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Donny fan here
- Thread starter pktdrfc
- Start date
The Large One
Who's Next?
I meant OUR new stadium.
Which of the Tadpole beers would most likely be served at Falmer? (Assuming it's a Tadpole beer on offer).
You have to bear in mind that we haven't had ANY alcohol in "our" stadium for 15 years.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Avoid The Crown at all costs.
This is what Channel 4's 'The Hotel Inspector' found:-
No-nonsense hotelier Alex Polizzi comes face to face with one of the worst establishments she has ever visited - the Crown Inn in Lewes. After a string of terrible internet reviews and the loss of a precious star in the Visit England ratings, can Alex restore this filthy guesthouse to its former glory?
Two years ago, former care assistant Karen Lloyd sunk her life savings into the eight-bedroom Crown Inn in Lewes. With a great location, the guesthouse should have no trouble attracting customers - but after a number of appalling internet reviews, Karen has lost over £32,000. "I had visions of having this wonderful place people were happy to come to - but it hasn't worked out that way," she sighs. After a disastrous year, the hotel was stripped of one of its three stars by the tourist board.
With an illustrious career at establishments such as the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and Marco Pierre White's Criterion restaurant, hotelier Alex Polizzi hopes she can breathe new life into the rundown inn. Her first impressions do not bode well, however. "There's peeling paint, a broken window and very smeared, dirty glass," she says of the front of the hotel. And things get even worse inside. "The first thing I notice is a tray of filthy condiment bottles. If I wasn't here for business I'd turn around and walk back out again," Alex asserts.
In order to ascertain the extent of the inn's problems, Alex prepares to spend the night. Karen leads Alex to the jewel in the inn's crown, room five. "I'd like to turn it into our bridal suite," Karen suggests. Alex, however, is not so sure. "I can think of few more depressing things than spending my bridal night here," she winces, observing the ramshackle bed and dirty bathroom. "Has it even been cleaned since the last person stayed here?" Alex's horror reaches epic proportions when she studies the rest of the hotel the following morning.
"Why would anyone leave a loo like that? It's just an insult," she says of the filthy toilets. And the cluttered hallways and laundry room do not impress either. "This is madness. How can Karen leave a corridor like this? This is the sign of a disordered mind," she moans. Alex pulls no punches when she confronts Karen about the state of the hotel. "This is your hotel, your name, your place!" she tells her.
Alex gathers the staff together for a meeting and outlines her plans. "I'd treat this like a pub with rooms," she says, suggesting that increasing the popularity of the bar could pay for some renovations to the bedrooms. First, Alex sends a team of deep cleaners in to tackle the hotel and then sets about revamping the bar. The bedrooms are refurbished with fluffy white towels, matching soft furnishings and new hospitality stands. Karen organises a staff reshuffle, taking on the cleaning herself and reassigning long-serving cleaner Sally to work in the kitchens. Alex also schedules another inspection with the tourist board in four weeks' time...
However, it is not just the hotel that needs some work - it is Karen herself. Alex sends the discouraged manager off to the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne for some much-needed hospitality training. Her scruffy hoodies are soon replaced by a smart suit, and staff at the Grand instruct her in the skills of proper customer service and presentation. "I'm hoping by meeting the guests' expectations people will start writing more positive things," she says.
When Alex returns several weeks later, she is impressed with Karen's hard work. "This looks so much better!" she exclaims. In order to improve the reputation of the hotel, Alex has invited some of the internet reviewers back in order to generate some positive feedback. One reviewer gives a suspenseful Karen his verdict, "I'll tell you now I'll never stay another night in this hotel - it'll be two nights!" he says. But with a mystery guest on the way to assess the hotel, has Karen done enough to retrieve that all-important star?
Even now it's still getting lousy reviews:-
Crown Inn Hotel Reviews and Photos, Lewes, United Kingdom - TripAdvisor
And ... stay at Shelley's, but only if you're happy to give money to the Hoogstraten empire.
Hoogstraten family buys Lewes hotel From The Argus)
Lord B, that's all been sorted now
But i haven't stayed there myself
Happy to stand corrected if i'm wrong, but's that's what i've heard!
OOPS, apparently you are correct... Mrs Muzzy informs me that they've lost the plot again!
Good call
But i haven't stayed there myself
Happy to stand corrected if i'm wrong, but's that's what i've heard!
OOPS, apparently you are correct... Mrs Muzzy informs me that they've lost the plot again!
Good call
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Mackenzie
Old Brightonian
Perfect fixture. It should be quite an emotional day.
Huple
Unregistered
I have it very good authority that Hoogstraten is a very miss-understood fella..
I had to give some money to him once. I dont know what is was for but his boys said I owed it and that was good enough for me. Lovely fellow and whats more he knew how to treat a female impersonator.
Gary Leeds
Well-known member
- May 5, 2008
- 1,526
I have it very good authority that Hoogstraten is a very miss-understood fella..
Is that misunderstood as in Archers motives as our chairman were misunderstood, or our claims that LDC wanted us to go bust were misunderstood
Just a thought, (and being serious for a minute) are there any B&Bs in Falmer? Or what about the Downs Hotel as there are buses coming up over that way
Basil Fawlty
Don't Mention The War
Can't wait to welcome Donny to the Amex in August. What dreams are made of. 
hillianseagull
Member
Just booked a flight to return Friday 5th from holiday in Spain and go back 8th, to continue with Family holiday! Couldnt miss the completion of the full circle. Very Happy with this!
Albumen
Don't wait for me!
Guest beer from the away area? How did I miss this? That's absolutely amazeballs (as this fixture is too obviously).
Better pray its not the Monday night TV game then...
hillianseagull
Member
Lord Bracknell
On fire
I think it is "misunderstood" as in "the jury misunderstood the evidence".
Colossal Squid
Returning video tapes
This is so poetic. I love it.
If you can't get a hotel at a good price in Brighton why not try Lewes or Newhaven, one and two stops away from the Falmer station, respectively. Newhaven's not very exciting but I'd bet you could find somewhere pretty cheap to stay there, and it's very easy to get to the stadium, and to Brighton if you wanted a few nice drinks after the match too.
Absolutely delighted with this fixture and I cannot wait. It will be really great to have a good, honest team down who we respect for our new stadium's first competitive game.
Bring your singing voice because I fully expect us to be making the sort of racket not heard from Albion fans for over a decade.
If you can't get a hotel at a good price in Brighton why not try Lewes or Newhaven, one and two stops away from the Falmer station, respectively. Newhaven's not very exciting but I'd bet you could find somewhere pretty cheap to stay there, and it's very easy to get to the stadium, and to Brighton if you wanted a few nice drinks after the match too.
Absolutely delighted with this fixture and I cannot wait. It will be really great to have a good, honest team down who we respect for our new stadium's first competitive game.
Bring your singing voice because I fully expect us to be making the sort of racket not heard from Albion fans for over a decade.
Steve Foster
Well-known member
Really looking forward to welcome Donny at The Amex.
I was in the North Stand for that last game at The Goldstone.
My match ticket, football programme were mounted & in a frame in my spare room.
Don't worry I said to my wife, we will have a new ground in no time at all & vowed not to take the frame down until after we played our first game in a new stadium. 14 years later.....
I was in the North Stand for that last game at The Goldstone.
My match ticket, football programme were mounted & in a frame in my spare room.
Don't worry I said to my wife, we will have a new ground in no time at all & vowed not to take the frame down until after we played our first game in a new stadium. 14 years later.....
All areas, I think.