It seems the majority are paying for the minority’s misbehaviour
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Hospitality has been hit hard by the pandemic. ELLIE LAMONT, who runs Mackays Hotel in Wick with husband Murray and daughter Jennifer, gives an insight into the impact on their business
What a year, and certainly not the one we thought we’d be having... No gala charity dinner to celebrate the 65th year of family ownership, no bumper year in terms of turnover and no refurbishment programme started. Luckily, if that’s a word we can ever use for this situation, two of our wine shops were allowed to reopen five days after closure, with the third one at Inverness Airport forced to remain closed for four months.
What did we do to get through lockdown? In between poring over supplier agreements and government information and looking for ways to stem the flow of money out of the business, we offered a takeaway service and our outside apartments were let to essential workers. It was an incredibly worrying and frustrating time. Our rateable value meant we didn’t qualify for the grant based on rateable value so we were very grateful to receive funding via the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund.
Mindful that some people might feel isolated, Murray offered to deliver meals to the Royal British Legion veteran families and he and Jennifer did this over a couple of days once a week.
Coming out of lockdown was a slow process and just as we thought we were getting back on target the new restrictions were announced. First it was the music ban. What a huge effect on the atmosphere in a room, and many guests in our hotel, including locals, did not know about it. A puzzling one which could have been avoided by the Scottish Government requesting a limit on the decibel level.
Why ban alcohol completely? Our hotel isn’t noted for having diners who get out of hand by overindulging in alcoholic liquid refreshments.
Then the one that took us by surprise: no alcohol, asking non-residents to leave by 6pm and residents to leave the bar and restaurant by 10pm. Not hospitality as we know it at Mackays Hotel.
Why are non-residents being asked to leave by 6pm? What evidence does the government have that non-residents are more susceptible to or cause the virus by eating in after 6pm? We have taken all the required measures to ensure social distancing. We could be allowed to maximise what little business is available. To compensate for this restriction we extended our serving times to cover the afternoon and hope the government changes this to allow non-residents in past 6pm.
Why ban alcohol completely? Our hotel isn’t noted for having diners who get out of hand by overindulging in alcoholic liquid refreshments.
What could the government do better? I don’t think anyone in politics thought they’d end up having to work their way through a coronavirus crisis, and in the beginning I think they reacted well and gave hope to people who were bewildered and frightened by world events.
Recently, though, there seems to be a lack of consultation with the affected industries, not only hospitality. There are industries that have had little or no help. We found it hard enough to have our business experience a temporary closure; I can’t even begin to comprehend how those in the entertainment industry must feel. There are many who have been forgotten and it could have been avoided. The knock-on effects of the latest restrictions apply to hospitality suppliers, taxi firms... the list is long.
We have a controlled environment and the hoteliers in the north have worked hard to comply with the changing regulations. It appears the majority are paying for the minority’s misbehaviour.
The staycation has helped. However, the infrastructure in the north does not cope with the tourists who are travelling in their own bubbles in campervans. Nevertheless we should not dismiss the value of this business to the north as people may well return if they have a good experience. We do have a lot of great food and drink to win them over. We have a responsibility to look after our team and to do this we need customers.
I do not think things will ever go back to what they once were; culture will change and we have become used to a new way of life. It continues to be a worrying time: the unknown of the virus, how do we protect our team, our families, our guests and the wider community? Hopefully a vaccine will be released soon and our community can rest easy once again.
