Richmond’s four-star Petersham Hotel has seen a surge in the number of booking enquiries as a result of the Government’s announcement of the lockdown ‘exit roadmap’.
The Petersham Hotel explained they saw a “significant” increase in the number of booking enquiries after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a four-stage plan to ‘irreversibly’ ease lockdown on 22 February.
The four-star hotel is a prime destination for those looking for a domestic getaway, or somewhere to host a big event and has remained open throughout the second lockdown, albeit in a significantly more limited capacity with most staff on furlough.
Petersham Hotel general manager Jonathan Lowrey said: “It’s made a significant difference.
“I’d say since 22 February the telephones have started to ring far more frequently with far more enquiries, particularly for leisure stays.
“Previously we would be receiving a couple of calls a day. We are now well up into double figures. This week we have been considering bringing back a member of staff just to deal with them.
“A lot of people have had weddings they’ve had to postpone during the lockdown period looking to find dates to rebook.”
While the dates have made a difference, Lowrey still had some reservations about the implementation of set dates.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he added. “It’s helped and it’s given us more optimism, but that is tempered with a bit of concern that the dates have been set.
“It’s clear these are subject to the tests the Government have put alongside them, and that adds a little bit of negativity because as much as we want to make plans, the Government is only giving us two weeks of notice for confirmation of those dates.
“It takes a little bit more than two weeks of planning and work to get a property like this back up and running again.
“We’re happy to have dates, but we’re sincerely hoping we can keep with those dates. We want to open our doors on the 17th of May and that be the end of it, crack on through the summer and get to some sort of new normal after that.”
Image credit: Petersham Hotel
