Last night, we held our 'neighbours reception' at Well House Manor. There are 8 adjoining properties, another half dozen or so facing us across the road and some others very close by. Our place would probably have been replaced by 23 dwelling units but for their effective campaigns against planning applications, a section of the neighbours form a powerful lobby that we really want to have on our 'side'. I'm delighted to report that the most concerned of their questions related to how long we intent to be here - they were checking that our business isn't just a short stay of execution.

As soon as you see the hotel reception desk, here with Martin (left) and Christine (right) waiting to greet guests, you realise that we're no temporary setup. And whilst we encouraged our guests to wander through the hotel unaccompanied, we *did* catch the odd comment that made it sound as if they were choosing their favourite bedrooms and 'moving in' - and I understand that's a sure sign of approval on viewings.
"When do you open?". "When do you start running courses here?" A couple of questions asked of me last night. Well actually we've been open for over 2 months and our courses have been running here since October. So clearly we're so quiet that we're not even noticed. And that's good news for everyone; we're going to have a happy and busy 2007, and 2008, and ... yes, beyond ... at Well House Manor.
(written 2006-12-20, updated 2008-12-21)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
M400 - Well House Manor - The Hospitality Business [774] Bed and Breakfast, or Hotel? - (2006-06-22)
[884] Drive time - (2006-10-02)
[922] Staying at your own hotel - (2006-11-12)
[988] You should think you're first in a hotel room - (2006-12-15)
[1046] Bounce, bounce, bounce - (2007-01-20)
[1048] Getting rid of people - hotel techniques - (2007-01-21)
[1084] Writing terms and conditions for conferences and other events - (2007-02-17)
[1108] Express service - (2007-03-14)
[1122] Hotel - online feedback forms compared - (2007-03-30)
[1161] A contrast in room rates and facilities - (2007-04-25)
[1180] Conjugation - (2007-05-08)
[1248] How NOT to oversell a hotel - (2007-06-27)
[1284] An update on the West Wilts show ... - (2007-07-30)
[1421] Castle Lodge Hotel, Ely, Cambridgeshire - (2007-11-04)
[1422] Wiltshire - speaker / after dinner talker offer - (2007-11-05)
[1445] Looking after you Christmas Customer Crowds - (2007-11-26)
[1548] Hotelympia - show report - the lighter side - (2008-02-21)
[1622] An extra step - victory from defeat - (2008-04-25)
[1792] All the pieces fall into place - hotel and courses - (2008-09-10)
[1877] Guests doing a bunk? - (2008-11-09)
[2007] Launch of Melksham Food and Drink Festival - (2009-01-24)
[2283] Everyone is in the customer relations business - (2009-07-12)
[2303] Turning potential customers away - (2009-07-24)
[2593] Food and drink launch - (2010-01-21)
[2724] Escapee Grandparents welcome - Henfield and Melksham - (2010-04-15)
[2879] Night Porter and reception - 24 hours a day? - (2010-07-20)
[2936] The service that customers should receive - (2010-08-27)
[3147] Hotel star ratings - towards a better system of review - (2011-01-25)
[3164] Brown - or Mrs Sally Brown, accountant from Whitstable? - (2011-02-10)
[3309] Tipping Policy - Well House Manor - (2011-05-29)
[3660] A Pivotal Incident - learning how to welcome your guests - (2012-03-18)
[3743] Sunday - no longer a day of rest - (2012-05-28)
[3832] A busy day at Well House Manor - so come in and make it even busier! - (2012-08-10)
[3838] Guest review - Well House Manor, Melksham - (2012-08-14)
[3909] Every Customer Counts - (2012-11-01)
[3988] Three cheers for the staff at Well House Manor - (2013-01-24)
[4033] Official Star ratings for hotels - still worth having? - (2013-03-07)
[4051] On reading a new hotel review - (2013-03-24)
[4202] Excellent Railfuture conference, but some setup lessons - (2013-11-03)
[4232] Not wanted here - hotel guests who will not be happy - (2013-12-30)
[4321] Are administration / review charges on hotel guests acceptable? - (2014-11-20)
[4521] Should we get an AA or Visit Wiltshire hotel assessment? - (2015-10-09)
[4543] Saturday morning at Well House Manor - (2015-10-17)
[4603] Happy New Year. Our customers are our ambassadors - (2016-01-01)
[4613] Our best hotel customers help us ... to help them ... be our best customers. - (2016-01-04)
M301 - The Well House Manor team [849] Staff Meeting - (2006-08-30)
[895] Welcome, Martin - (2006-10-16)
[972] Both one team and two - (2006-12-08)
[1065] Graham Ellis - an Introduction - (2007-02-05)
[1083] Behind the scenes - (2007-02-17)
[1324] Well House Manor appoints a General Manager - (2007-08-28)
[1580] Congratulations, Martin and Marta - (2008-03-17)
[1585] Well House Consultants / Manor - Staff - (2008-03-21)
[1805] Carlisle High School - Class of 1973 Reunion - (2008-09-21)
[1839] Job application - (2008-10-13)
[1927] Team changes at Well House - looking forward - (2008-12-06)
[2021] Short health and safety course - (2009-02-02)
[2027] Who sticks by you in the snow? - (2009-02-05)
[2037] The Interview and The Lift - (2009-02-12)
[2924] Job applicants - wondering why they apply - (2010-08-16)
[2938] An opportunity to join our team! - (2010-08-28)
[2946] Level playing fields, job vacancies, lemons and peaches - (2010-09-05)
[2952] Concluding the interview process - (2010-09-10)
[3201] A change to the Well House team - thank you and good luck, Chris - (2011-03-14)
[3312] Are you cheerful, reliable and available on Saturday mornings? - (2011-05-30)
[3425] Our National Autograss Champion, from Melksham - (2011-09-08)
[3871] On getting noticed for the right reasons when you ask about job availability - (2012-09-26)
[4004] Annual Accounts - a big job for a small business - (2013-02-15)
[4227] Happy Christmas from the Well House Manor team - (2013-12-25)
M100 - Introduction to Well House Manor [512] Exciting futures - the Well House Manor project - (2005-11-30)
[571] Well House Manor - (2006-01-21)
[677] Sympathetic development - (2006-04-09)
[756] Seeing the bricks for the trees - (2006-06-11)
[793] The Wilts and Berks Canal - (2006-07-05)
[891] Well House Manor Hotel, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2006-10-10)
[902] Brand new hotel and training centre, Melksham - (2006-10-22)
[940] Winter at Well House Manor - Open Houses - (2006-11-23)
[978] Wellhouse Manor, Hotel, Melksham - (2006-12-10)
[1018] Open Source Courses and Business Hotel - products and prices for 2007 - (2007-01-01)
[1069] Rail trouble forced me to buy hotel - (2007-02-07)
[1072] Well House Manor in the Snow - (2007-02-09)
[1112] Bank Holiday country breaks in Melksham, Wiltshire - (2007-03-17)
[1132] Well House Manor, Melksham, Art Gallery - (2007-04-02)
[1211] A lot has happened in a year - (2007-05-31)
[1261] High summer at Well House Manor - (2007-07-08)
[1332] Melksham Hotel - Five Star Kitchen! - (2007-09-04)
[1371] Hotel in Melksham at Christmas - (2007-09-29)
[1384] An email update for past guests and delegates - (2007-10-08)
[1388] Well House Manor - a year on - (2007-10-12)
[1492] Well House Consultants Training and Hotel - 2008 news - (2008-01-01)
[1706] The Story of Well House Manor - (2008-07-12)
[1866] What a difference a day made - (2008-11-02)
[1968] Review of 2008 - (2008-12-31)
[1975] Well House Manor Hotel - on plan for 2009 business guests - (2009-01-03)
[2076] A New Advert for Well House Manor - (2009-03-11)
[2119] Make your business a DESTINATION business - (2009-04-05)
[2125] We have lost a regular business guest - (2009-04-10)
[2425] Weekend and Christmas Promotion - Well House Manor Hotel, Melksham - (2009-09-26)
[2923] Fresh air and beautiful places in Wiltshire - (2010-08-15)
[2941] Wedding season in Melksham - somewhere good to stay - (2010-08-31)
[2978] Christmas 2010 - Well House Manor, Melksham, Hotel - (2010-10-01)
[3014] Well House Manor - the next six years - (2010-10-24)
[3115] Perl, Python, PHP, Lua, Linux, and more - and business hotel too. Menu for 2011 - (2010-12-31)
[3202] Telling you something about us in just one line - (2011-03-15)
[3611] A customer thanks Well House Manor - (2012-02-13)
[3765] Christmas in June? Melksham hotel bookings and Santa train - (2012-06-15)
[3800] Fancy a weekend away? Try Well House Manor in Melksham, Wiltshire - (2012-07-09)
[3864] Guest Guide for Well House Manor and Melksham - (2012-09-18)
[3985] Special weekend at Well House Manor - come and see Wiltshire - (2013-01-20)
[4147] A hidden hotel gem in Melksham - (2013-07-31)
[4299] The Best Bed and Breakfast in Melksham? - (2014-09-19)
[4715] Well House Manor - Still five out of five! - (2016-10-30)
G207 - Well House Consultants - Staff [10] What do you look for in your IT trainer? - (2004-08-10)
[41] A Thousand and four words - (2004-09-07)
[88] Getting the right level of trainer - (2004-10-14)
[168] Welcoming Leah Davies to our team - (2005-01-04)
[185] Who am I? - (2005-01-21)
[371] The training team that's looking out for you - (2005-07-07)
[393] Trainer answers phone - (2005-07-28)
[578] Woman screaming at me - (2006-01-26)
[862] 4 weeks to go - (2006-09-11)
[1141] A strong team broadens the professional coverage - (2007-04-10)
[2009] The Royal Mail Receipt - (2009-01-26)
[2044] Please Trouble me - (2009-02-16)
[2050] Why the Pony Tail? - (2009-02-21)
[2164] Updating my public profile - Graham Ellis - (2009-05-09)
[2566] Excellent staff make for excellent hotel - (2010-01-07)
[2772] Graham Ellis - Summary of Training Record - (2010-05-21)
[2775] Declarations of interest - knowing where you stand with people - (2010-05-22)
[2934] Not so much software training - more hotel keeping! - (2010-08-25)
[2960] The Well House team - September 2010 - (2010-09-19)
[3051] Positively reforming the system - could it be done? - (2010-11-14)
[3103] Thank you - and Happy Christmas - (2010-12-24)
[3212] Well House Manor - a home from home for the business and leisure guest in Melksham - (2011-03-26)
[3311] Exhilarating day! - (2011-05-30)
[3460] Flying Colours! - (2011-09-28)
[3490] How not to call when job seeking ... - (2011-10-20)
[3586] Emergency First Aid Provision at Well House Manor - part of the service - (2012-01-19)
[3961] Well House Staff Party - (2012-12-22)
[4189] Who are we - Lisa, Graham, Gypsy and Billy - (2013-10-07)
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