Hotels thank islanders for Bailiwick staycation support

Hotels have reported a positive uptake of rooms, offers and events with some still operating at full capacity while others have dialled back their workforce to counteract the effects of Covid on the hospitality industry.

St Pierre Park Hotel’s general manager Jonathan Squire said that, although business was different, they had enjoyed a relatively good festive season given the pandemic and were very appreciative of that.

‘We’ve done really well with staycation business and it is with a big thank you to Guernsey residents who have supported us with that, during what is tough times,’ he said.

‘The scheme has been hugely successful with over 100 guests over the Christmas period, all from Guernsey, which is phenomenal.

‘We still have availability now, but overall our view is we’re happy with the levels of business we’re getting.’

He said they were fully open and intended to remain fully open.

‘We had a full gala dinner event with over 180 people and most stayed over too,’ he said.

‘Then we’ve got Valentine’s weekend, which is starting to fill up.

‘Things are going well and it is down to people here in the island taking advantage of it.

‘It’s not the same as last year but it’s going well.

‘Our bedrooms are our bread and butter and, with the borders essentially closed, the take-up from locals is well appreciated.’

Over in Sark, Stocks Hotel director Paul Armorgie said after a three-month enforced closure last year due to Covid the response to the staycation scheme had been well received.

‘The Bailiwick staycation initiative has proved to be incredibly popular for Stocks Hotel amongst the residents of Guernsey, Sark, Alderney & Herm,’ he said.

‘The demand for staycations proved to be overwhelming [and] frustratingly we had to turn many enquiries away.

‘We welcomed many regular guests and also numerous new visitors who had either never been to Sark previously or never stayed at Stocks Hotel in the past.

‘Many of our new guests have said that they want to return to Stocks and Sark in future on a regular basis.’

He said they did initially reopen with some trepidation and at about 50% of their total capacity.

‘We were only able to bring back a small core team of our seasonal staff because we genuinely didn’t know what lay ahead for our small, family-owned, seasonal business,’ he said.

‘We didn’t want to overcommit to staff if we were not going to be able to remain open and guarantee them continuity of employment.

‘Whilst this was not ideal it was certainly much better than nothing at all, as we had originally feared.’

It meant that they were able to recruit two extra transient staff via the Isle of Man travel corridor.

With the hotel now closed for its winter maintenance until March, Mr Armorgie added that the hope now was that they would soon be able to welcome back visitors from first the Bailiwick bubble and then, in time, from beyond the borders.

The staycation campaign was launched by the States last June.

It saw a website unveiled as part of the scheme to lure islanders to spend their money on holidays within the island with offers and incentives, such as reduced rates, and is still going strong.

n For full details of all the hotels, B&Bs, camping, attractions and hospitality opportunities taking part in the ongoing staycation campaign visit, www.club.visitguernsey.com/.