Unusual but busy time for hotelier

Venue has hosted key workers and those made homeless by pandemic

A Carnoustie hotel owner is preparing for a return to normality after an “eyeopening” three months housing key workers while his wife worked 12-hour nursing shifts.

Phil Ferrier, who owns two hotels and self-catering accommodation in the town, has worked to adapt his business during the coronavirus pandemic while still helping people in need.

When lockdown was announced the 49-year-old and wife Marta, 44, offered their suddenly empty rooms at the Aboukir and Seaview hotels to be used as emergency accommodation.

But Marta also offered to take on extra shifts as an agency nurse during the crisis, leading to an exhausting three months for the kind-hearted couple.

Phil said: “We have been busy the whole way through because we knew right from the start there would be a need for emergency housing.

“Marta is a nurse and she wasn’t doing many hours before but there was more of a need so she stepped up and took on more hours.

“We also took the opportunity of being closed to renovate the pub so it was all happening at once.

“Marta was working 12 hours five or six days a week then we were renovating and then we had lots of families in over the last 14 weeks.

“It has been exhausting and we’ve basically been working the whole time but we’re trying to get back to normality now.”

Despite not being able to welcome any customers, the couple and business partner Randhir Koli adapted to offer takeaway cocktails and meals from the Aboukir’s in-house restaurant, the Curry Lounge, and are preparing to open the hotel’s beer garden on Monday.

“We thought how can we make sure the business was going to survive at the end of this so we adapted very quickly,” Phil said.

“We only bought the Aboukir a year ago and it was struggling at that time so it was important for us to keep some money coming in.

“We’re not where we would normally be but it is paying some bills so that is how we have had to look at it.

“We were fully booked for the week after we had to close so we have lost a good chunk of the season but we are very lucky we have been able to adapt as I know others haven’t.

“There was no trial for this, it’s real life, and I wish it hadn’t happened at all but personally I could have been a lot worse off and that’s why we wanted to help.”

Despite the stress, Phil has enjoyed having the guests, a mix of key workers and people made homeless by the pandemic.

“Some of the people we had weren’t working so they helped renovate which was really nice,” he said.

“It has been quite an eye-opener because we have been potentially very exposed to the virus. We have had to be very careful.

“As a hotelier I would normally have people in for a couple of days or sometimes a week so you don’t really get to know them much but when you have the same people every day you get to know them and that has been lovely.”