We have all been there - turning conference rooms in the middle of the night, all hands on deck - other departments from all over the hotel mucking in to make sure the next day's room setups are ready: The ballroom now spotless (especially difficult after the corporate party that turned into a drinking competition that finished only hours ago!), the table cloths set out and folded correctly, pads and pens in place, water on the table. You wander in to the back of the house to get the arrival break ready, the coffee machine is gurgling, and the smell of freshly baked pastries and croissants raises a sharp pang of hunger in your stomach, as you realise the last food that passed your lips was a cold banquet dinner over 12 hours ago. Morning break in place, its now time for a last walk around the meeting rooms, glancing at your banquet event order, checking off each syndicate room. You come to the last 2 on the list with 10 minutes to go until the conference coordinator arrives (a particularly nasty one from past experience!). Then the sudden sinking feeling as you realise these final 2 syndicate rooms have been missed - they are still trashed from the night before! Panic sets in, the troops are rallied, the rooms turned, and only ready just as the dreaded conference coordinator breezes through the front door of the hotel! The conference gets underway, and you retreat to the banquet office, physically and mentally exhausted after 18 hours on the frontline. You handover to the day team, and head homeward, sharing a wry smile with the other night staff who are also leaving for the daytime slumber which awaits.
On the bus home you have a wonderful day dream - those wretched syndicate rooms cleaning themselves, and the tables and chairs magically moving to the correct setup, just like the scene in Mary Poppins... it seems that this
dream is not so far away......
Wishing you all a great weekend!
James, Perra & Gabriel.
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