A rescue mission originally thought of as lasting for a year or two turned into a 35 year lifetime love affair with a beautiful old building. There were to be battles royal with neighbours not wanting their status quo to be altered, and with the local fire authority who sought to impose draconian new safety measures. John Searancke came to the role of hotelkeeper almost accidentally, and most … came to the role of hotelkeeper almost accidentally, and most definitely with much reluctance. After his parents’ marriage fell apart, he was dragooned in, at the age of 22, to pick up the pieces of their new venture, a barely-trading country house hotel that had, frankly, seen better days. Not only was it posting an annual loss, but the fabric of the building was crumbling and there was no money left to make improvements.
Over the years, and with the steepest of learning curves, the grand old building was renovated and transformed to meet the requirements of the modern discerning traveller. Accolades for the hotel and its restaurant were won; together they became a well-regarded destination for a number of celebrities – and those that deemed themselves to be celebrities but were not. Stories abound featuring idiosyncratic guests, overbearing public bodies, fractured family life and animals of all shapes and sizes. The local fire station next door was demolished one foggy night, people were frightened by flying dogs and snakes in the long grass, and there were, as befits a country house, strange goings on in the night. Many were the guests who checked in who really should not have been seen together.
This is a tribute to all the people behind the scenes who helped to make the hard-won transformation into a great success.
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John Searancke inherits a run down hotel that is struggling financially. Thus begins a 35 year journey full of hard work and challenges from clients, staff, hotel inspectors…
He writes with great humour and there are many laugh out loud moments throughout the book. Indeed, I was astounded at some of the antics of his guests.
Happily, the author transforms his inheritance into a fine award winning business, and deservedly reaps the financial rewards.
The Reluctant Housekeeping was a delightful memoir of a man who had a big, beautiful but outdated Victorian hotel thrust upon him. In typical British fashion, he did his duty and spent the next 30+ years refurbishing and running the lovely hotel. We were introduced to a variety of guests, employees, and local residents with charming writing, witty stories, and some laugh out loud moments. A most enjoyable read.
Both the title and cover of this book already had a smile on my face before I opened its pages. I had thoughts of the hectic Basil Fawlty running up and down stairs chasing guests. I was not disappointed. Although this memoir paints a different picture about an English country hotel at its best and run in typical English style, the owner still doesn’t suffer fools easily and, with old-fashioned English manners and discipline, captains a happy ship. It is a revealing story, actually, not just about odd, disgruntled guests and crafty kitchen staff, but also about the author himself. Only an English gentleman can get himself into such a delightful twist with a guest’s silk negligée or tell a foreign guest to buzz of so pleasantly that the foreigner will look forward to thre trip. A pleasant read.
This was a very fun and informative book about the ups and downs of running a country hotel.
The author originally went to help his parents at age 22. Their marriage was falling apart and their new venture, the hotel had become overwhelming.
He had to learn the business fast in order to keep the place going. This turned from what should have been a two year stint into 35 years ,all for the love of this old building, which he transformed into a very sought after place to stay.
I loved all of the stories he told about the people and pets that stayed there and the many learning curves he had to take, finding the right employees, and anyone else that was needed to run this place. It was fun to hear about the interactions with the people of the village, who would give him a hard time about a lot of things.
This is well worth reading, so much fun, and very well written.
I have read one other book by this author, Dog Days In The Fortunate Islands, which I loved and I have one more of his that I have not read yet.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd for the ARC of this book.
A great memoir about the resurrection of an old hotel and everything that transpires while doing it! What a frustrating, yet fulfilling journey!
Loved it!