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21

Apr 2021

Last Updated: 21/04/2021
Business
Business

Hospitality has lost 'sexiness' due to covid, says Harrogate hotel boss

by Calvin Robinson

| 21 Apr, 2021
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Anthony Blundell, commercial manager at Provenance Inns and Hotels, which runs West Park Hotel, says covid has left hospitality staff feeling 'a little bit like the police'. But he hopes bars, restaurants and hotels could return to normality after June 21.

anthonyblundell2
Anthony Blundell, assistant general manager at the West Park Hotel, Harrogate.

Hospitality has “lost a bit of its sexiness” due to covid but reopening has given a sense of hope for normality, says a Harrogate hotel boss.

Anthony Blundell, commercial manager at Provenance Inns and Hotels, which runs the West Park Hotel, said the rule of six and asking people how to behave made staff feel "a little bit like the police".

However, he added that 2,000 guests had booked in with the hotel since reopening last week and that the hotel had kept staff engaged with things like online training while it was closed to keep spirits up.

Speaking at a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing, Mr Blundell said he hoped bars and restaurants could return to some form of normality after June 21.

He said:

“Over the past kind of 12 months, hospitality has lost a bit of its sexiness. Quite often, hospitality is usually about ‘yes’ and what we can do for our guests.
“We have almost had to become a little bit like the police ourselves. Telling people how to behave and that you’ve got to sit down in your rule of six, things like that. We need to maintain that to keep everybody safe.
“But, hopefully, as things are easing and reopening now and hopefully we’re on track for June 21, things will start to get back to some form of normality.”





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Legal limits on social contact are due to be lifted on June 21.

Mr Blundell added that although the last 12 months had been "a bit weird", he felt the lockdown had gained the sector a newfound respect from people.

“During these periods of closure, I feel our industry has gained more respect from our guests and they realise just how much they miss us.”


As part of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, bars and restaurants reopened on April 12.

Until May 17, people can only sit outside in groups of six to have a meal or a drink.