Ok – it was a short week – but i did learn a lot last week!  The discipline of producing a tweet a day – especially when on holidays – is enlightening, frightening and creates great creativity!  You can do some auto production stuff on Twitter, but I have decided to produce the thing at 08:15 every day (see last blog for more explanation, if needed.)

(If you want to follow me at 08:15 every day this year (eeek!) I am on Twitter as @canmencook )

Last week was just a bit eclectic. I had decided to just go for it – and for those who saw – there were lots more than 5 tweets (felt the need to start big on 1st Jan!).

If you didn’t catch them – here’s the themes!

• I can still cook without GnT (dry January)
• You can operate on a Goldfish (who knew?)
• Rik Mayal tribute on BBC 2 was sobering – he was younger than me, and was an anarchic genius)
• Starting to follow someone new on twitter is great – e.g. try @herdyshepherd1 –
• It was scary even thinking about the 364 days ahead…

The biggest learning though was being away for New Year at Carlyon Bay Hotel .  It was hard to fault it and provided a lot of food for thought (as well as a lot of food…7 course new Years dinner made breakfast quite difficult…)

(That’s the view from the roof – and the way our windows faced too!)

Why was it good?

1. There were a lot of attentive, smiling, involved staff (Following Richard Branson’s Virgin model – if you have enough of the right people then the service will be better)
2. The whole thing was orchestrated and organised.  Pre- and post dinner for cabaret band?  You had an allocated seat, so no ‘towels over sun lounger’ type situations
3. If anything went wrong it was sorted. New person doing things slowly? Two management supervisors sidle in silently and smooth things over – almost impossible to notice.  Same new person got an order incorrect?  Meal taken away and correct one arrived within 45 seconds.  Just amazing.

I’m sure the essence of Hotel success is just this.  Getting the right people, training them well, supervising well, having a hands on style, and only employing like minded people who ‘get it’.  They all were courteous, smiley, enjoyed banter between themselves, worked hard and just looked like they enjoyed it with you.  Most hotel stays are pretty OK or good.

This was excellent.  The setting helps – but the people made it.