Well-fed kittens
Mar
13
Recent evidence emerges indicating that my cats’ weight problems began with an unhealthy relationship with food developed early in life…
- Tags:
- cats
Author Archive
Spring is definitely on the doorstep. The sun was out and the birds were singing as I waited for my normal train, a real change from waiting in the dark as I have been all winter.
The only shame is that we start summer time soon – and I’ll lose my hour of morning sunshine for another couple of weeks at least!
- Tags:
- weather
Boutique on a budget
Mar
12
Good hotel design is becoming more affordable, and it’s about time. As someone who spends more than their fair share of time living out of a suitcase, finding an affordable hotel (eg, within expense account limits) with a boutique feel is a nice change from the carbon-copy hotels that exist across the country.
This week I faced a conundrum. My client was in Basingstoke, about 45 minutes from central London by train. Basingstoke, for those who don’t know it, is a relatively industrial town with lots of mid-tier companies calling it their home. Consequently, there are quite a few business travellers spending the night on any given day.
There are two major chain hotels in Basingstoke – a Hilton and a Holiday Inn. Both wanted over £150 per night for a room, and according to most of the web reports I could find, both were absolute dumps – 1960s motels which had been franchised in the 80s, with little improvement since then. Anecdotal reports from my client confirmed my suspicions: I knew exactly what to expect before I’d even set foot inside the door.
I’ve stayed in hotels like these across the world.
By chance, we’d had a management team away day the previous week, held at the new Park Plaza hotel just opposite Parliament and right on the river. We’d selected the hotel because they’d offered us a good conference rate, and the hotel itself was lovely.
A cunning Plan B emerged. Stay at the Park Plaza, just beside Waterloo, and catch the train each morning. Room rates at this 4-star hotel were only £119 per night. The rooms are all very modern, spotlessly clean, and very well designed with all the toys. I had a mini bar, flat-screen TV, DVD player, and a river view to top it all off. There was a great cocktail bar downstairs and a Latin-Japanese fusion restaurant off the lobby. They served sushi from a Nobu-trained chef.
Is it the greatest hotel I’ve ever stayed in? No. Customer service could use a little work, and the location isn’t the most convenient for public transportation. But for £119 per night in Central London, it must represent one of the biggest bargains around. And a welcome change for a weary business traveller.
St Margaret’s
Mar
12
The first days of spring are finally upon us. Having spent all day yesterday stuck inside building a website for our wedding, I declared today a wedding-free zone. After a long lie-in, Aude suggested we go down to St Margaret’s to have some lunch by the seaside – it would be a good chance to enjoy the good weather, take the Corvette for a spin, and generally get out of the house.
Turns out it wasn’t an original idea. After waiting 20 minutes to place my order (with the typical surly English service that implies that being a customer of their establishment is some sort of great privilege) and nearly giving up the will to live, we finally had our order taken – only to be told that they had sold out of nearly everything that was on the menu. So we had two portions of mackerel, because that’s what they had left. It took bloody ages to arrive, and in the end, we were tempted to leave without paying because it was taking so long to get the bill.
Never mind, it was a beautiful day out and a good chance to stretch the Corvette’s legs. It’s been sitting for a while, but after a little TLC and coaxing, it burbled into life and ran absolutely perfectly. Fingers crossed for more warm weather next weekend – it would be great to take the car out two weekends in a row!
Show me the money!
Feb
28
It has often been said that consulting is a license to print money – but for once, the tables are turned. My new client, quite literally, has a license to print money. They produce all the notes for the Bank of England. Which made for some funny moments when we came to the part of the conversation where we negotiated fees.
In previous roles, I’ve often been given behind-the-scenes tours of their operations. I’ve seen loading docks, toured tankers, seen experimental labs and R&D facilities. Something tells me that this client might be a little more sensitive about who they let walk around their operations area, though!
- Tags:
- clients
