Empathy

I was watching a report on News24 about the new Wembley stadium which is months behind schedule and squillions of pounds over budget.

It's not just us then.

Saturday was busy and just about made up for the shortcomings of the previous week. We have two guests tonight and the bar has been busy today too. We have a few bookings for the week ahead and then a busy weekend.

Renovations
The finishing tape is in sight, but doesn't seem to be getting any closer. The function room ceiling was papered and carpets and paint colours have been chosen. The second phase of work starts on the 30th of October which will probably be the same day as the first phase is signed off.

There are some big scary bills heading our way this week. The joiners, who are the main contractors didn't submit an invoice last month, so we have to pay for most of the work that's gone on over the summer. I won't go into details, but suffice to say it's going to cost considerably more than my first flat in Glasgow.

But the scope of work has increased - quite substantially - so that after the second stage of renovations in November we will have the majority of the hotel fully restored, with only the unused rooms on the main stair untouched. We'll have five refurbished ensuite bedrooms, a new function room, residents lounge (with woodstove) a new breakfast room (eventually becoming the dining room) and a small but perfectly formed kitchen.

We'll also have new carpets, new lighting, a substantial part of a new fire alarm system, new plumbing and improved decoration in the public corridors.

Mary Walker who lived here in the past (see here for details) dropped by last week on her way to a holiday. She was last here a year ago and was impressed by how much we'd done. Because we live here and see the progress or lack of it at first hand we tend to get a bit jaded and cynical (not that you could tell from my blog - Oh no!) about the whole thing. But two years ago we had no experience of running any business, none of running a hotel and limited experience of building works. It's nearly the end of our second year here, so it might soon be time to sit down and work out exactly what has happened this year.