Clamour for hotel rooms goes through roof, but Marco wants the distance rules to stay
‘If we have to
wait another month so be it. The last thing
we want is a new lockdown’ MARCO PIERRE
WHITE
MARCO Pierrewhite has struggled to cope with the “extraordinary” demand for rooms at his country hotel since Covid restrictions were eased in May.
The celebrity chef turned hotelier is now calling on the Government to guarantee there will be no more lockdowns because of their “disastrous” impact on the industry.
White, who says he has become an avid gardener during the pandemic, has 40 rooms at The Rudloe Arms in Wiltshire, but it had to respond to 3,000 email requests for bookings last Monday.
And his Marco Pierrewhite Steakhouse, Bar and Grill in Birmingham’sthe Cube has been doing about 3,000 meals a week, such is the pent-up demand for an evening out.
White, 59, said: “It’s gone from extreme to extreme, from extreme of the lockdown to being extremely busy.
“We reopened as soon as we could in May and the demand has been sky high and is still sky high, it’s extraordinary.
“I have never seen anything like this in 40 years in the hospitality industry.”
White does not want any more lockdowns and for this reason he does not think the social distancing restrictions should be lifted on July 19, as planned by the Government.
He said: “I know a lot of people disagree with me but safety for the staff and for the customers is paramount, and if you look at the current numbers of daily infections, it’s climbing, so I think the last thing we should be doing is lifting the restrictions.
“If we have to wait another month, another two months, then so be it.the last thing we want is another lockdown.”
The so-called enfant terrible of the British restaurant scene who was, at just 32, the youngest chef at the time to be awarded three Michelin stars, says he has “never been happier” since moving to thewiltshire countryside hotel.
He has joined forces with P&G Professional to encourage businesses to try the new Cleanplus Experience, a hygiene gold standard mark for independent hotels, guest houses and B&B accommodations.
It comes after a survey commissioned by P&G Professional found half of travellers won’t book a hotel room unless the place is totally clean, with a quarter put off in just seconds.