Episode 4 Hotel 24/7

This time on Hotel 24/7...

The heat's on in the kitchen for Mike,

whose cooking is scrutinised by three of the hotel's top bosses.

Every single plate passes by one of our sets of eyes.

-Yeah, mine definitely, I don't know about the two of you!

-Ooh!

The resort's owner, Sir Terry Matthews,

pays the breakfast staff a surprise visit.

-How many people would have come in for breakfast?

-600.

600 people came in today?

And operations director Matthew... takes a dive.

This is a week inside the Celtic Manor Resort.

A behind-the-scenes look into the life of its hardworking staff.

Seven days of ups and downs as they cook,

clean and cater for their guests.

This is Hotel 24/7.

It's a big day at the Celtic Manor Resort -

the owner of the hotel, Sir Terry Matthews,

is flying in on a rare visit from his home in Canada.

ELECTRONIC BLEEPING AND PULSING

Hello, James.

I've just spoken to Abdullah, actually,

it was just regarding the rather unsightly looking tape.

The man in charge of the day-to-day running of the hotel

is 35-year-old Matthew Lewis.

I often come up here and just... And just look at what's going on.

You know, I'll be up on the floors

and I'll just spend a couple of minutes watching the team.

They never know I'm up here, they never see me,

but I'm watching from above and just seeing what's going on.

Matthew's keen to make Sir Terry's first impression a good one.

I really don't like them on the angle.

They look lovely, but the challenge is you put more and more in...

If you take them away and you had no pillows,

it's just not the same, is it?

Look at that sofa, how drab.

You know, dress the sofa, it's much more appealing.

The problem is, someone's got to go around

and plump the cushions constantly, so it keeps us busy.

Maria, thank you very much, see you later on.

If you look just here now, James and the team are in the process

of moving some rope and posts so that the tape can disappear.

We just sort them out and before you know it,

we're back to where we need to be... looking five-star.

The Terry M fine dining restaurant, named after the hotel's owner,

will be happy with just one star -

they're aiming for a sought-after Michelin star.

-Come on through.

-Right.

-You remember Pav?

-Of course I do, yeah.

-Good afternoon.

-Hello, nice to see you again.

-Nice to see you again, Mr Bulmer.

-Thank you very much.

The hotel have brought in

ex-Michelin Guide editor Derek Bulmer

to help the restaurant achieve their goal.

Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal...

You name all the top personality chefs,

I've eaten at their restaurants many times.

I saw most of them go from one-, to two-star, to three-star

in the time I was in the Michelin Guide.

How's your spoon? Set up?

The job of impressing Derek today...

Have you gassed it?

..has been left in the hands of second-in-command chef,

Aiden Fisher.

The head chef has just had a little girl,

so he's looking after her, looking after his wife.

Colin, do us a favour, about 12:30 can you grab all of that beef out?

I'm going to start with the asparagus and the gnocchi...

-Beautiful.

-And then I'm going to have the roast halibut.

How long, Lee?

-A minute now.

-Right, I'm cooking this as you're walking, all right?

Small scallops, small sole.

Today's assessment is part of an ongoing process

of working towards the coveted star.

If it was easy to get one, everyone would have one. It's not.

This is the first time I've come

when Tim, the head chef, hasn't been here himself.

As you know, we've just hit a moment when he's had a baby,

so it'll be interesting to see how one of his sous chefs

takes my comments later.

The worst he can do is say he doesn't like it and this is wrong, and then...

And then it's constructive

and you've got to take it on the chin, but...

..having said that, I'll probably get really upset!

But we'll see.

Sir Terry Matthews, the owner of the resort, has arrived.

He's been invited by the Welsh Government

to present the keynote speech at the Digital 2014 conference

being held at the hotel.

But before he heads to the event,

Sir Terry can't resist a catch up with his breakfast staff.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, how are you?

-Busy today? How is today?

-Very busy.

Like what? What... How many people would have come in for breakfast?

-600. 600.

-600 people came in today?

So you were busy, this was a very busy morning, or...?

-800 is very busy.

-800, really, sitting down for breakfast?!

Good luck! HE LAUGHS

-Anyway, fabulous, thank you.

-Thank you.

It's not every morning I get the pleasure of introducing

one of Wales' richest men...

The conference, introduced by broadcaster Jamie Owen,

promotes young peoples' participation

in the technology industry in Wales.

Ladies and gentlemen, a huge round of applause for Sir Terry Matthews.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Jamie, that's quite an introduction.

I'm very pleased again to be here and welcome you all to the Celtic Manor.

I look forward to talking to you, anyone,

about how to take young people,

have them enthusiastic and grow companies and be successful.

The resort's come a long way

since Sir Terry bought it over 30 years ago.

The original building on the estate was used as a maternity hospital.

You know, I was not into the sort of hospitality business

when I first came here, but I do know that I was born here.

As I drove past on the M4, it was boarded up.

I look at the motorway, highly visible, this has to be good.

So I went to the auction - boom, boom, boom - I bought it.

£270,000.

This is now one of the most successful hotels

in the United Kingdom.

Afternoon, gents. How are we doing, are we OK?

-Yeah, very good.

-Yeah?

The resort has expanded into the leisure market

since the recession...

building a high ropes course, popular with families.

And remember, it's all about having fun.

One of my great mottos in this resort is to make sure you always

have fun at work.

Operations director Matthew is a great believer

in trying things first-hand.

-I'm really not dressed for this. MAN:

-You look fine.

Do I? Do I look good?

I mean, the thing about these things is you've got to do them

with a little bit of style, haven't you?

Wings or dive?

-MAN:

-Em, wings.

-Wings, OK.

-MAN 1:

-Come down as a butterfly.

-MAN 2:

-Whoo-hoo!

LAUGHTER Have I got a split? Ooh!

It's back to the day job for Matthew...

At the end of the day, it's all about having fun.

..leaving the visitors in the safe hands of the activities team.

Hook it on like you'd be doing down here, lock it,

once you've stopped, take these off any order you like.

And Kirk's up there if you've got any...

21-year-old Lewis Smith instructs visitors to the course.

He's responsible for balancing safety

with ensuring everyone has fun.

So, hands on the banisters, unless they're coming up with you.

On average, the course takes two hours.

We've had people do it in under an hour

and other families take up to four hours,

so it all really depends on how confident you are.

Run, run, run! Good job, well done.

-I've done it!

-SHE LAUGHS

You're finished! Excellent.

-Was it a good two hours?

-No, it's average time.

-Is it?

-Yes.

How quickly can you do it? You're going to put me to shame.

-A little bit...just under nine minutes.

-Oh, shut up, you!

SHE LAUGHS

TRAINER: Keep going, mate. Up on that one.

It's time for Lewis to find out if he can clock up a new personal best.

Keep going, mate, you're doing really well. Oh-ho-ho!

Look at me!

-Watch, watch, watch!

-Keep pushing out.

-How are you feeling, mate?

-Yeah, not too bad.

Look at the speed!

Yeah, slow it down, man, you are doing a bit too well for my liking.

-I'm going as fast as I can.

-LAUGHTER

CHEERING

Ooh-yah, ooh-yah...

So, did Lewis manage to beat his record?

LAUGHTER

-8 minutes and 44 seconds. FEMALE TRAINER:

-Whoo!

Lewis, you got it, mate, well done.

-I'd like to say thank you to my family and my amazing team.

-LAUGHTER

Someone else hoping to outdo himself is chef Aiden.

-Right, halibut's going on.

-Wait.

He's cooking a main course of fish

for the appraisal of consultant Derek,

who's here to advise the restaurant in their quest

for a first Michelin star.

Yeah, good, go. Can I just have a wipe on the front there, please?

They're not very forgiving, those black plates.

I put the sauce too high up the plate, so it was running down a bit, but apart from that...

the fish was cooked nice.

The veg was nice.

I think the plate's right, it's just whether he likes the combination.

But that's perfect for me.

The passion fruit is the jell, is it?

No, the passion fruit is here and is showered in cream a little bit.

-Ah, OK, all right.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you very much.

As Derek tucks in, Aiden gets on with preparing the dessert.

Get the brownie on the plate now, pretty much room temperature.

Get everything else plated.

Where's the bloody blowtorch?

He said the fish was really fresh, really cooked to perfection,

with a nice crispiness on the top...

Obviously, he didn't finish the whole plate because he's saving himself

enough space for the pudding, but he really enjoyed the fish.

It probably looked a little better that it tasted

is a fair comment for that.

I've had this dish before here and my comments were similar before,

so it was interesting for me to see if they'd listened

and taken on board

what I'd said and made some improvements, but I didn't see them.

Aiden will get a chance to hear Derek's feedback later

when he will meet for a debrief with the hotel directors.

Well, they're all going to come together, so I'll let you know. OK?

-What if I'm on a break?

-Well, there are no breaks for you today.

Really? That makes a change(!)

That will be your break, sitting down with them, having a coffee and...

-That is actually how I like to relax.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Is anybody feeling MAD today?

-Yeah, of course.

Yeah? Chris, you're feeling MAD, that's good.

Everyone will hopefully be feeling MAD by the end of this session.

And if you're not, I certainly will be.

OK, so let's...

Matthew takes a creative approach when it comes to staff training.

Today is NOT a training session. There we are, that's good, isn't it?

The resort boasts five stars for its facilities,

but now Matthew wants his team to strive

for the AA's top rating for service -

five red stars.

Small things... can make a big, big difference.

It only takes one pin to pop a balloon and it's disappeared.

One person can make a difference, that's every one of you.

Every person should try.

So even if we don't make a difference, at least we should try to.

You can have a five-star product

and you can have a five-star experience,

but the red star element is how our teams interact with our guests

and how our teams pre-empt our guests' needs before they get there.

-How's my afternoon tea?

-Excellent.

-How many?

-84.

-Have you got my red tablecloth there?

-Yes.

Ooh, that's nice.

Peter Fuchs is the hotel's culinary director,

responsible for all six restaurants across the resort.

What's the bookings for tonight?

-18.

-One, eight?

Are you going to be OK with that?

If you want to cap it off, that would be the best thing.

No, that's fine, I'll speak to them now.

On his daily rounds, Peter needs no excuse to check in

on one of his favourite places - the pastry kitchen.

Come on, Claire. Claire, come on, bring it. Go on, where's the cakes?

-Cakes?

-Or whatever it was.

-They've just gone in.

-Oh, OK.

-INTERVIEWER: Do you eat well?

-Every day. No, I'm on a diet.

Every day, I'm on a diet!

My breakfast today consisted out of

muesli, yoghurt, one banana and that's it.

-And then I had lunch, unfortunately.

-CLAIRE LAUGHS

What? Why are you laughing?

Because I come down and taste a cake from time to time?

Yeah, just...

-It's dainty pieces I eat.

-That's the chocolate bars that we've made.

-And then hand-wrapped them.

-Is that gold, is it?

-Yeah, gold...

-This... This was gold.

And I know other people will say,

"Well, the chocolate isn't tempered," well...

-It is what it is, it tastes very nice.

-Yeah.

-CHEF:

-Some diet, sir.

-Mmm...

-See-food diet!

-Of course, the best one.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How far do you walk a day, would you say?

Um... Anything between...

Anything between... I've got a little toy here...

So, at the moment it's 7.5km.

I do everything kilometres - because obviously I'm an Austrian, I don't do imperial.

For me, it's still a kilometre is a kilometre.

It's crunch time for Aiden.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Aiden, have you met...?

I don't think we have met, have we?

I haven't, no, it's Tim that's usually...

-This is Derek, Derek Bulmer.

-Hi, pleased to meet you.

He joins Peter, Derek and Glenn to find out if his cooking today

was worthy of a Michelin star.

-So, how was lunch today, Derek?

-Um...

Yep, good in parts, a little disappointing in other parts.

So we started off with the...halibut and you cook it very well.

It was a nice piece of fish, very fresh, and then we come to

-the last word on the description, it said "passion fruit..."

-Hmmm.

..which consisted of one blob of passion fruit on top of the fish.

I don't understand it.

Passion fruit on...

Do you really need it, does it do anything for the dish, and...?

And that's exactly the question I ask chefs,

to challenge themselves.

Every time you put another ingredient on the plate,

ask yourself,

"Does this really make this dish better for that being there?"

-And if you can't honestly say yes...

-Yeah.

..why are you doing it?

Then the dessert itself...

If I didn't know this was liquorice, could I really tell from that?

-And I couldn't.

-Mm.

-And that's exactly what I said the last time, so...

-Yeah.

In a nutshell, that's it.

I mean, you know, good in parts, not all the way through.

It's the little things, it's sorting out the bread,

it's putting maybe too much garnish on and saying, "Is this necessary?"

-Certainly in terms of Michelin, consistency is their byword...

-Yeah.

..you know?

And what I have found is it's a little up and down,

-some of the things, so...

-GLENN: Thank you, Derek.

-OK?

-Thank you, Aiden.

-Yeah, thank you.

-PETER: Fabulous.

-OK.

-Thanks.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'll see you later, yeah.

-See you later, Aiden.

I think I've done enough so that Tim's not going to sack me

or kick my head in when he gets back, so...

A couple of things, which I think... I don't particularly agree with,

but then...it's not really a good idea to argue with an ex-head

of the Michelin Guide, he...kinda knows what he's talking about.

One, two, three... Oh!

-MAN:

-All over, game over!

-Right, I'll do Dylan.

-Are you actually choosing Dylan?

-Yep.

Activities instructors Lewis and Sam are familiar

with taking on different roles in their job.

I am Dylan the Dragon

and I am named after Sir Terry Matthews's son, Dylan...

Dylan Matthews.

-This here is Dylan the Dragon.

-Hey, mate. All right? Nice to see you.

-Don't be shy, give him a hug, give him a high-five.

-Go on.

-Let's have a hug, let's have a hug.

-Hug it out.

Oh, look, behind you! There's a princess. Aw!

Families and leisure guests

are a key target for filling rooms at the weekend...

..and the activities team are at the front line

when it comes to attracting them.

Remember that they're the most important part.

It's their day, we are part of the service.

Make them laugh, make them smile,

but you are not the centre of attention, they are.

OK, so we don't want...

Lewis is being briefed on the resort's latest venture -

easy to operate vehicles called Segways.

Mirror, signal, manoeuvre.

You've got it. Man and machine as one!

He'll be one of the instructors for the hotel guests,

so they can use the vehicles to explore the resort

on a Segway safari.

-Step on the Segway... It's quite an unusual feeling.

-Oh!

Hold the front of it, hold the front.

Come round the front, Lewis, and hold it there for her.

-Just stand on it and stand still.

-What, forwards or backwards?

-Just stand on it.

-Oh...

-Try and...

It should balance itself, so if you just try and stay where you are.

-Ooh...

-Do nothing.

So, to go back, just put some pressure on your heels.

-Perfect, and to stop going backwards...

-Lean forward.

360 - just put pressure on the handle.

-Lots of praise, you're looking good.

-Excellent, good job.

-That's good, yeah.

-OK, and other way, Erin, for us...

-Ooh.

-Looking good.

-Like a pro.

That's what I love about this job, it's just totally unpredictable.

You meet new guests and it keeps you on your toes,

so, yeah, it's really good.

-So, their target is 450 tomorrow, isn't it, Seb?

-Yes.

So we have to keep to that 450 tomorrow

and as soon as they hit 450, we'll give the retro sweets out.

Keeping the sales team on their toes is Jill Manley -

business development director.

Their job is to fill the resort's rooms and restaurants.

Right, guys, we need to hit their 450 target by tomorrow.

-Charlotte, you on it?

-We're on it, Jill.

What you doing, drinking your squash? LAUGHTER

Good afternoon, Celtic Manor Resort reservations, Fran speaking,

how can I help?

Fran Gillo is one of the resort's 50-strong sales team.

-No, I haven't had any room bookings yet, only restaurant.

-No rooms?

-No rooms.

-SHE LAUGHS

Right, next call, Fran, next call.

The rooms in the main resort hotel, they only accommodate two adults.

We do however have one of our suites,

the presidential suite, that went...

The presidential suites are the most expensive rooms in the hotel.

Selling one would make Fran's day.

Now, the best price that we could do on the presidential suite

for those evenings...

For the two nights, it would be at a total of £2,556, and then...

you can give us a call back then for the dining arrangements.

SHE MOUTHS

OK, thanks, bye!

-She's calling back. She didn't have any card details.

-This close...

-I know.

-..to glory, eternal glory.

She said her husband's in the garden,

so she's going to call back with card details.

With the presidential suite booking we always have a bottle of champagne ready to go, so...

she's just missed out.

Maybe she'll call back.

Once we get there, that's the problem.

-SAT NAV:

-Turn left...

I love spending the day with Peter.

If I could choose anyone to spend the day with, it would be Peter.

-PETER LAUGHS

-Yeah, right!

Directors Peter and Matthew are on their way to Bridgend

for a meeting with one of their food suppliers.

Oh, Peter!

The Tortoise Bakery already supplies three types of bread to the resort,

but Peter and Matthew are hungry for more variety.

We're looking at specialised rolls, even for VIP functions.

We are looking at one of the restaurants maybe to change

over the bread as well.

I'm an Austrian, I like my... dark bread.

-So, we make this 100% rye bread...

-Yeah.

..which is a rye sourdough.

No, see, I like this, but this is me, this is home.

It makes me feel like at home.

Going to share or just cutting yourself a piece and not worry about anyone else?

He can be a bit like that sometimes! MATTHEW LAUGHS

I'll just take it off the end.

-Thank you.

-It's a very sharp knife.

It would be, for us,

the natural thing to move on and say it is Welsh,

it is made in Wales, would that be something you could do for us?

I'm very keen to work with you and if we can sell more products to you,

that would be fantastic and develop bespoke lines.

I would, you know, look to buy everything from...

-Try to buy as much local anyway.

-Excellent. That's good news.

I'm going to come out with you more often, Peter.

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks a lot, cheers.

-Excellent.

When you see someone as big as Celtic Manor

who could source from anywhere really,

and to come to small places like ours

with a team of six people, it's very flattering for us,

but it also shows that they are committed to actually doing it

rather than just talking about it.

Resort reservations, Fran speaking, how can I help?

In the sales department, Fran's got the call she's been waiting for.

Hi, Mrs Jones, thanks for calling back.

The customer who was interested in the presidential suite

is back on the line.

-And that was for the four of you in the presidential suite?

-HE MOUTHS

OK, so that's all booked in for you, then, Mrs Jones,

so we'll see you, then.

Thank you very much for your call today. Bye now, bye!

-CHEERING

-Whoo!

-Yay! Yeah!

-APPLAUSE

-Fran sold the presidential suite. How many nights, Fran?

-Two nights.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Two nights, sorry!

-My heart's going a little bit!

-SHE LAUGHS

That was exciting, wasn't it?

No, it's good.

It's a great result for Fran, but for Jill,

it's a never-ending challenge trying to keep the resort filled.

Charlotte, you selling?

When I started here, we were probably...quieter.

Probably running at a 50% occupancy, which was much easier for me.

Now our average occupancy is 85%, so we're a more successful hotel,

but that doesn't come with not working hard.

Good afternoon, Celtic Manor Resort reservations, how can I help?

Sir Terry Matthews, the owner of the resort,

joins the post-conference drinks reception.

Minister, thank you for coming.

There are many people who are keen to talk to Sir Terry,

but he still makes time for his staff.

-How are you?

-Oh, good to see you.

-Good, good. And you, are you well?

-Are things going well here?

-Yes, very well.

He will come to you and he'll talk to you, say hello,

check how everything is.

Cos he likes to see how the staff are doing.

Very, very down-to-earth. You know, which is what we love about him.

Tonight, Sir Terry is hosting a private dinner

for some of the conference VIPs,

which will be cooked by chefs Stu and Sy,

and overseen by executive chef Mike Bates.

So there we go then.

So basically, it's all going to be lastminute.com with the scallops.

-Vegetables, you've got the garnishes ready to rock?

-Yeah.

The foam, you need to get on now...

He's not the only one keeping an eye on the chefs today -

top hotel boss Ian Edwards is also in the kitchen.

All eyes are on us.

Mr Edwards, obviously.

But just do what we normally do and it'll be fine.

When the boss is in the building you got to make sure everything's cool,

but we should be good, all guns blazing. HE LAUGHS

What's happening with your middle bit that I don't know about?

-You'll love it.

-Going to tell me?

I'll share it with you now. It's going to be cheese.

-Have you got a picture, or...?

-I'll show you it now. Come with me.

Keen to impress Sir Terry and his guests,

Mike's created a locally-themed dish as a surprise for tonight's dinner.

So, basically, what we've got here is some Perl Wen cheese -

well, obviously, Welsh cheese -

OK, which is coated in redcurrant jelly

and these are rolled oats,

so it's going to be very much like a fondue when it melts, OK?

And we've got a Welsh dragon sitting on the top of this, OK?

And then an apple puree down there.

-So basically, it's a cheeseboard, but it's a savoury beforehand.

-Hmm.

There is some influential people at the dinner,

so it's great to wow them and obviously Sir Terry's at the dinner

and he can show them what his team can do here, so...

We'll smash it.

PEOPLE YELL AND SCREAM

Down on the lawn, a more relaxed event is taking place.

Jill has organised an evening of fun for her sales team.

No, that's 20, that should be 20!

-No, it's 20!

-You got to get it in.

I spend most of my day in meetings,

so I only speak to them now and again,

so tonight it's me getting to know the ones I didn't know

and them realising that I'm not this big, scary boss,

that I'm a normal person.

-Number three!

-ALL SHOUT

Max, oh!

The team are being treated to a barbecue and drinks

as a thank-you for their hard work.

We're halfway through the year

and I'm pleased to say we are ahead of budget,

we are ahead by 474,000 as...

CHEERING ..as we stand now.

HORN HONKS And that is excellent.

..For every call you took, for every event you confirm,

and you know, that five-star service you offer.

So thank you, all, and I am very proud of you all.

..All present and currently arriving as we speak.

Within the next two minutes the whole party will be here, chef.

As Sir Terry's guests arrive, Simon's busy preparing the starters.

Hopefully we don't have a fish allergy.

Mr Lewis, can you ask service if there's any fish allergies

or whatever, just before we go ahead with it?

And now there's not just one,

but three hotel directors overseeing the team in the kitchen.

Every single plate passes by one of our sets of eyes.

-Yeah, mine definitely, I don't know about the two of you!

-Ooh!

Do you want to...put those two scallops on the other side, please?

Don't put the foam on it, don't put the foam on yet,

get everything on it, then the foam.

Sorry, Stuart, if I shouted at you there, but...

Despite the tension in the kitchen, the starters are finally unveiled.

And thank you all for joining me tonight

and let's have a little bit of fun over dinner,

and please, this social networking is very, very good.

Thanks a lot. I hope you enjoy.

So, we're going to get the cheese out now, cos it's been in the fridge,

so we need to let that underneath the lights

and then just bake it slightly, put the rest of the stuff together, so...

Hopefully we don't smash any Welsh dragons on the top, so, yeah...

It's all good.

Mike's invited to introduce his dish to the diners.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I would just like to explain the cheese course that you're having today.

It's actually not on the menu.

It's a soft cheese, Perl Wen from Carmarthen, and as you can see,

a little Welsh dragon on the top,

a little biscuit there for you to enjoy.

-Thanks, Mike.

-It's a pleasure, enjoy, thank you.

It's going well.

You know, there are always things you want to do better, you know,

cos otherwise you wouldn't be in the job, you know,

and you just think, "Well, we could have done this better," or whatever,

but in general it was a good... I think so, it was good.

As they say in America, "Good job!"

This has been a week in the life of the Celtic Manor Resort.

During that time,

700 staff have been on duty for weddings and conferences.

They've cared for over 5,000 guests...

Vegetarian's just coming from up there.

..and cooked and served over 12,000 meals.

In just 30 years, the resort has been transformed

from a semi-derelict maternity hospital

into the biggest hotel in Wales,

but for Sir Terry, the Celtic Manor story has only just begun.

For me, everything is in progress, not completed,

and it's the same with the Celtic Manor -

if things are successful, what next?