AN INSPECTOR CALLS
His mission: To test hotel hospitality to the limit
THE Pear Tree is a family-run concern on the edge of the Cotswolds that, says its brochure, ‘ specialises in making memories’.
My memories are of a hotel that could do with a make-over, but one where there is no particular imperative to do so as long as its loyal following remains intact. It has the air of a smart old people’s home, with pleasant staff, a pleasing garden and an endearing back story.
The owners for the past 30 years have been Francis and Anne Young, who met when they were both working at the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester. Their daughter is now The Pear Tree’s manager.
They bought the derelict 16thcentury vicarage in Purton, near Swindon, and slowly transformed it into a 17-room hotel with a restaurant in the massive conservatory.
The challenge is to keep somewhere like this up-todate. Fresh rather than stale rolls at dinner would be a good start; more shapely wine glasses would help; curtains that come down to the floor rather than stopping at the window ledge might improve things and giving the bathrooms an overhaul would be a step in the right direction. But thank goodness there are still family-run businesses of this kind that appeal to older guests who remember fondly the days when a hotel gave you a tot of sherry in a decanter. Put it this way, the nearby Chipping Norton set won’t be checking into The Pear Tree any time soon.