Usually all that the media covers about May Day is the festivities and often focussing on the dancing and drinking.  While this is an important part of the day for many there really is a lot more behind it that hasn’t really got much to do with May or Spring.

The 1st of May really is Padstow’s focal day of the year and it is a time for meeting up with friends and remembering all those that can’t be here and also those who have passed on.  I only found out about this side in such depth this year from Joyce and it was news to her too.  Early in the morning on her way to work she had gone to put some May Day flowers on Tony’s grave and was really surprised to see that somebody had already put some there and also the number of other people who were up in the cemetary doing the same thing as her.  It was touching to see the emotional side to the day too and to balance this agianst all the mayhem that we saw later.

All is quiet now - the Blue Oss party has been and gone, we have a few people sitting in the sun outside having a pasty and there is some lovely singing drifting across the road from Trevor’s house.

We may have a few more people calling in later on for some lunch and a bit of peace and quiet - everyone is talking to each other on their phones to see where is best to go so hopefully…

Well, we’re all set, the space is clear in the restaurant for the kids’ oss which we hope will appear shortly and the bar is open!  It is quite appropriate that Joyce has served the first drinks as it is her last May Day working before she starts her well deserved retirement later in the year.

More later and on the Facebook page as we go through the day!

Having mentioned this book last year as I was told a good part of it is set in Cornwall and specifically Padstow with The Met getting quite a few mentions I have now been given a copy for the hotel library!  A big thank you to our kind benefactor.

I have now read the story and seen all the references to us in there, I really ought to ask a film company to turn it into a movie so we can get even more publicity.

When my wife has finished reading the book I’ll bring it back in to work and it will be available for all.  I promise not to put little tabs on the important pages mentionng the hotel.

I’ve just been asked if I would be happy to host a hustings evening on the 9th of April for the local Padstow residents to grill the candidates for the forthcoming election.  Naturally I jumped at the chance to host a prestigious event like this, it will be very exciting to be involved with such an important part of our democratic process.  Jill Hagley who is organising the event on behalf of Padstow Area Business and Tourism Forum (PATBF) has told me that Dan Rogerson the sitting MP and Sian Flynn the primary challenger have already confirmed they would be happy to attend so it promises to be a lively evening!

There will be more information here, on our Facebook page and on Twitter as we have it.

This usually involves rushing around on the Saturday afternoon getting a few statistics together to put a quick overview in place and then creating a few ideas and suggestions what we will and won’t be doing in the next month or two.  Today I’ve been trying to do a bit more so I’m further ahead of the game come Tuesday morning!

Amy went to a course as part of her ILM / UCP project on Tuesday and one of the things they looked at there was Ansoff Matrices - dissecting the sales effort into different sectors so you do the right things for the right people.  I thought this would be a good idea to look at ahead of next week’s meeting so did some web research and started putting my matrix together (to be compared with Amy’s later).  As part of this I’ve found some fascinating information on different areas to look at, both to encourage people back and to find new people.  A large part of this was on social networking so Amy will be looking at Twitter and Facebook shortly, I thought I’d have a look at Flickr - the photo sharing site.

I have set up an account for the hotel and have put a few pictures on there, more to follow later - we’ve got loads we can use!  Have a look at the album here and let us know what you think - there’s space for comments!  If you want to add your own pictures please do.

As I am sure you would expect we all want to make The Metropole a better place and we, along with Andrea at The Fowey, have been tasked with increasing our quality scores from the AA.  Part of our work has been talking to other owners and managers of four star hotels in Cornwall to see what they do and how they run their businesses.

We had our first two visits on Tuesday, we really couldn’t have picked a worse day with the rain lashing down on us.  While the weather was cold the welcome we had from Toby at The Nare and Peter at Carlyon Bay was warm and very helpful.  Some people might think it a little odd for competitors to share information like this but apart from being in different markets, we all want to see the quality of hotels in Cornwall improve as this helps us all. We got a very different perspective from both gentlemen but all was very useful, I hope you will see the results in our hotels over the coming months.
There are now something like 12 four star hotels in the Duchy so we can really go out and sell Cornwall as a high quality destination.  Malcom Bell has taken over the reins at Visit Cornwall and we are expecting great things from him.  We’re also very prepared to work with him to help him deliver his goals of increased visitors and an increase in the value this brings into the county.

We’re all recovering from a very hectic week with around 60 guests in for our Christmas programme and then another 64 in last night for our New Year’s Eve party.  Everyone worked really well and the feedback we’ve received has been excellent with a few people already booking for next year!

Padstow itself is really busy this time of year with yesterday and today being no exceptions:  the queue for the ferry over on the beach at Rock was very visible from the hotel and everyone who came in said how busy it was.  Today we have had lots of people in for lunch - most of them visitors to the town.  The weather is clear, cold and sunny so an ideal day for a walk around town or a stroll on one of the nearby beaches, perfect for blowing the cobwebs away.

Christmas and New Year has been great fun for us all again and we’re looking forward to this year already!

Never has a harvest festival hymn been more relevant than this year I feel!  The weather the last couple of weeks has not been the best with weather warnings galore and some pretty strong winds around.  Despite being the biggest and most exposed building in Padstow we have escaped and serious damage and once people have arrived at The Met they are greeted by a friendly smiling face in reception and a glowing real fire in the hallway.

This really is an exciting time to come to Cornwall - there is so much less traffic around and it is amazing how many local residents will take time out to go and sit on the cliffs or by the beaches just to sit and watch the waves crash in.  I think there is something special about storm watching from the  security of your car!  In Padstow we are a very safe mile inland so don’t get the big waves coming near us that some of our other hotels do but the views across to Polzeath are great when the surf is lashing the rocks.  Have a look at our web cam for the latest conditions!

…but there is a good reason behind it.  Earlier this summer Tony, our longstanding maintenance manager and husband of Joyce our Ops Manager, was diagnosed with cancer and at a fairly advanced stage.  Tony was given two to three months and was facing this very strongly and we think hiding a lot of the pain he must have been in.  During his last couple of weeks he declined very rapidly and sadly passed away a week last Monday.  He had his wish to die at home with dignity and we are all thankful that he did not have to suffer for too long.

Yesterday afternoon was his funeral which many of us were able to attend and quite a few former members of the team came too.  It was really good of them to come and shows the affection both he and Joyce are held in.  The Church in Padstow is a big one and it was quite full - Tony and Joyce have lived in Padstow for over 20 years so have got to know a great many people.  Fr Chris our parish priest is another character and he led the service really well with his own brand of solemnity and humour.

As The London Inn was Tony’s second home the reception following the interment was held there rather than up at the hotel - giving family and friends the chance to talk over their memories of Tony in very appropriate surroundings.

We will all miss Tony for his humour and common sense approach to life and we will keep hold of the many good memories we have of him.  Joyce has our support while she grieves and we look forward to welcoming her back to work when she feels it is right and we are very grateful that her two daughters live locally and have been able to look after her now.