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The Hotel Inspector Season 20 Episode 2
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00:00I've been a hotelier for over three decades.
00:04Please remember at all times that you're representatives of the hotel.
00:08And I know just how tough this profession can be.
00:11It's 24-7. We're just exhausted.
00:14But not once in all my years...
00:16Oh, mother of God.
00:18...have I seen so many businesses...
00:20Everything I've owned has gone into this place.
00:22...and owners closer to the point of collapse.
00:25We are fired.
00:27It's too much.
00:28Sorry.
00:30So I'm back.
00:31Here to help rescue these flailing businesses.
00:35Can you put your belly away?
00:36It really looks like you just don't care.
00:39From hotel newbies...
00:40It's absolutely terrifying.
00:42...to traditional seaside B&Bs...
00:44On the beach like Pamela Anderson.
00:46...and village pubs.
00:48Sleeping under a pie may be a step too far for me.
00:51I wish I sensed humour.
00:52It's not my idea of fun.
00:55And I'm up against the clock...
00:57Feeling very anxious.
00:58...because they're all on the edge.
01:00It's a very critical situation financially.
01:03I don't like paling.
01:05I'll be rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in...
01:08...that's closer to nature than I've been in a while.
01:11...delivering some tough love.
01:13It's a tip for me.
01:14I don't know which bit I hate most.
01:16I'm sorry to be hurtful.
01:18I mean, hello.
01:20To help these hospitality owners on the right path.
01:23I don't have any way to put a pair of knickers...
01:25...but I've got a recycling bin.
01:26...before it's too late.
01:28How are bookings...
01:29...empty.
01:34This time...
01:35...it was like that film The Money Pit.
01:36We're like, what have we done?
01:38...I'm called to rescue a seaside B&B...
01:41...all we're asking is to keep this place afloat.
01:44...knocked off course by a flooded market.
01:46We've got nobody tonight...
01:48...and then the rest of the week there's nobody.
01:49They're never going to make any money.
01:51...where the shared facilities...
01:53Are we on a lot of thought of that?
01:54No.
01:55...it's not glamorous.
01:56...and a spell of bad health...
01:58Sorry, darling. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
02:00...threatened to sink the ship.
02:02...feel as though we've failed.
02:06I'd say I'm the boss.
02:09No.
02:10We are an equal partnership.
02:13Four years ago, cleaning supervisor Tracy...
02:16...and her husband Colin, a photocopier engineer...
02:19...and hospitality novice...
02:21...took over Westbrook Lodge.
02:23The best bit about being here is...
02:26...there's the sea.
02:27I do love the sea.
02:28On the beach like Pamela Anderson.
02:33Situated on the outskirts...
02:34...of the arty seaside town...
02:36...of Margate in Kent.
02:39This seafront-facing...
02:40...11-bedroom guesthouse...
02:42...also has living quarters for them...
02:44...their two youngest children...
02:45...and their pets.
02:47Ten out of the 11 rooms we have...
02:50...are all animal-themed.
02:52It's just a bit of fun.
02:53Though these cats look a bit moody.
02:54Both born and bred in Kent...
03:01...Tracy and Colin met 15 years ago.
03:04We met at a campsite.
03:06You approached me.
03:06I didn't approach you.
03:08It sounds like I picked you up.
03:09Well, you just...
03:10Brought together through their love of VWs.
03:14The car's called Fiona.
03:16I used to have a green camper van...
03:18...and that was called Shrek.
03:20We actually used this as our wedding car.
03:22The rest is history.
03:25Now in their 50s...
03:27...with their blended family of seven...
03:28...starting to fly the nest...
03:30...they sold their two houses...
03:32...and beloved camper vans...
03:34...and spent the lot on a lifestyle change.
03:38We had to have a year's rent up front.
03:40We had to pay for the business.
03:43Yeah.
03:44We bought the business...
03:46...but we didn't buy the building.
03:48It's not even ours.
03:49After shelling out £100,000...
03:52...they still had to renovate.
03:54It just looked outdated...
03:56...full of woodchip, which is beige and brown.
03:59And Tracy and Colin are far from beige...
04:02...so despite being just tenants...
04:03...they spent big on their animal-themed decor.
04:06We spent about £85,000 altogether.
04:09It was like that film The Money Pit.
04:12We're like, what have we done?
04:14After working 15-hour days to get it open...
04:17...business boomed.
04:18We were full.
04:19But personally, disaster struck.
04:22You were just getting tired...
04:24...and you had this pain, didn't you?
04:25So you knew something wasn't right.
04:27We found out Tracy had cancer.
04:31Obviously, I couldn't run at full capacity...
04:33...because there's no way I could do it on my own.
04:36Thankfully, after two years of health knocks...
04:39...the couple were able to return to full capacity...
04:42...but discovered the industry had become saturated.
04:46Over 50 Airbnbs have come up.
04:48The occupancy has just been absolutely atrocious.
04:52We've got nobody tonight...
04:53...and then the rest of the week, there's nobody.
04:55Next month, we don't have enough money for the rent.
04:59If this was our own building...
05:00...there would be something at the end of it.
05:02But we haven't even got that.
05:04But then, where do we go and what do we do?
05:07As much as my moaning, we do really enjoy it.
05:09We just still want to be here.
05:12I don't want to give up.
05:19I haven't been back here for about 16 years.
05:23Once labelled one of the most deprived regions in the UK...
05:27...Margate has turned a corner...
05:29...thanks in part to its burgeoning art scene...
05:31...trendy food spots and vibrant community.
05:35There was a mere slip of a girl last time I was here.
05:37And I found Margate quite depressed at the time.
05:42Since then, there's been a lot in the papers...
05:44...about the rebirth of Margate.
05:46The Turner Museum, dedicated to one of the most influential...
05:50...British painters, has generated over £70 million...
05:54...for the local economy.
05:55This, along with the revitalisation...
05:56...of the town's amusement park, Dreamland...
05:59...and local artist, Tracey Emin, investing in her hometown community...
06:04...has led to Margate's cultural regeneration and thriving visitor numbers.
06:10Apparently, the young and trendy are flocking this way.
06:14I'm dying to see the difference.
06:16Very nervous.
06:17Didn't sleep last night.
06:19We're just hoping she can help us.
06:22Otherwise, we won't be here this time next year.
06:27There we are.
06:30Well, it's not glamorous.
06:33Maybe I'll have to walk round to the front.
06:39My daytime cook.
06:42Nighttime landlady.
06:44It's nice and tidy.
06:45Hello.
06:50Come in.
06:55Alex.
06:56Tracy.
06:57Very nice to meet you.
06:58Colin.
06:58Colin, very nice.
06:59I was confused, because when I looked on the website...
07:02...you only had one room available tonight...
07:04...so I assumed that you were busy.
07:05No.
07:06The website, we've just launched.
07:08So we're just trying it out at the moment.
07:10And why have you decided to do that...
07:12...rather than just putting all your rooms on an outside booking platform?
07:15It's because we lose 15% every time somebody books.
07:18However, getting 85% of something...
07:21...is better than getting 100% of nothing.
07:23Why have you called me in?
07:25So, the past few years, things have been going downhill.
07:28Airbnbs have popped up absolutely everywhere.
07:30In Margate, there's over 80 places to stay.
07:33Right.
07:34OK.
07:34So I think we'll start with you taking me to my room.
07:38Yeah.
07:38If that's OK.
07:39In the last five years, short-term lets through booking platforms like Airbnb have shot up by 30%,
07:47meaning there's half a million more across the UK today than pre-COVID.
07:52So you're in our sea view one suite.
07:55Thanks.
07:56Very nice.
07:58Lovely view.
07:59Very bright.
08:02OK, so tonight, what would this cost me?
08:05This room would be about £99 tonight.
08:07OK.
08:07Thanks, darling.
08:08All right.
08:10She walked in and said, ooh, very bright.
08:15I'm just guessing, wildly, could this possibly be the dolphin room?
08:19Or is it a whale?
08:21It's a bit brighter than I'm used to.
08:24I could have done without that.
08:27They've got a little mini fridge.
08:29Look, fresh milk can be provided.
08:31So that's a nice little treat, isn't it?
08:33They've got the essentials for every room, which is a long mirror, a nice tea tray, a chest of drawers, a bedside light on each side of the bed, a chair and a wardrobe.
08:44I'm definitely relieved that Alex is here.
08:47Lovely, lovely, clean bathroom.
08:49Out of the 11 bedrooms, three are en suite.
08:52However, the other eight rooms share just two bathrooms.
08:57So, loo and shower room there.
09:01Another shower loo.
09:04In my experience, younger people are a bit more cool about sharing bathrooms and slightly older people, not so much.
09:13Lots more rooms here.
09:15Oh, ooh, I suppose this must be rabbits.
09:21It's a lot of rabbits.
09:25Ah, this must be the cat room.
09:28Ah, monkeys.
09:30Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, I presume.
09:34It's easy to spend money and hard to make it.
09:36They obviously take enormous pride and pleasure in this, but this isn't their bricks and mortar.
09:42So, then, you go all the way along the corridor.
09:46It's quite a long way, then, for the living in the night.
09:53Aha!
09:55They've got the clever addition of a sink.
09:58It means that you're not queuing for the bathroom when you're brushing your teeth in the morning.
10:02I mean, I'm a boarding school girl and an extremist, you could have a pee in the sink.
10:08Ahem.
10:09Anyway, downstairs there's a fully stocked bar.
10:12This is a really good way to make a bit more money.
10:14Which appears to double as a reception.
10:18And next door is a large breakfast room.
10:21It's so spick and span.
10:22I now have to get to the bottom of why they're less busy than they should be.
10:27And to help me with this conundrum, I want to put multiple rooms under the microscope.
10:31So, I'm drawing on a tried-and-tested tactic in the trade and activating a stress test.
10:37Who's that?
10:39It's a load of people.
10:40Yes, I have a small challenge for you.
10:42Oh!
10:42We've got a few people coming to stay.
10:44I'm in Margate, an up-and-coming seaside town on the Kent coast.
10:58To help struggling B&B owners, Tracy and Colin, improve their occupancy before they lose the roof over their heads.
11:08We don't want to give up.
11:10That's not what we're here to do.
11:11We've put so much time, effort, money into it.
11:15To walk away would be absolutely gutting.
11:19But I've only four days to turn around their fortunes.
11:23To quickly gain crucial intel on the guest experience here, I've set up a surprise stress test.
11:31I'm just a bit flustered, Alex.
11:34Just treat them normally.
11:37Hello!
11:38Hi, Alex.
11:38Welcome. Would you like to come in?
11:41How was your journey, Dan? All right?
11:42Lovely. Thank you very much.
11:44Are you sharing together?
11:46If we could have a twin room, if that's possible.
11:47Yeah, no, I can do a twin room for you.
11:49So you're up the far end, but the other bathroom is in here, and then we've got a separate toilet there.
11:55All the lights are motion sensors, so when you get up in the night, if you need a toilet, it will all come on for you.
12:00Oh, we haven't got a toilet.
12:01Not in this one, no.
12:03So this is your room.
12:05Lovely.
12:05Along with two friends sharing, I've invited two couples to stay, all Kent residents who love visiting Margate.
12:15Just follow me.
12:16I'm hoping that after a night's stay, they'll be able to help me better understand why Tracy and Colin have so few bookings.
12:24So I shall leave you with your keys to get a selfie.
12:26Thank you very much.
12:27If you want milk, I can bring that up for you.
12:29That was a bit of a surprise to have people to suddenly turn up on the doorstep.
12:34The odd one or two walk-in, not six people all at the same time.
12:38Hello, we've come to stay.
12:40I love you.
12:42Moving this way.
12:44I need to find out what my guests think of rooms to understand if there's anything wrong.
12:49And God knows I need all the help I can get.
12:52Just make sure there's no marks on the mattress.
12:55Now it's all nice and clean.
12:57It's got waterproof on, which is good.
13:03It's nice and quiet.
13:05It's not very clean.
13:06It's not very clean.
13:06It's pretty nice and clean.
13:08It's really nice, actually.
13:09Yeah, excellent.
13:10Really surprised.
13:11Came with the bed bug spray.
13:13Came with the hand sanitizer.
13:15Don't need any of it.
13:16They come with a lube brush that they normally come with, but it's got one anyway.
13:19Got one.
13:20Gorgeous.
13:20Love the colour.
13:21I've never seen a lion that come.
13:23No.
13:24While my guests get stress testing, I want to arm myself with the finance info.
13:30Let's get down to business.
13:33There was an initial outlay.
13:34We had to pay $75,000 for the goodwill of the business.
13:38And then there was the first rent up front.
13:40$30,000.
13:41And then there was a large deposit at $7,500.
13:44So how much have you spent on tarting it up?
13:48It's about...
13:49Obviously too much.
13:50Yeah, about $85,000.
13:53Gosh.
13:55Tracey and Colin have spent almost £200,000 on this venture without owning a single inch
14:01of their accommodation.
14:03And all that money is now at risk.
14:06We had two houses, so we sold the two houses, and that's what we invested.
14:11So that's now run out.
14:12I feel as though we've failed a bit.
14:15They've taken an enormous gamble.
14:17If this business fails, they could be homeless.
14:21You've put your money into a building that you don't own, and that's a particularly difficult
14:25one to tackle.
14:27How are bookings going forward?
14:29Empty.
14:30Oh, no.
14:31It's so extremely seasonal.
14:33This year, January was 6% occupancy.
14:36Winter may be their coolest period, but it's evident they need to boost their occupancy
14:42in every season.
14:44I wonder what costs they're facing.
14:46Talk to me about your overheads.
14:48Um, a month, £4,439.
14:52That's utilities, rent.
14:55That's not including linen, card charges, VAT, food, and bank charges.
15:01So that's not including a lot of things.
15:03In the height of summer, it can be up to £10,000.
15:05So that's about £5,500 a month.
15:10How are you financing this, then?
15:13Our own personal savings.
15:15How long is that going to last?
15:18Not long.
15:19OK, so we've just got to stop the rot.
15:22I'm feeling very anxious.
15:24Just to fulfil their rent and overheads, they have to be completely full.
15:28All 11 rooms for almost six days a month.
15:32And that's quite a big ask.
15:33I just can't quite see how they're going to make this work.
15:38Honestly, they're never going to make any money.
15:48I had a really good night's sleep.
15:51Very comfortable bed.
15:53Beautiful sunrise.
15:54I can think of worse places to wake up.
15:57And that's part of the conundrum.
15:59All in all, it's sparkly clean, the rooms are well laid out,
16:02they're great hosts.
16:04And it smells like they can do a good breakfast.
16:08Morning.
16:08Good morning.
16:09Do you want to take a seat?
16:11We'll get on your breakfast for you.
16:12Thanks, darling.
16:13So I'm hoping that my stress testers can shed some light for me.
16:19After all, one of the best ways to improve a business is to involve the customer.
16:24One bowl of scrambled eggs.
16:28That's the weirdest breakfast I've ever done.
16:31Morning.
16:32Did you sleep OK?
16:33Absolutely.
16:34What would you pay for your night's day last night?
16:3895, 100.
16:40Well, that's right on the nose.
16:41Yeah, it's worth it.
16:42Morning.
16:43Morning.
16:44Hello, lovelies.
16:45How are you?
16:46All right, thank you.
16:47How was the bathroom situation?
16:49Well, it's a big struggle.
16:53Not ideal.
16:54The only thing is that trek to the toilet.
16:56Yeah.
16:57Morning, darling.
16:58How are you?
16:58You're all right.
16:59What would you pay for your room, you know, for last night?
17:02About £70, yeah.
17:04£70.
17:04What would it have been for the room that they were in last night as a double?
17:08$87.50.
17:09$87.50.
17:11You wouldn't have paid that?
17:12No, definitely not.
17:14So my stress testing guests have highlighted that the ensuite bedroom prices are spot on.
17:21But the shared bathrooms are a different story.
17:24It's been a worthwhile undertaking.
17:26While Colin starts making the rooms, I want to catch up with Tracy and find out what the last few years have been like.
17:35So what were you doing before this?
17:37I worked at Premier Inn where I was a head housekeeper.
17:39And what did Colin do before this?
17:41He had his own company.
17:43He's a photocopier engineer.
17:45But unfortunately now everybody's working from home.
17:47He had to sell the company and he was meant to stay in the industry still.
17:51But I got ill and he had to run this place.
17:53I was diagnosed with cancer.
17:57Poor you.
17:58My goodness gracious me.
18:00Sorry darling.
18:01Sorry, sorry, sorry.
18:03Awful.
18:04Hmm.
18:04Okay, well you've just made me want to redouble my efforts to find something to do to help you.
18:10I've had a real run of bad health stories.
18:15Feels to me like we need to lift the curse.
18:18I think the next step is have a look in Margate.
18:21See if it inspires me, gives me any ideas to find solutions to help them.
18:26Like most seaside towns, Margate is jam-packed with the usual tourist hotspots.
18:37But further into the town centre and I'm caught slightly unawares.
18:41Oh, very nice.
18:44Well this is a prosperous little corner of Margate.
18:47It certainly wasn't here 16 years ago.
18:50It's odd how two sides of Margate seem to coexist.
18:53The kind of kiss me quick traditional Margate and this rather bougie guest house.
19:00This is a nice little square, isn't it?
19:03I don't know, I'm seeing a different side to Margate.
19:05Rather unexpected, it's lovely.
19:07It's obvious why Airbnbs are swamping the market.
19:11But how to position Tracey and Colin's offering as a go-to place to book?
19:17To help me gain insight, I've arranged to visit a seven-bedroom guest house with shared bathrooms run by Claire.
19:24Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me.
19:28It was clear from the stress test that Tracey and Colin's shared bathrooms are a big turn-off.
19:34So how does Claire manage?
19:35How many bathrooms do you have?
19:37Four bathrooms.
19:38And what prices do you charge?
19:40Between £75 and £90 a night.
19:43We do have a rule that there's no shoes upstairs if you don't mind taking your shoes off when you live so close to a sandy beach.
19:50I assumed it was about dog shit.
19:51So this is what we call the family room.
19:57Wow.
19:58If you're a group, you can book the whole house out.
20:01The group bookings tend to be more kind of early 30s.
20:04Yeah.
20:05But then you also get intergenerational family bookings.
20:08I've got a 70th birthday this year, for example.
20:11This is getting my brain buzzing.
20:13Shared bathrooms would go down better with a group who know each other well.
20:17Now to give Tracey and Colin the lowdown.
20:21First of all, I went and saw another guest house that has four shared bathrooms for seven bedrooms.
20:29And she's doing it for about £70 to £90 a night.
20:33And we're going to have to compete with that.
20:35So what price point do you think we should do the double with a shared bathroom?
20:39I would say £75.
20:42£75.
20:42I'd like to try and get you group bookings, because I think then the shared bathroom scenario is a lot less complicated.
20:49No one cares.
20:50It's just like staying in someone's house, isn't it?
20:52Yep.
20:53The shared bathrooms would definitely be an easier sell for groups, but only if they can get to grips with their website.
21:01We have to get your website working better.
21:03Definitely look at search engine optimisation and all that stuff.
21:06I'll send someone in before I come back, because it's a crowded market.
21:11We need to get you under people's noses.
21:13If people were booking directly with us through our website, we can say bye-bye to that horrible commission.
21:20A website consultant can help them with this too, saving them potentially thousands on third-party booking platform commissions.
21:29There's one more small change that I'd like to make before I go, which has been bugging me since my arrival.
21:35I don't mind your theming, but I do think you've gone at it with a bit of a heavy hand.
21:42I'm not the taste police, but Tracey's passion for the bright and bold needs to be tamed.
21:50It would look much smarter, darling, may I say.
21:54If we...
21:54Yes, if you just did that.
21:56I just think it looks more grown up.
21:59Your tendency, I can see, is to go overboard.
22:03Reign it back, woman.
22:05Reign it back.
22:06It's been a bit of a whirlwind visit.
22:09Hopefully, you know, small changes, big difference.
22:14Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that my suggestions are going to have a big enough effect to put their accommodation on the map quickly enough.
22:22There's no silver bullet, because whatever I do, it's going to take some time to work.
22:26But time isn't on their side.
22:28They've got a lot of money to pay out every month, and they've just got no sodding bookings.
22:33What's needed is some strategic, out-of-the-box thinking, so I've got a lot more work ahead.
22:39I've got to come up with some bloody ideas, and fast.
22:42Hello, Westwood Lodge Guesthouse.
22:57When would you be looking for?
22:59After my packed 48 hours with Tracy and Colin, desperately seeking a solution to their dire occupancy,
23:06I left them with two short-term goals while I wrestle with the bigger picture.
23:10Alex has suggested that the double with the shared bathroom should have a base rate of £75.
23:17Drop their prices on their shared bathroom rooms.
23:20A little bit worried about dropping the prices, because first year when we had prices of this rate,
23:25we had a lot of people that used to damage the rooms.
23:28But we have to pay the bills and stuff, so let's get rooms filled.
23:31We need to be full.
23:33And rain back the deckle.
23:35It's a bit like me, a bit overboard.
23:38Hello, lovely to meet you.
23:40I'm Colin.
23:40Lovely to meet you too.
23:41I'm Tracey.
23:41Hi, Tracey.
23:42How are you?
23:42How are you doing?
23:43Not bad, thank you.
23:44And I've done my bit, sending in a hotshot search engine consultant, Owen, to elevate Tracy and Colin's website.
23:52You've got some lovely content here about all the upcoming events.
23:56There's a couple of key things I want to go to this summer, for example.
23:58Yeah.
24:00Owen will be looking to improve three key elements of the website.
24:05Firstly, checking the visuals are high quality and tell the right story.
24:08First of all, the use of a really good, strong hero image of a nice blue sky, showing perhaps the view on the beach would be a good way to sell it straight away.
24:17Next, ensuring the site is search engine optimised, so that their guest house appears high up on searches for Margate accommodation.
24:26And there are a few little tricks to do that.
24:28You've got a little bit here, which is nice, and it's a family-run guest house, not far from Westbrook Bay Beach.
24:34That's really good information that tells search engines about the location, what services you're offering.
24:39I'd maybe look at kind of fleshing that out to kind of add that additional target keyword.
24:43Perhaps it's family-friendly, B&B and Margate.
24:45Just a bit more text in there, just to send more signals to search engines about what it is you've provided.
24:49It's all a bit technical, isn't it?
24:50Yeah.
24:51Our knowledge goes so far.
24:54The website is not our field.
24:55You know, we're not technically minded like that.
24:58And finally, Owen will create a user-friendly booking process.
25:02We want to kind of get people looking at their rooms, making decision buying, so that's the ultimate goal there.
25:07And obviously have a little link to book now.
25:09If Owen can help to drive traffic to their site, they can boost their direct bookings and save on commission.
25:16You know, 15% commission on every room kills us.
25:19You're on the right journey, and as we kind of do some of these design changes and content changes over time, you'll get more visitors.
25:32Nearly four weeks later, and I'm back in Margate.
25:35And there's still so much to do.
25:37My biggest worry is that they just don't have enough bookings.
25:41And without bookings, they're hemorrhaging their savings to pay the rent.
25:46I feel like this is a really, really challenging problem for me.
25:51The reality is they just don't have any money, and they are desperate to hang on to the guest house, which is, after all, their family home as well.
26:00In an attempt to increase occupancy, I asked them to slash their prices by almost 20%.
26:05A high-risk strategy, as they need every penny.
26:09So I'm nervous to see how they got on.
26:14Hello, darling.
26:15Hello, nice to see you again.
26:16Right, first of all, did you drop your prices?
26:21We did, yes.
26:22And what has the result been?
26:24We've been absolutely manic for the past four weeks.
26:29A thank you, Alex, would be due at this point.
26:32Many thanks.
26:33Many thanks.
26:34My pleasure, my pleasure.
26:35Since you left, we've had 111 bookings, which has equivalented to 207 nights.
26:41That is fucking unbelievable.
26:43Well done.
26:44I think, no word of a lie, the day after we dropped our prices, we just were inundated with bookings, weren't we?
26:51It was just like, what is going on?
26:53You were too expensive.
26:54Yeah.
26:55And people were really careful to get value for money.
26:57We're some fantastic guests.
26:59Yeah.
27:00But there's been a handful of ones that we've had, a couple of trash rooms.
27:04Broke the toilet seat.
27:04Literally snapped the lid right in half.
27:06They smoked in their room.
27:08They've kept other guests awake.
27:09Unfortunately, disrespectful guests can be a problem at all price points.
27:14As hospitality providers, we have to take the rough with the smooth.
27:19I do think, though, you're going to have to be a little bit tough about this.
27:22I sympathise with how frustrating that is.
27:25But I'm here to try and improve your bottom line and to make some money for you.
27:29No, I mean, we were really worried about how we was even going to pay the rent for next month.
27:33But we literally earned the money to pay all the bills for next month.
27:36And we haven't finished yet.
27:39The immediate increase in bookings following the price drop just shows how price-sensitive the Margate market is.
27:49Follow me.
27:50And to celebrate their achievements, I have a gift for them.
27:54For when people arrive in your car park, this isn't our best size.
28:00That's fantastic.
28:01Well, I thought, when I arrived here, I was like, well, gosh, this doesn't look what I was thinking.
28:08Your god, it looks lovely.
28:09Put it here.
28:10Yeah, no, that's great.
28:13Do you like a man with a power tool?
28:14It is a bit on the wonk.
28:18Probably feels a bit under pressure with you watching your marriage.
28:22Performance pressure.
28:23It's happened to me before.
28:26Come on.
28:26Tracy and Colin may have a spring in their step now that high-season bookings are coming in, but there's a lot of hard work ahead to turn this place into the money-making machine it needs to be.
28:38And one asset that isn't earning its keep is the bar.
28:43What is this abomination that you call a bar?
28:47Why is it such a mess?
28:48When's the last time you moved anything about?
28:51Well, we haven't.
28:51We haven't.
28:52This is how it was when we took it over.
28:55Well, I think it's time for a poliziblitzi.
28:59You've kind of got bits and bobs everywhere, darling, and it doesn't make it somewhere that's particularly conducive to spending your money.
29:07Can we move this, please?
29:09I hate these things, honestly.
29:13Be gone with you.
29:14Don't make me drop it.
29:16Oh!
29:17I got given that by a very great guest.
29:20Oh, my God.
29:23Look at all the crap.
29:25Colin!
29:26Your second wife is calling.
29:30Here you go.
29:31Thank you very much.
29:32And then you've actually got some room to put some of this shit.
29:36That was from the shell grotto.
29:38Well, put it in your house, then.
29:40I don't want it in my house.
29:42I don't want it in my bowl, either.
29:45Can we have a rubbish bag, please?
29:47We can go in the bin, Alex.
29:49All right!
29:50Oh, I love clearing up.
29:52It's my favourite thing to do in the whole world.
29:55That's going in the bin, Alex.
29:56Is it?
29:57Yes.
29:57Oh, I'm so excited.
29:59I love doing this.
30:01Ta-ta-da!
30:03La-la!
30:04Woo-hoo!
30:05It feels so much bigger now.
30:08It really does.
30:09Look, it's a bar.
30:11My lads, I assure you, this is a bar.
30:14Margate has over 60 bars and pubs to splash out in.
30:20But who doesn't like a pre-drink or even a nightcap?
30:23It's a really underexploited element of this business, but not for much longer.
30:29Time to reveal the next part of my master plan.
30:33I think we want to try and market this whole place for a group booking,
30:37particularly because of your shared bathroom situation.
30:40Whether it be a 50th birthday or a university reunion,
30:45I want to show Tracy and Colin how lucrative an all-in group package can be.
30:51How much is it per night?
30:53Give me low season.
30:55£928 for the whole place.
30:58That's £1,800 for a weekend.
31:01With breakfast on top of that,
31:03so imagine you filled it with even two weekends a month.
31:06That would pay your rent.
31:07Yes.
31:08Yes, it would.
31:08And then also, putting on a buffet,
31:12the first night that they arrive,
31:13instead of 20 of them trying to find a restaurant,
31:15you say, I'll tell you what, you pay this,
31:18and on the first night, then another night they do what they like.
31:20I mean, that seems like a real no-brainer to me.
31:23And we're going to try it out.
31:25Oh, just a bit godsmacked.
31:27You sprung something on his last time.
31:29Well, I mean, darling, I like to keep you on your toes.
31:32Yes, I've bagged Tracy and Colin a birthday party group booking for tonight.
31:37And there'll not only be a buffet, but cocktails, too.
31:42You make cocktails, you can make a much better profit.
31:44How are my juggling skills on?
31:46Yeah, I mean, you and Tom Cruise.
31:49I'd still pick you if he was in the room, though.
31:51Oh, darling, you're so sweet.
31:55Don't worry, he'll be Tom by the time I finish with him.
31:59Quite excited about it, to be honest.
32:01Yeah, looking forward to shaking a few cocktails.
32:04Jumping behind our new bar to give Colin a crash course in cocktails
32:08is mixologist Mike.
32:12Mike's been shaking things up in the drinks world for over 15 years,
32:16so we're in very good hands.
32:18Oh, look. It's pretty, isn't it?
32:21There you go. You've got your summarise.
32:23Obviously, this is money sitting on your shelf here right now.
32:27Mike suggested an easy cocktail for beginner Colin to take on,
32:31and it's one of my favourites, a Negroni.
32:34Very, very simple drink.
32:36Three ingredients, 25ml of each.
32:38You've got your Campari.
32:4025ml of Campari is about 28p.
32:4525ml of Red Vermouth.
32:47Lovely. Very cheap.
32:49About 20p's worth.
32:51And then...
32:5125ml gin.
32:53These are quick and easy to make.
32:54The cost for that is about £1.37.
32:57Oh, Mike.
32:58Yeah, £1.37.
32:59Well, I mean, I hate to be the one to try.
33:01Mmm.
33:02What would you be selling it for?
33:07I think you'd be quite easy to do about £7.5.
33:08That would mean a huge profit of around £6 per cocktail.
33:13I would sell it a bit cheaper than that, just because I'd want to sell them.
33:16Mm-hmm.
33:16But either way, you're going to be making a lot more money than you are on your mark-ups with
33:20your wine.
33:21Yep.
33:22If you're going to be creating a product that you can't buy in the supermarket, you have
33:25a unique selling point.
33:26While Colin gets to grips with the drinks, Tracy and I rustle up a profitable buffet.
33:31Right, what next?
33:33Dips.
33:34That was quick.
33:36I am quick.
33:37I haven't even chopped a carrot yet.
33:39Nothing too showy, just simple fare like crudités, pizza slices, cold meat, sausage rolls.
33:46Do a nice cheese board.
33:48Right, so that's done.
33:50So we're making a salad, we're just shoving it all in there and just shred that up.
33:54We'll chuck some tomatoes in.
33:56And a quick, tasty pudding like an eaten mess.
33:59Perfect for a group of friends arriving on a Friday for the weekend.
34:05All of this cost us, for 12 people, about 80 quid.
34:10Right.
34:10Which is about almost £7 a person and I think you could charge £12 a person quite easily.
34:16So that's an easy £60 profit, a win-win for hosts and guests.
34:22When there's a big family group and people are travelling from all over the place, no one
34:26wants to arrive and go straight out again.
34:28So hopefully it will be another reason for people to book here.
34:32Well here we are, number 10.
34:34Oh this is my room.
34:35And we're ready just in time as the birthday group are checking in.
34:40The view is so gorgy.
34:42I've got a view of Margay out my window.
34:45The sun is pouring in.
34:47It's gorgeous.
34:47So I'm in room number 8.
34:51It's a nice, big, spacious, calming, blue room.
34:56I've got the tiger room.
34:58So we've got nice wallpaper, pictures, a lovely bed.
35:04Bed looks comfy, nice and soft.
35:06Good.
35:07I'm in number 11.
35:08There's a lovely lion on the wall behind me.
35:11Can you see him?
35:13Who's for a negroni?
35:14Oh, yes.
35:15Oh, yes, please.
35:16Here's your starter.
35:19Please do help us out to the buffet.
35:21Oh, amazing.
35:22Thank you very much.
35:24Hope you enjoy it.
35:25They're very resilient, Colin and Tracy.
35:30I talk to them about putting on a buffet.
35:31Voila, there is a buffet.
35:33I talk to them about cocktails.
35:34La la la.
35:35Cocktails have been made.
35:39It has been an incredibly productive day.
35:42And by the way, sounds like they're having a rather good time.
35:46I wonder how strong Colin is mixing his cocktails.
35:49Oh.
35:55It's the morning after, the night before.
36:11Alexa, skip.
36:14Oh, it's better.
36:16Last night, Tracy and Colin hosted their first group.
36:20Right, so that's the veggies.
36:21And with Tracy and Colin on site,
36:23they enjoyed a buffet, cocktails and a full English.
36:27Clever add-ons which help boost profits.
36:30Very good.
36:31I quite enjoyed that.
36:32I'm surprised they're all tucking in.
36:34Some of them are quite hanging, I hear.
36:37My mission is to demonstrate
36:39how perfectly the guest house works for groups
36:42and garner an all-important first review for a group booking.
36:48Hoping that everyone will have had a good night's sleep
36:50and have had a hearty breakfast,
36:52they'll have enjoyed the hospitality
36:53and we'll have our first glowing review for a house party.
36:59Morning, all.
37:00Morning.
37:02How are you all?
37:03Good.
37:04Lovely.
37:04Good night's sleep.
37:05Right.
37:06Yeah, very good.
37:07Would you recommend it as somewhere to come and hang out with some friends?
37:10Oh, yeah, definitely.
37:11One of the reasons I thought this was good for a group
37:14is because of the shared bathroom situation.
37:16With a large group,
37:17and obviously the majority of you are all on one floor,
37:20it doesn't feel strange having to share a bathroom with people that you know.
37:24This is exactly what I hope for,
37:26that groups are less likely to be bothered
37:28by sharing a bathroom with their friends.
37:31Good.
37:32I am so pleased.
37:34I'm hoping that you're going to write a nice review for me.
37:36Oh, definitely.
37:37Yeah?
37:37Sure.
37:38Thank you so much.
37:40I hope you have a lovely day.
37:45Morning.
37:46Good morning.
37:47Hello, twin.
37:48Hi, Terry, twin.
37:51How did it go last night?
37:53Yeah, no, it went very well, didn't it?
37:54Yeah, no, it was good.
37:55It's actually a nicer atmosphere when you've got a group,
37:57they're all chatting,
37:58it just seems so much more relaxed.
38:00Good.
38:00So that's just another string to your bow.
38:03Tracy and Colin need to realise
38:05that there's not one big fix to turning a profit here.
38:09With 11 rooms to fill year round,
38:11they must keep pushing for business at every turn.
38:16And before I say goodbye,
38:17I've got one final rabbit to pull out of the hat
38:20to target the stubbornly empty low-season mid-week rooms.
38:25Margate has got a lot of stuff happening.
38:27The winter gardens and the theatre are all being redeveloped.
38:31There's masses of building work
38:33and builders are taken from all over the country
38:36and they stay somewhere Monday till Friday.
38:38So I'm going to go health leather for the contractor market.
38:44I have bought a company, Roost,
38:46that helps book rooms for construction workers
38:49come down and talk to you.
38:51I want you to show them round, show off your wares,
38:54because I am sure that they could transform your fortunes.
38:57Bring it on.
38:59Luke and Ken, this is Colin and Tracy.
39:03Hiya, nice to meet you.
39:04All right, if you'd like to follow me.
39:06All right, so this is one of our twins.
39:11I really hope this goes well,
39:13because I do think it might be the answer
39:14to a lot of Tracy and Colin's problems.
39:17Love the decor in this room, though, really nice.
39:19It's a bit of quirky fun.
39:20No, it's a nice touch.
39:21I hope Ken and Luke like what they see.
39:23This is one of our family rooms, a nice sea view.
39:26Fantastic, lovely space.
39:27So, how did that go?
39:31Really, really well.
39:32I think they've done really well
39:33with the facilities I've got here.
39:34Oh, good, I'm so pleased.
39:35Really nice place to stay.
39:36There's a lot of work happening in Margate,
39:39isn't there, over the next couple of years?
39:41Yes, we've identified at least a dozen
39:43large construction and infrastructure projects,
39:46which are all going to require people
39:47working away from home.
39:48So there's great potential.
39:49Sounds great for us.
39:51Can you give us an idea of the kind of pricing
39:56that we should pitch at?
39:58From £40 a night for the room,
40:00and the dead of winter,
40:01sort of three, four months at a time,
40:02coming sort of Monday to Friday.
40:04Ooh, lovely.
40:07This is great news.
40:09There's definitely a midweek market
40:11for their rooms in the construction industry.
40:14Thank you so much.
40:15Lovely to meet you.
40:16You too.
40:17Now we need to crunch the numbers.
40:19Luke suggested that we look at pricing the rooms
40:22from £40 a night.
40:25At that price, they could cover
40:26their £3,000 a month rent,
40:28but not their costs.
40:30So we'd need to charge a bit more on top.
40:33So, shall we say £55 a night?
40:37And shall we say five rooms?
40:3955 times five is 275.
40:43Times four nights is £1,100.
40:49Times four weeks is £4,400.
40:52And to bring that sort of money in over the winter months,
40:57it would be...
40:57I mean, amazing.
40:59Yeah.
40:59I think it could be transformational.
41:02Now we've met Ken and Luke, it's fantastic, you know,
41:06so hopefully we can get on that straight away,
41:08start filling some rooms.
41:09Tracey and Colin's run of bad luck made me even more determined
41:14to throw everything possible at filling rooms here.
41:18And through their tenacity and enthusiasm,
41:20we've accomplished more than I imagined possible.
41:23You know, we've got through a lot in quite a short space of time.
41:26I really think between the contractors, e-group bookings,
41:30the price changes, a better website, direct bookings,
41:34you'll see the difference,
41:35and it will make you feel like you're in calmer waters.
41:39Hope so.
41:40Yes.
41:41Might be able to sleep.
41:42Yes.
41:43All we're asking is to keep this place afloat.
41:47We've put so much love into this place,
41:50we don't want to walk away,
41:52and hopefully we won't have to now.
41:54So, good luck for the season,
41:56and I look forward to our next encounter.
41:59It's not going to be plain sailing,
42:01because nothing is in life,
42:02but I've hopefully made them realise
42:05that they can't just stand still.
42:06They have to keep on pushing,
42:08and I hope that's going to stand them in good stead.
42:13Hi, we thought we'd give you a little update.
42:20We've had a group book in.
42:21We managed to cater for all of their needs, didn't we?
42:23We did.
42:23And they seemed very happy when they left.
42:25We had a positive meeting with Luke from Roos.
42:29Hopefully that will start to bring in some contractors in the week.
42:34So we just wanted to say a big thank you from the pair of us.
42:37We're really, really grateful for everything Alex has done for us.
42:41So, onwards and upwards.
42:43We'll definitely be happy to see you next time.
42:44We'll see you next time.
42:48Take care.
42:48Bye-bye.
42:49Bye-bye.
42:50Bye.
42:59Bye.
43:01Bye-bye.
43:02Bye.
43:02Bye-bye.
43:09Bye-bye.
43:11Bye-bye.
43:11Bye.
43:12You
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