New Elgin hotel welcomes guests after long journey to open amid pandemic
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AN ELGIN hotel will officially welcome guests from next week after the pandemic scuppered its big Easter opening.
It has been a testing time for the team behind the new Travelodge Elgin, situated on the eastern edge of town off the A96. After lockdown and knock-on delays the brand new hotel was finally made ready for opening in mid-August.
The hotel's manager, Ann Howie (53), from Forres, said overseeing the opening of a new hotel in such unpredictable times had been far from easy, "sending her stress levels up a good 10 notches".
After being furloughed for three months back in March along with her newly recruited team, Ann was given the keys to the new hotel in summer.
Ann said: "There is no feeling like getting the keys to a brand new hotel, recruiting a new team and having the brand’s first hotel in a growing town like Elgin – the world-famous whisky region.
"We were all set to open in March with quite a big fanfare – but then the UK was officially shut down.
"It was very sad, disappointing and very strange and surreal.
"I had recruited and trained my full team and we were mega-excited. The news that we were going into a lockdown was a big blow."
She added: "When we were allowed to reopen in July we all came back super-energised and ready to open the hotel.
"It was a massive challenge as we had new rules and regulations, plus we didn’t know what demand would be like as people were nervous to travel."
Travelodge kept 62 hotels open across the UK during lockdown, from Plymouth to Aberdeen, to support key workers, vulnerable groups and local authorities.
The chain took its key learnings from operating in lockdown to launch TravelodgeProtect+, a programme of cleaning and social distancing measures in line with government guidance designed to keep customers and teams safe.
Ann said: "We had to adapt quickly and make TravelodgeProtect+ our daily routine. In some ways it was easier to have a new team as they could quickly adapt.
"But not all of our suppliers, contractors and businesses came back at the same time, so we had major delays in deliveries and jobs being completed. It was so frustrating as I could not keep to my timeline and know what was arriving and when. This is the worst thing that can happen when you are trying to open a new hotel.
"My patience was surely tested during this time. We did have to encounter some more delays but we finally got the hotel ready to open in mid-August – which was a major triumph.
She added: "It’s strange because although we have had to keep our distance from each other it has brought the team together more as we are all looking out for each other."
Ann, a mum-of-four and granny of seven, has worked for Travelodge for almost 16 years. She took up her first hotel management role at Dundee Kingsway in 2008 and has managed several more in Scotland since, including Dundee Strathmore, Dunfermline and Edinburgh.
The manager said a friendly welcome had never been more important than it is now, and the team were looking forward to doing just that.
