency, I can see, is to go overboard.
22:03Rain it back, woman.
22:05Rain it back.
22:06It's been a bit of a whirlwind visit.
22:09Hopefully, you know, small changes, big difference.
22:12Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that my suggestions are going to have a big enough effect to put their accommodation on the map quickly enough.
22:21There's no silver bullet, because whatever I do, it's going to take some time to work.
22:26But time isn't on their side.
22:28They've got a lot of money to pay out every month, and they've just got no sodding bookings.
22:33What's needed is some strategic, out-of-the-box thinking, so I've got a lot more work ahead.
22:39I've got to come up with some bloody ideas, and fast.
22:51Hello, Westbrook Lodge Guesthouse.
22:57When would you be looking for?
22:59After my packed 48 hours with Tracy and Colin, desperately seeking a solution to their dire occupancy,
23:06I left them with two short-term goals while I wrestle with the bigger picture.
23:11Alex has suggested that the double with the shared bathroom should have a base rate of £75.
23:17Drop their prices on their shared bathroom rooms.
23:20A little bit worried about dropping the prices, because first year when we had prices of this rate,
23:25we had a lot of people that used to damage the rooms.
23:28But we have to pay the bills and stuff, so let's get rooms filled. We need to be full.
23:33And rain back the deckle.
23:35It's a bit like me, a bit overboard.
23:38Hello, lovely to meet you.
23:40I'm Colin, lovely to meet you too.
23:41I'm Tracy.
23:42How are you? Not bad, thank you.
23:44And I've done my bit, sending in a hotshot search engine consultant, Owen,
23:49to elevate Tracy and Colin's website.
23:52We've got some lovely content here about, like, all the upcoming events.
23:55There's a couple of things I want to go to this summer, for example.
23:58Yeah.
24:00Owen will be looking to improve three key elements of the website.
24:04Firstly, checking the visuals are high quality and tell the right story.
24:09First of all, like, the use of a really good, strong hero image of, like, a nice blue sky,
24:14showing perhaps the view on the beach would be a good way to kind of sell it straight away.
24:18Next in showing the site is search engine optimised,
24:21so that their guest house appears high up on searches for Margate accommodation.
24:26And there are a few little tricks to do that.
24:29You've got a little bit here, which is nice, and it's a family-run guest house,
24:32not far from Westbrook Bay Beach.
24:34That's really good information that tells search engines about the location,
24:37what services you're offering.
24:39I'd maybe look at kind of fleshing that out to kind of add that additional target keyword.
24:43Perhaps it's family-friendly, B&B and Margate.
24:45Just a bit more text in there, just to send more signals to search engines
24:48about what it is you've provided.
24:49It's all a bit technical, isn't it?
24:51Yeah.
24:52Our knowledge goes so far.
24:54The website is not our field. You know, we're not technically minded like that.
24:58And finally, Owen will create a user-friendly booking process.
25:02We want to kind of get people looking at their rooms, making decision buying,
25:05so that's the ultimate goal there.
25:07And obviously have a little link to book now.
25:09Exactly.
25:10If Owen can help to drive traffic to their site,
25:12they can boost their direct bookings and save on commission.
25:16You know, 15% commission on every room kills us.
25:19You're on the right journey, and as we kind of do some of these design changes
25:22and content changes over time, you'll get more visitors.
25:32Nearly four weeks later, and I'm back in Margate.
25:35And there's still so much to do.
25:38My biggest worry is that they just don't have enough bookings.
25:41And without bookings, they're hemorrhaging their savings to pay the rent.
25:46I feel like this is a really, really challenging problem for me.
25:51The reality is, they just don't have any money.
25:54And they are desperate to hang on to the guest house,
25:57which is, after all, their family home as well.
26:00In an attempt to increase occupancy, I asked them to slash their prices by almost 20%.
26:06A high-risk strategy, as they need every penny.
26:09So I'm nervous to see how they got on.
26:12Hello.
26:13Hello, darling.
26:14Hello.
26:15Nice to see you again.
26:16Mwah.
26:17Right.
26:18First of all, did you drop your prices?
26:21We did, yes.
26:22And what has the result been?
26:24We've been absolutely manic for the past four weeks.
26:29Thank you, Alex would be due at this point.
26:32Many thanks.
26:33It's fine.
26:34My pleasure, my pleasure.
26:35Since you left, we've had 111 bookings, which is equivalent to 207 nights.
26:41That is fucking unbelievable.
26:43Well done.
26:44I think no word of a lie.
26:46The day after we dropped our prices, we just were inundated with bookings, weren't we?
26:51It was just like, what is going on?
26:53You were too expensive.
26:54Yeah.
26:55And people were really careful to get value for money.
26:58We had some fantastic guests.
26:59Yeah?
27:00But there's been a handful of ones that we've had a couple of trash rooms.
27:04Broke the toilet seat.
27:05Literally snapped the lid right in half.
27:06They smoked in their room.
27:08They've kept other guests awake.
27:10Unfortunately, disrespectful guests can be a problem at all price points.
27:15As hospitality providers, we have to take the rough with a smooth.
27:19I do think, though, you're going to have to be a little bit tough about this.
27:22I sympathise with how frustrating that is.
27:25But I'm here to try and improve your bottom line and to make some money for you.
27:29No.
27:30I mean, we were really worried about how we were even going to pay the rent for next month.
27:33But we've literally earned the money to pay all the bills for next month.
27:36And we haven't finished yet.
27:41The immediate increase in bookings following the price drop just shows how price sensitive the Margate market is.
27:48Follow me.
27:50And to celebrate their achievements, I've a gift for them.
27:53For when people arrive in your car park, this isn't our best size.
27:57That's fantastic!
28:01Well, I thought, when I arrived here, I was like, well, gosh, this doesn't look what I was thinking.
28:07Your garden is lovely.
28:09Put it here?
28:10Yeah, no, that's great.
28:11Do you like a man with a power tool?
28:14It is a bit on the wonk.
28:18Probably feels a bit under pressure with you watching him.
28:20Performance pressure.
28:21It's happened to me before.
28:22Come on.
28:23Tracy and Colin may have a spring in their step now that high-season bookings are coming in.
28:32But there's a lot of hard work ahead to turn this place into the money-making machine it needs to be.
28:39And one asset that isn't earning its keep is the bar.
28:42What is this abomination that you call a bar?
28:46Why is it such a mess?
28:48When's the last time you moved anything about?
28:50Well, we haven't.
28:51We haven't.
28:52Yes, this is how it was when we took it over.
28:55Well, I think it's time for a polizzi blizzi.
29:00You've kind of got bits and bobs everywhere, darling.
29:03And it doesn't make it somewhere that's particularly conducive to spending your money.
29:08Can we move this, please?
29:10I hate these things, honestly.
29:13Be gone with you.
29:15Don't make me drop it.
29:16Oh!
29:17I got given that by a very grateful guest.
29:19Oh, my God.
29:22Look at all the crap.
29:25Colin!
29:26Your second wife is calling.
29:30Here you go.
29:31Thank you very much.
29:32And then you've actually got some room to put some of this shit.
29:36That was from the Shell Grotto.
29:38Well, put it in your house, then.
29:40I don't want it in my house.
29:42I don't want it in my bar, either.
29:45Can we have a rubbish bag, please?
29:47We can go in the bin, Alex.
29:49All right!
29:50Oh, I love clearing up.
29:51It's my favourite thing to do in the whole world.
29:54That's going in the bin, Alex.
29:56Is it?
29:57Yes.
29:58Oh, I'm so excited.
29:59I love doing this.
30:00Ta-da-da!
30:01Ta-da-da!
30:02La-da!
30:03Woo-hoo!
30:04It feels so much bigger now.
30:08It really does.
30:09Look, it's a bar.
30:11My lads, I assure you, this is a bar.
30:16Margate has over 60 bars and pubs to splash out in.
30:20But who doesn't like a pre-drink or even a nightcap?
30:23It's a really underexploited element of this business, but not for much longer.
30:29Time to reveal the next part of my master plan.
30:33I think we want to try and market this whole place for a group booking, particularly because
30:38of your shared bathroom situation.
30:40Whether it be a 50th birthday or a university reunion, I want to show Tracy and Colin how
30:47lucrative an all-in group package can be.
30:50How much is it per night?
30:53Give me low season.
30:55£928 for the whole place.
30:58That's £1,800 for a weekend.
31:01With breakfast on top of that.
31:03So imagine you filled it with even two weekends a month.
31:06That would pay your rent.
31:07Yes.
31:08Yes, it would.
31:09And then also putting on a buffet.
31:12The first night that they arrive, instead of 20 of them trying to find a restaurant,
31:15you say, I'll tell you what, you pay this.
31:18And on the first night, then another night they do what they like.
31:20I mean, that seems like a real no-brainer to me.
31:23And we're going to try it out.
31:25Oh, just a bit godsmacked.
31:27You sprung something on us last time.
31:30I mean, darling, I like to keep you on your toes.
31:33Yes, I've bagged Tracy and Colin a birthday party group booking for tonight.
31:38And there'll not only be a buffet, but cocktails too.
31:42You make cocktails, you can make a much better profit.
31:44How am I juggling skills on?
31:46Yeah, you and Tom Cruise.
31:49I'd still pick you if he was in the room, though.
31:52Oh, darling, you're so sweet.
31:55Don't worry, you'll be Tom by the time I finish with him.
31:59Quite excited about it, to be honest.
32:01Yeah, looking forward to shaking a few cocktails.
32:04Jumping behind our new bar to give Colin a crash course in cocktails is mixologist Mike.
32:10Mike's been shaking things up in the drinks world for over 15 years, so we're in very good hands.
32:18Oh, look. It's pretty, isn't it?
32:21There you go. You got your summarise.
32:23Obviously, this is money sitting on your shelf here right now.
32:27Mike suggested an easy cocktail for beginner Colin to take on.
32:31And it's one of my favourites, a Negroni.
32:34Very, very simple drink.
32:36Three ingredients, 25ml of each.
32:38You've got your Campari.
32:4025ml of Campari is about 28p.
32:4525ml of red vermouth.
32:47Lovely.
32:48Very cheap.
32:49About 20p's worth.
32:51And then...
32:5225ml gin.
32:53These are quick and easy to make.
32:55The cost for that is about £1.37.
32:57Oh, Mike.
32:58Yeah, one a Negroni.
32:59Well, I mean, I hate to be the one to try.
33:02Mmm.
33:04What would you be selling it for?
33:07I think you're quite easy to do about £7.50.
33:09That would mean a huge profit of around £6 per cocktail.
33:13I would sell it a bit cheaper than that, just because I'd want to sell them.
33:16But either way, you're going to be making a lot more money than you are on your markups with your wine.
33:21Yep.
33:22If you're going to be creating a product that you can't buy in the supermarket, you have a unique selling point.
33:26While Colin gets to grips with the drinks, Tracy and I rustle up a profitable buffet.
33:32Right, what next? Dips.
33:34That was quick.
33:36I am quick.
33:37I haven't even chopped a carrot yet.
33:39Nothing too showy, just simple fare like crudités, pizza slices, cold meat, sausage rolls.
33:46Do a nice cheese board.
33:48Right, so that's done.
33:50So we're making a salad, we're just shoving it all in there and just shred that up.
33:54We'll chuck some tomatoes in.
33:56And a quick tasty pudding like an eaten mess.
34:00Perfect for a group of friends arriving on a Friday for the weekend.
34:04All of this cost us for 12 people about 80 quid.
34:10Right.
34:11Which is about almost £7 a person and I think you could charge £12 a person quite easily.
34:16So that's an easy £60 profit, a win-win for hosts and guests.
34:22When there's a big family group and people are travelling from all over the place, no one wants to arrive and go straight out again.
34:28So hopefully it will be another reason for people to book here.
34:32Oh here we are, number 10.
34:34Oh this is my room.
34:36And we're ready just in time as the birthday group are checking in.
34:40The view is so gorgeous.
34:42I've got a view of Margay out my window.
34:45The sun is pouring in.
34:47It's gorgeous.
34:48So I'm in room number 8.
34:50It's a nice, big, spacious, calming blue room.
34:56I've got the tiger room.
34:58So we've got a nice wallpaper, pictures, a lovely bed.
35:04The bed looks comfy, nice and soft.
35:06Good.
35:07I'm in number 11 with a lovely lion on the wall behind me.
35:11Can you see him?
35:13Who's for a negroni?
35:15Yes.
35:16Yes please.
35:17Here's your starter.
35:19Please do help the sauce to the buffet.
35:21Oh amazing.
35:22Thank you very much.
35:24Hope you enjoy it.
35:26They're very resilient, Colin and Tracy.
35:30I talked to them about putting on a buffet.
35:32Voila, there is a buffet.
35:33I talked to them about cocktails.
35:35La la la.
35:36Cocktails have been made.
35:39It has been an incredibly productive day.
35:42And by the way, sounds like they're having a rather good time.
35:46I wonder how strong Colin is mixing his cocktails.
35:56It's the morning after, the night before.
36:11Alexa, skip.
36:13Oh, it's better.
36:14Last night, Tracy and Colin hosted their first group.
36:19Right, so that's the veggies.
36:22And with Tracy and Colin on site, they enjoyed a buffet, cocktails and a full English.
36:27Clever add-ons which help boost profits.
36:30Very good.
36:31I quite enjoyed that.
36:33I'm surprised they're all tucking in.
36:35Some of them are quite hanging I hear.
36:38My mission is to demonstrate how perfectly the guest house works for groups.
36:43And garner an all-important first review for a group booking.
36:47I'm hoping that everyone will have had a good night's sleep,
36:50that they'll have had a hearty breakfast,
36:52that they'll have enjoyed the hospitality,
36:54and we'll have our first glowing review for a house party.
36:59Morning all.
37:00Morning.
37:01How are you all?
37:03Good.
37:04Lovely.
37:05Good night's sleep.
37:06Right.
37:07Would you recommend it as somewhere to come and hang out with some friends?
37:10Oh yeah, definitely.
37:11One of the reasons that I thought this was good for a group
37:14is because of the shared bathroom situation.
37:16With a large group, and obviously the majority of you are all on one floor,
37:20it doesn't feel strange having to share a bathroom with people that you know.
37:24This is exactly what I hope for,
37:26that groups are less likely to be bothered by sharing a bathroom with their friends.
37:31Good.
37:32I am so pleased.
37:34I'm hoping that you're going to write a nice review for me.
37:36Oh, definitely.
37:37Yeah, sure.
37:38Thank you so much.
37:39I hope you have a lovely day.
37:45Morning.
37:46Good morning.
37:47Hello, twin.
37:48My cherry twin.
37:50How did it go last night?
37:52Yeah, no, it went very well, didn't it?
37:54Yeah, no, it was good.
37:55It's actually a nicer atmosphere when you've got a group, they're all chatting.
37:58It just seems so much more relaxed.
38:00Good.
38:01So that's just another string to your bow.
38:03Tracy and Colin need to realise that there's not one big fix to turning a profit here.
38:09With 11 rooms to fill year round, they must keep pushing for business at every turn.
38:15And before I say goodbye, I've got one final rabbit to pull out of the hat to target the stubbornly empty low season mid-week rooms.
38:25Margate has got a lot of stuff happening.
38:27The winter gardens and the theatre are all being redeveloped.
38:31There's masses of building work and builders are taken from all over the country and they stay somewhere Monday till Friday.
38:38So I'm going to go health leather for the contractor market.
38:44I have bought a company, Roost, that helps book rooms for construction workers come down and talk to you.
38:51I want you to show them round, show off your wares, because I am sure that they could transform your fortunes.
38:57Bring it on.
38:58Luke and Ken, this is Colin and Tracy.
39:03Hiya, nice to meet you.
39:04If you'd like to follow me.
39:08Right, so this is one of our twins.
39:11I really hope this goes well, because I do think it might be the answer to a lot of Tracy and Colin's problems.
39:17Love the decor in this room though, really nice.
39:19It's a bit of quirky fun.
39:20No, it's a nice touch.
39:21I hope Ken and Luke like what they see.
39:23This is one of our family rooms, a nice sea view.
39:26Fantastic, lovely space.
39:28So, how did that go?
39:31Really, really well.
39:32I think they've done really well with the facilities I've got here.
39:34Oh good, I'm so pleased.
39:35Really nice place to space.
39:36There's a lot of work happening in Margate, isn't there, over the next couple of years?
39:41Yes, we've identified at least a dozen large construction and infrastructure projects, which are all going to require people working away from home.
39:48So there's great potential.
39:50Sounds great for us.
39:53Can you give us an idea of the kind of pricing that we should pitch at?
39:58From £40 a night for the room in the dead of winter, sort of three, four months at a time, coming sort of Monday to Friday.
40:04Oh, lovely.
40:05This is great news.
40:09There's definitely a mid-week market for their rooms in the construction industry.
40:13Thank you so much.
40:15Lovely to meet you.
40:16You too.
40:17Now we need to crunch the numbers.
40:20Luke suggested that we look at pricing the rooms from £40 a night.
40:24At that price, they could cover their £3,000 a month rent, but not their costs.
40:30So we'd need to charge a bit more on top.
40:33So, shall we say £55 a night?
40:37And shall we say five rooms?
40:40£55 times five is £275 times four nights is £1,100 times four weeks is £4,400.
40:54And to bring that sort of money in over the winter months or the quiet, it would be...
40:58I mean, amazing.
40:59Yeah.
41:00I think it could be transformational.
41:03Now we've met Ken and Luke, it's fantastic, you know, so hopefully we can get on that straight away,
41:08start filling some rooms.
41:10Tracey and Colin's run of bad luck made me even more determined to throw everything possible at filling rooms here.
41:18And through their tenacity and enthusiasm, we've accomplished more than I imagined possible.
41:23You know, we've got through a lot in quite a short space of time.
41:26I really think between the contractors, your group bookings, the price changes, a better website, direct bookings,
41:34you'll see the difference and it will make you feel like you're in calmer waters.
41:39Hope so.
41:40You might be able to sleep.
41:42Yes.
41:44All we're asking is to keep this place afloat.
41:47We've put so much love into this place.
41:50We don't want to walk away and hopefully we won't have to now.
41:54So, good luck for the season and I look forward to our next encounter.
41:58It's not going to be plain sailing because nothing is in life.
42:02But I've hopefully made them realise that they can't just stand still.
42:06They have to keep on pushing and I hope that's going to stand them in good stead.
42:11Hi, we thought we'd give you a little update.
42:20We've had a group book in.
42:21We managed to cater for all of their needs, didn't we?
42:23We did.
42:24And they seemed very happy when they left.
42:26We had a positive meeting with Luke from Roos.
42:30Hopefully that will start to bring in some contractors in the week.
42:34So we just wanted to say a big thank you from the pair of us.
42:37We're really, really grateful for everything Alex has done for us.
42:41So, onwards and upwards.
Be the first to comment