Hotel Inspector, Ruth Watson (S3E8) - Woodlands Lodge Hotel, New Forest

This week the

hotel

inspector

goes crazy in the field. Do I want a pair of peach-colored hot tubs? I don't think it's a unique selling point. I think it's a unique selling point. It would be like waking up in a grassy border. I could not. I don't work with you, you are very friendly, I sometimes end up feeling quite depressed when I leave here, in the south of England, deep in the heart of the New Forest, lies Woodlands Lodge, a 16-bedroom country house, first-time

hotel

iers , David and Jenny Norbury bought the place 10 years ago Jenny had always been interested in hospitality and catering and I think I promised her that one day, when I was rich for years, they would change the hotel from its rural location because of its reputation for good food and its country house charm, but the restaurant has recently lost its coveted rosette and the hotel's elegance is beginning to modernize.

Hotels of Forest caliber should aim for a turnover of around £800,000, but it falls considerably short. Our total turnover exceeds 500,000. make a little profit, but not much to add to your problems within six months, the

woodlands

lodge

hotel will have a new illustrious neighbor entering its hitherto undisputed territory, the new kid on the block is the terravina hotel, it is The brainchild of gerard bassett, co-founder of the hotel duvan group, it is his first venture since selling his share of the award-winning chain and, with a £2.5m investment, the arrival of the new hotel is a terrifying prospect for

woodlands

, as painfully felt by hotel manager John Aware that we have to act very, very quickly, in fact, with a budget of 1.4 million to spend on renovations alone, Terravina could well eclipse its older and more dilapidated rival, this It's an important time when we have to pull up our socks and make sure things are fixed.

The look of the woods has barely changed in the quarter century. The interior decor is dominated by lots of wallpaper and hot tubs to top it all off. from the elegance of a country house 20 years ago each bedroom has a completely individual wallpaper on each wall and ceiling I think you love it or hate it to some extent, but clients who hate it are unlikely to return with a risky strategy for a hotel with a stylish new rival on its doorstep, so they've enlisted the help of hotel authority Ruth Watson with the woods. facing a fight for survival they expect her to formulate her battle plan i will laugh a little at your sign i love it don't feed the sheep that's the only hotel i've been to that has that on its receiver us having two sheep outside, one called minty and another called rambo woodlands

lodge

is run by a committee of three owners, jenny and david, and hotel manager john

ruth

sits the trio down in the hotel lounge to find out more about the business, so david and Jenny have been here for 10 years, that's right, we arrived for the first time on August day, the ponies were in the paddock and the gardens were in full bloom and you fell in love with them, didn't you?

I loved it from the first day. I mean, my first impression is that the decor is very cool. and very well maintained but quite dated in style. I thought the hallway was too traditional to put it kindly when I walked in here. I think this is horrible. We all agree that you're not telling us anything new, although it's kind of old. women's underwear or something, I mean something I've hated since the day we moved in. We still have a few more rooms to fix. I would be very disappointed in many of our bathrooms if I walked in.

Do you have a budget for investment? In repairs and renovations, something like this is a pretty big deal because we have pretty well-equipped bathrooms with spa bars and showers, so it's going to be a pretty substantial investment. The bathroom renovation may be a bone of contention, but Ruth is eager to hear more about her recent problems at the restaurant. Now the bad news was that the restaurant lost its rosette on the last guy, right? What is the loss of the rosette attributed to? I think the criticism that was leveled at us was that the flavors were too complex when you last ate at the restaurant it never happened are you kidding me because I'm usually working that's terrible you really can't run a restaurant without knowing something about how it tastes then

ruth

will have dinner You have to evaluate the food for yourself, but first it's time to check your room for the night.

One of Woodland's strengths is that her dog is a welcome policy and Ruth has brought her two wire-haired fox terriers along for the ride. She is very enthusiastic. annie, oh sorry, she was much better behaved, jack keith stood aside as part of his investigation, ruth and her two dogs will try a room on the road, oh what a lot of space, the hotel manager, john , has put her in one of its two luxury suites with a price of 206. Pounds a high rate but comparable with other new hotels in the

forest

. It's all very clean and well maintained and you can't complain about any of that, but it is terribly dated.

There's really nothing inherently vile about the decor, but I want a little sheesh. a little elegance a little luxury I don't think this offers it well the first thing that catches your attention is the decoration, this rather vile hotel furniture that wasn't very nice 20 years ago when it was first delivered to this room, what? You know? If I were 80 and living in a residential house in the back room of the sea, I would probably think this was the height of glamour, but I'm not and I don't want it. I want a pale peach hot tub. Is this anyone? meant to be the pinnacle of romance for newlyweds on honeymoon, I don't think so, obviously Ruth is not impressed 25 years ago, woods may have been the height of sophistication, but now they have fallen behind with a lot of work ahead, can Ruth?

To take Woodlands out of the Middle Ages, she feels like a boring and traditional hotel restaurant, this is the Woodlands Lodge, a secluded hotel deep in the new

forest

. Woodlands has been in its own cozy bubble for 10 years, but now the bubble has burst. A young rival has appeared at the door and the woods have lost a valuable prize for good food. Obviously there will be more competition and I want to make sure we get our fair share, but help is available. Ruth has already explored hers. The room is terribly dated, really the decor is now looking forward to the rest of the hotel.

I'm sure she'll find some things, but yeah, that's why we brought her here. This shower is in the hallway we want. Find the things we overlook What are they doing? Why would you put a shower in the hallway next to the bedroom? A standard double room on the top floor priced at £130. Do you think this is what Dante had in mind when he talked about the seventh circle of hell it would be like waking up in a herbaceous edge this is a flower too many rooms in the forests are terribly old-fashioned it's time to evaluate the hotel restaurant the cornerstone The business it recently lost is a rosette for this struggling country hotel which has an award-winning restaurant will be vital, the praise will attract new business and a healthy restaurant could make all the difference when bookings are low.

I would be nervous if I didn't have a rosette and I would hate it if people didn't associate us as part of their push towards regaining the vital rosette the management team has hired a new chef stuart has only been in woodlands for the last few weeks but the hotel manager John is convinced that he is the right man for the job of chef you know, I'm sure I have a very good chef um, she is producing very good food and I hope Ruth is impressed. I will be bitterly disappointed if she is not well. It's like any traditional dining room you've seen in any English provincial hotel.

Anywhere in the world that hasn't been decorated in the last 25 years, tonight Stewart will cook for Ruth and John, who will dine in their own restaurant for the first time in the kitchen. Chef Stewart awaits the most important order, but before he gives it he examines the food. Ruth is not happy with the menus. When was the last time you thought about changing these folders we brought in two years ago? That makes me feel a little miserable. It feels very much like a boring, traditional hotel restaurant with the order in Stuart. Prove to Ruth that he is the right man to recover the lost rosette, but food is not the only important factor.

There is also the atmosphere of the restaurant. What happens when you have customers sitting here? Because that would drive me crazy. and then a romantic dinner with that it's like someone removing duct tape from something yes, on the other side of the noisy kitchen door the pressure is from not having had time to make its mark stewart is cooking meals from the existing menu of the hotel gallina of guinea for ruth and lam for john accompanied by fresh vegetables thank you very much thank you the restaurant seats 30 thank you very much in the past it has been a successful part of the business but recently bookings have fallen and tonight the restaurant is almost empty red cabbage I'm telling you here now, I hate it, okay, it's a pleasant surprise.

The guinea fowl is a little dry, which is always the problem with guinea fowl because it doesn't have a great effect and this could be a little more juicy sweet sauces in particular. Great work for Guinea's father An award-winning food writer, chef and restaurateur Ruth has a good idea of ​​what the rosette

inspector

s are looking for, but will she think Chef Stewart is on the right path? I think it's a bit clumsy in presentation. I think there is something. good flavours, but I think it probably needs to be refined a little too homey if you're not right, yes, very gently the next morning and Ruth wakes up with her dogs after a night's sleep.

There are a number of shortcomings in this room the bathroom is a complete mess I don't know how lively you have to be to want to descend into the jacuzzi um but I think it's quite dangerous the floor gets very very slippery and very wet but the real highlight is that when you turn on the shower, both the overhead shower and the hand shower turn on at the same time, which makes it a very interesting experience. It's time for Ruth to reveal her findings to David and John, with Jenny drawing attention in her absence. Ruth sits the two men down in the restaurant and to begin with she is gently introducing them if we start with the best thing about this, it is without a doubt the building and its location itself.

I mean, it's a wonderful place and that's a big plus, but there's always that butt that's been waiting for the button. I've had a good look around, I think I've seen practically every room. Now I obviously slept in one. There were too many shortcomings in the room, especially the fact that the decor is very dated. People come with expectations. Don't think you are delivering the product. You know you're so far behind on this. You know, walking through those rooms, I felt like I was planned in a time warp. You know yes, Ruth may be worried about the decor. bedrooms but it is the bathrooms that worry her the most and she is not alone.

I heard before from Jenny that she hates the bathroom. She would love to do something about it. I think we are very conscious of bathrooms. One of the things is that it is capital. However, doing that, as David will tell you, is very expensive to fix. Well, I think the one I was in is very expensive because you have a big hole in the ground, but I can impress you greatly. I really found it impossible to use that bathroom. I would say that within two or three years all the arthritic rooms should be fixed. Would you recommend keeping hot tubs?

No, I wouldn't do it at all. I don't think you don't think that's a unique selling point for this hotel though, I think it's a unique losing point. Yes, updating every room and bathroom in the hotel is a daunting prospect, but Ruth wants to focus on one room at a time with the impending completion of the new hotel next door. Vital Woodlands is not far behind. You have this competition ahead of you. I can't think it won't be cutting edge in every way, from restaurants to bathrooms to bedrooms. This is another reason why I would like you to participate.

Get started as quickly as possible so we have a room you can show people. This is what it will look like. That's how we're going with this hotel. So what room do you propose? It would be very sensible to start with the room. 1. ruth also believes that woodlands needs to get its rosette back if it doesn't want to get lost in the woods. Terravina will no doubt offer vibrant avant-garde cuisine and without a rosette Woodlands could well be overshadowed because there is a huge weight of responsibility on new chef Stewart's shoulders so you have taken on the role of headshot.

Yes, yes, I got into a situation, but yes, I took it on and I hope to grab it by the walls and pull. go ahead and see what we can do, yeah that's what I'm here for so yeah now one of the biggest sad things I would say for David, Jenny and Johnwas that they lost the air rosette, yes, how much does that cost on your I care to get it back, yes, it is largely on the full frame. I believe this is what I am here to achieve. I think it can be easily achieved with the addition of a new spring menu.

We have skills. We have the energy. We have the enthusiasm that we want to do it, yes, it would be very easy to get on the roads, I think within six months, so Ruth left Stewart to create an exciting new menu that will please customers and impress everyone. inspector enough to recover the lost rosette, which in turn will create interest in the hotel and increase turnover, giving them enough profits to modernize the rooms Ruth wants to free Room 1 of its claustrophobic floral patterns and give it a fresh, updated look in ruth bathroom wants to banish the dingy hot tubs and introduce a more modern, sleek feel to the room which can then act as a template for renovating the rest of the hotel, but if Woodlands is ever going to compete with its goliath neighbor, Ruth will have to change the management style of the hotel, as well as its decoration, where I find that the enigma is in the three principles that we have, John, who never says a word out of line politically correct party we have David who is quite taciturn and we have jenny who obviously wants to say things but doesn't talk much about it who is responsible for where we are now and who is actually going to do it take up the cudgels and improve things it is a very interesting situation ruth has left the forestry administration with a lot of work to do his first task for jenny and david is to design a questionnaire for the guests who he wants to canvass opinions on the controversial topic of whirlpool baths, ruth and jenny consider them obsolete, david and john think they are one of the usps of the hotel.

It has always been a unique point that we can say that each room has a bubble bath and a separate shower cabin that I would rather have. a beautiful bathroom without facilities the future of whirlpool baths now depends on the customers chef stewart heads to an award-winning restaurant near pebble beach has a rosette and ruth is eager for stewart to absorb the flavors and feel of a modern kitchen to Return to Woodlands. I've taken a look at the menu. The menu is bigger than what we are doing at Woodlands Lodge. It's fresh air. Looks great. Ruth wants him to learn from Pierre Cheville, a former head chef at the world-famous Chewton Glenn. hotel where she earned a Michelin star to make the Woodlands restaurant a success.

Ruth thinks Stewart needs to simplify the menu. Improve presentation and cook according to your strengths. Ruth hopes some of Pierre's rosette-winning knowledge rubs off on Stewart and helps Woodlands regain its value. it fills everything we do, yeah we keep it simple, okay that's good, chat about the menus, chat about the food, it's working really fantastic, I hope to see the presentation, I hope I'm learning, I hope there are things here. I'll take out the Woodlands Lodge and Rocky in the back, look. so everything is good, everything is good so far you are getting tips from chef pierre on what makes a good menu oh thank you very much, what do you think? very simple, very elegant, charming, it's a really good fish, yes, it's very enthusiastic and I think. he wants to create his you see, he owns many drone dishes, I think he has chosen a few, take away the title and then some ideas in Woodlands.

Ruth has assigned Jenny and David another task. She has ordered them to spend the night in all 16 rooms of the hotel to see them from a guest's point of view. Well, Ruth wanted us to try a room. This is the first one when I entered. It was beautifully clean as expected and I loved it until I woke up in the morning. You lie down in bed, open your eyes, I don't know what to say, but it's not nice having spent a night in three different rooms so far. Jenny seems to be on the same wavelength as Ruth, but David sings a completely different tune. something different you wouldn't have at home but you're here for a few days and most people can handle it.

A luxury stay that turns into an endurance test may not be the best idea. David is attached to the hotel's floral interiors, but Jenny. He seems determined to move forward. Ideally, I would like to make a whole room so that everything flows and looks good, so I will try to persuade the men and that is the right thing to do. I'll probably win the fight. In fact, I'll win when we have the money. We can borrow it. The final say on the Woodlands renovation appears to fall to David Ruth. He worries that the men are hindering progress, so he returned to the hotel to talk to Jenny.

Woman to woman, he wants to get to the bottom of Woodlands democracy. In the past, I mean, when you've tried to do things, how much has it been a budget constraint that's held you back? and how much it has been to work with two colleagues. Normally I could do what I like more or less with a decor, but it's when As for furniture, um, TVs, furniture, that kind of thing that I struggle with, yeah, well, why do you think there's nothing What's wrong with what you have? Some still have a lot of life in them, but oh, that's a horrible expression.

I can completely understand why John and David. I would say there is life in that old piece of furniture. The problem is that they are completely ignoring their aesthetics. Yeah, so I can never get a really new look. I have to decorate with what we have. Is it fair? However, on this front you feel like you're banging your head against a wall from time to time yeah, nothing more, yeah, no, that's good because David and I are usually in unison, so yeah, that's good because I hate political correctness and I'll tell you that. here now I couldn't work for John in any way because he is too helpful.

I need more leverage and Ruth isn't the only one who has problems with John. There is a bigger problem when working on the horizon. The changes seem to be very It is true that it is eroding our ambition. The 16-bedroom Woodlands Lodge hotel is in trouble. Every aspect of the hotel is tired and dated, from the interior design of the rooms and bathrooms to the management style, but it now faces a tough test. A new hotel with great quality. The pedigree is about to destroy the serenity of the forest. We do not want to be considered an inferior neighbor.

I guess we want to at least match them in their desperation. Woodlands owners Jenny and David Norbury have turned to hospitality expert Ruth Watson. This is what Dante had in mind when he spoke about the seventh circle of hell. Her plan is to drastically update the hotel's decor and improve the restaurant's reputation. Chef Stewart has been trying to design a new menu to move the restaurant forward and ultimately make up for what was lost. rosette, any idea we put forward, it's debated against debate, it's rejected and then we have to rethink and everything, so it's almost very good, but in other ways it's eroding our ambition to a certain extent, it's just the pace of change here seems to be very slow, dumb boy, there's clearly some frustration boiling in the kitchen, but Stewart has to concentrate on cooking.

A few weeks ago, Ruth sent him to visit chef Pierre Cheville's kitchen. Today she returns the favor. Pierre has come. Try some of Stuart's new dishes and evaluate the menu he revised when he came to your kitchen. What did you feel like he was really listening and learning to sing? He's yeah, I mean, I think he has the ability, yeah, you know how to do it. being able to create, yes, and we need to see and taste, yes, we do and I'm a little nervous about eating my food, obviously, because he's worked in one of the best hotels in the world, June Glenn, so it's stressful. but I'm sure he'll appreciate the flavors this morning.

Stewart has been working on two starters on the new menu, a leek patch with gazpacho sauce and smoked duck noodles, but has he listened to Ruth and Pierre's advice to preserve things? simple here we go guys that's smoked brisket and torino release with sword gazpacho okay so I'm going to remove the reverse freshness yeah it comes to mind this looked very fresh if it was going to be. really great, I would say it looks like the cat is sick, it doesn't appeal to me very much, I don't like it very much, I don't care for the taste, in fact the first dish has received a mixed reaction.

Will Stewart's second. try to do better, this is the smoked duck breast and then the noodles, which I have to say, they look a little overcooked, but I could be wrong, I'm not wrong, okay, I mean it looked very pretty on the plate, dishes, you know, less noodles. cooked duck cut thinner and increasingly smoky yes, despite ruth and pierre's advice to keep it simple the dishes are too complicated and don't hit the right note the new menu designed by the committee has fallen short Stuart leaves the kitchen to hear your verdict Stuart I think you are on the right track I understand you have some problems we can help you with I know exactly where I need to go Is exactly where you would go if you were in my position Yes I can offer customers the menu I want in the restaurant .

I think we can improve it three times. I really do, but I'm being suffocated in the kitchen and we can't be as creative as you. we want to be and make the food we know we can make and the rewards we can achieve with it. Stewart's dealings with the Woodlands administration have left him frustrated and concerned that he is not receiving the support he needs. Ruth calls a meeting with John Jenny and David. Now we. We all know Stuart wants to change the menu and John specifically feels like you're holding him back and it really bothers me if I already feel like you know we're not working in unison here so I think maybe this guy, you know? heart in the right place trying hard needs a little more support from adults we realize that and we're trying to help there yeah well you know at the end of the day we wanted to get the rosette back.

I'll be perfectly honest, that's how it would be. I haven't regained the strength from the food I just ate today, but that's not the end of it. He's still there, he's still trying really hard, but I think we need to temper some of the enthusiasm and say you don't need the fireworks. and he needs to understand that the fireworks come when you're really on top. Ruth had also asked John and David to gather customer feedback on the hot tubs. Did you have the opportunity to take the questionnaire? We did a survey about bathrooms. Which? I asked people their opinions and yeah, you approved of it didn't you, they didn't care about hot tubs, they didn't care about hot tubs, okay and I'm mortified, that was my unique selling point.

You could correct slightly that there is a fairly wide variety of opinions, I think. Fairer to say, the male contingent is reluctant to give up spa baths, but the customer survey has swung the pendulum in favor of Ruth and Jenny. An interior designer is already working on redesigning room one and Ruth wants to make sure David and John don't obstruct progress. What I hope to achieve is a great design that everyone likes and that gives Jenny a model for the way forward, but I want them to trust her to be able to do it and not to hold her up and say look, you can do this but You can't do that because it's actually okay because this all comes down to budgets at the end of the day, right?

We're cautious, aren't we? You see, this is what bothers me, I told Jenny, I'll tell you absolutely honest, John, I couldn't work with you, I like the jagged edge kind of thing, I like to be a little more dangerous, you know, and I wouldn't do it. . be a good association and I think part of the problem here is that they are so nice that they have to stick their head above the parapet, be prepared to have it blown from time to time, you know, a little more affirmation. We are not assertive people, but we will try a few days later.

Ruth's team has moved in to begin renovations on room one. The walls and ceiling have been stripped of dark green floral wallpaper and the worn bathroom has been gutted. The designer's new look should give the room a lighter, more delicate feel - Ruth had asked that Jenny be given more autonomy in remodeling and redecorating the rooms - but at reception the men seem to have taken control. We've had these, this collage, less colorful, I think it is. probably the way to say it they seem reluctant to adopt more subtle tones and patterns, they are drawn to the darker, heavier pattern, symptomatic of their obsession with oppressive wallpapers.

It's quite nice and the way it reflects light is quite good too, depending on how you capture it. Yes, and since they are going to paint the seedlings so that they are white ceilings, no. John and David are struggling to let go of the past and adapt to the transformation. We have spoken with several people. The initial reaction of the older people are proposals, so let's say something at first, it was just the shock of seeing something totallydifferent, but now we have resigned ourselves. One step forward and two steps back. It's only been a few weeks since Ruth tried the new menu at Woodlands. but a disaster happened in the kitchen, we lost our chef Stewart, he had a lot of problems at home and unfortunately decided to leave us, it was a day of disappointment, confusion, upset, really John had to get his hands dirty cutting, we are very a very small team at the hotel, losing any member of staff affects everyone, so that has really affected our ambitions now that we have managed to promote our sous chef, who has been with us for two and a half years and is now really good. very excited chef um, it's his first position as head chef and I think he's going to do a good job.

Stuart's departure is not only a sad day for the staff, it is also a blow to Woodland's rosette ambitions - indeed, the race to regain the lost rosette has moved on. to a premature stop and with it the basis of Ruth's plan to change her luck, it was obviously disappointing that this setback occurred in terms of trying to obtain the rosettes, it will probably delay obtaining the rosette. I guess Ruth will be back today to see the progress. her in room one, but she barely set foot inside when John tells her about Stewart's departure, Ruth, how are you?

Stuart is no longer with us. A family crisis and he had to leave us in a hurry, but yeah. It was a shock for all of us because there are a lot of problems, you can imagine, on the positive side, now we have been able to promote Nick, who was our sous chef. Do you have reason to believe he can do this job? I think he can. um I have no doubt that he will be a very good chef in the coming years, but in the short term it doesn't seem like we're looking to regain a rosette, it seems like a longer path, I think it's going to be The path is going to be longer, we have to be Realistically, the search for the rosette has stalled and without it the hotel will struggle to compete with Terravina's contemporary restaurant with plan A now redundant, Woodlands desperately needs plan B, the renovation of the room we have now. have taken on greater importance the dominant floral patterns are no longer in place a modern and elegant room that still fits its country house setting with white walls and ceiling feels lighter and larger the elegant wallpaper has been confined to a wall where it acts as a feature rather than overwhelming the room and the bathroom has also been updated with a contemporary freestanding bathtub, but Ruth will approve the rejuvenation accompanied by Jenny, she will take a look at the end result, my goodness, this is so much more beautiful, it's difficult.

Imagining where all those flowers that were everywhere went has given you the confidence to remove all the wallpaper from the ceiling. Absolutely everyone is going to leave now. What this shows is that this entire hotel can look incredibly elegant, very modern. You're already planning the other room. You are from the same book it came from. I think it's really that elegant. So what about the bathroom? I love the bathtub. I love the bathtub. The toilets. All. A fabulous shower. Good size. form and function, as far as I'm concerned, overall Jenny seems happy with the revival of room one and the introduction of a more modern look, but Ruth has always felt that men are more resistant to change, so is interested in finding out what David thinks of the finished product, your beautiful new room, yes, and that beautiful bathroom, I mean, I think the bathroom is a joy, a little problem with the marketing and that now we have a room that is not a hot tub, so we can't say it all. our rooms have work too so it complicates things a little if I told you that I feel like this hotel was a bit locked into the 80's in terms of style and habitat and the way it's marketed, yes what you're saying.

Wouldn't you disagree? I think there are elements of this, I mean, yeah, in terms of the style, they're so down to earth, you've had his speeches, they're down to earth, man. Now this is what I mean, the ones you have to move on because you're just going to become more and more outdated and less and less attractive. You know it doesn't have to be wildly fashionable, but it has to feel like you know that yes, you're in the moment instead of being cocky. 25 years ago, yes, we will work on it with the new room meeting with collective approval.

Woodlands now has a plan for the battle against terravina, but it does not appear to have prompted the management team to act. I don't know if I'm being unfair about this, but I'd love to see some fire in the belly. Do I have David, Jenny oh John? I mean, I don't care who, but it's all so mitigated by some kind of sensible decision. Where's the enthusiasm here? Where is the desire to change? the desire to do things with more imagination with more I don't know just with courage it seems quite life breaking frustrated ruth is taking the bull by the horns following the old saying that you keep your friends close but your enemies closer she wants woodlands to build a relationship with the terravina and create a spirit of cooperation rather than competition.

Her plan is to persuade the Teravena to send their surplus business to the forests, but will they want to cooperate? What I hope, of course, is that it will be so full downstairs and so full in the rooms that you will be able to give some of your excess business to the woods and Ruth will finally manage to ignite some passion in the woods 3. I will be really Frank, to Sometimes I end up feeling pretty depressed when I leave here for the last four months. Ruth Watson has been trying to revitalize Woodlands Lodge, a country house hotel that she has seen better days.

Her future is threatened by the opening of a new multimillion-dollar hotel. hotel around the corner ruth's plan is to turn their relationship into an opportunity instead of a threat the terravina is owned by gerard and nina bassett ruth has stayed with them at the new hotel while it undergoes its million dollar renovation of pounds gerard and nina take her upstairs to show her their plans for a luxury double room, fantastic lights and these windows, and this one is special because we have a big clawfoot bathtub in front of the window, very pretty, I think it's just wonderful and I'll be very interested to know what you think of the new dorm we've built next door in the Woodlands and what I hope, of course, is that you'll be so full downstairs and so full in the dorms that you can give a little of your excess business to the woods. .

It helps that we have a hotel so close that we can put people up if we need to. With a total of just 11 rooms in Teravina Woodlands, it's perfectly placed to pick up any overflows, but if Gerard and Nina are going to recommend Woodlands to their guests, they'll have to like what they see. Ruth plans to accompany them to Woodlands Lodge to catch up with John Jenny and David. Hey David, hello John, I think you met and then. show them the newly renovated room, so come here, yes, you'll have already seen what it looked like. I used to have wallpaper all over the ceiling and on the beams so it would have made the room feel very small, very impressive, very dark, this is lovely. with all the beams, would you like to absolutely recommend this?

Yeah, you wouldn't feel like you're sending them somewhere where you're not bad. No, no, I think so. No. Gerard and Nina seem impressed with room one if both hotels. You can collaborate rather than compete, you could put this corner of the new forest on the map together, of course we are lovely, I know you would appreciate it if Woodlands could continue with a refurbishment program and regain the lost rosette for the restaurant, so that's it . a chance to rise alongside her rival, but for that to happen, Ruth feels the Woodlands administration desperately needs to move forward.

An approved overflow room is not going to save the business. The good news is that they were really delighted with the room. They thought it looked really modern, clean, fresh, nice and bright, so I think that's good, you know, we've established that there can be positive cooperation between these two establishments having addressed the good news, it's time for Ruth . To really tell it like it is, I'm not very frank. Sometimes I end up feeling pretty depressed when I leave here. I get bored here and it's because everything is so organized and so reasonable and rational and everything is in his basement.

Oh, you have done it. I haven't seen each other like usual, I see some fire and I want to see something, and you know, this is, I feel like I had to get it out of there. You know, Jenny probably gave me more in the end than any of you, John. You're very obedient and you say the right things and you do everything, so that's your stance, you know, David Shy, you know it's you, you don't want to be dragged along, Jenny, you know, I feel like you're the person who's really come. He's moved on and claimed that it's more his own than before and I think part of it is because we're all tired and jaded and you know, and this has actually given us all more energy, well, I really hope. that's right and I think you all need to be much more positive about this building, you know, talk more about it, shout more about it if necessary, the future is still uncertain for the forests and only time will tell if the hotel can prosper, but ruth hopes her strong words inspire much-needed passion and confidence in jenny john and david.

I think two hotels close together can work in partnership. Hopefully, yes, we can get to know each other even better and work well together. I think that will put forests. on the map has been a useful experience because it has made us look at absolutely every aspect, yes, and it has been useful for men to know that spending money on rooms is really important, well, it is a bottom line deal, I hope things go very, very well because she is my type of woman, she has children, thank you for a long time. In fact, I wanted to set fire to the forests, not to raise them to the ground because it is a very beautiful building, but because I wanted to see some spark in the place.

Well today, for the first time, I've seen the warm, glowing embers and if only John, David and Jenny could stoke that fire, I think this place can be so successful because it's in a lovely location and I know they really care.