Hospitality stalwart calling it a day after 40 years
ONE of Guernsey’s best-known tourism figures is calling it a day after nearly 40 years in the trade, following an accident.

Robert Steen was injured when the Honda motorcycle he had been riding fell over when he was parking it, landing on top of him, breaking 10 ribs and injuring his knee.
That was in August, but although the ribs have recovered, his job as tenant of Patois Cafe at Sausmarez Manor meant he was standing all day and the leg wound has not healed well.
‘I need to relax and put the leg up,’ he said.
‘That’s what the doctor suggested. And I thought “what time better than this?”, because I can look after my son and his wife and their two children, and do things with them.
‘And after I enjoyed my granddaughter’s birthday on Cobo beach with fish and chips at four o’clock one afternoon, I said to my wife “We should do this more often. Why don’t we do this?” and she said “Because you’re always working”, and it’s true. So that’s what we’re doing.’
Mr Steen moved to Guernsey in 1987. He ran the Idlerocks Hotel for several years before moving on to the Ambassador Hotel.
He also managed the Chalet Hotel, Fermain Valley Hotel and Les Cotils, before opening Patois at Bruce Russell’s and later moving to Sausmarez Manor.
He said he will miss meeting all the customers, many of whom are regulars who come in all year round. ‘I’ve been around a bit, a bit like a hairdresser – people follow me around,’ he said.
The manor-based cafe was smaller than some of his other ventures but there were still 70 seats outside and 25 indoors.
‘This is still one of the nice tourist attractions in Guernsey, which is available this time of year, particularly when all the States ones have all closed.
‘I’ve got quite a number of regulars who come in now. And even in the summer, you look around and there’s more regulars, more locals than tourists at times, because it’s so nice out there sitting by the fountain.’
Resting he may be but he will not be putting his feet up. ‘Pipe and slippers I am not,’ he said.
Before the accident he had already been sworn in as a special constable to ride escort motorcycles, and he will be doing this three mornings a week.
He is also planning on training to be an accredited guide so he can put his interest in local history to good use.
As for the cafe, he said there had been three expressions of interest in taking it over when it closes in two weeks’ time.
When asked to pick out a highlight of his time in the industry he singled out the Channel 5 programme on Guernsey and Jersey which was broadcast last summer and which led to his re-connecting with his 95-year-old godfather.‘
'He’s been over here, and he’s coming again. I thought, because I hadn’t heard from him since 1990, that he’d passed away.’
The programme has also been mentioned by visitors, including an Australian couple who were in the cafe in early October and said they had seen it on TV in Melbourne.
Sausmarez Manor owner Peter de Sausmarez thanked Mr Steen for his work.
‘For the past four years, we’ve been fortunate to have Rob and his passionate team bring their energy and joy to the tea room at the manor,’ he said.
‘We want to extend our deepest thanks for their hard work and wish Rob a swift recovery and all the best for the future.’