Ronaldo was right to bottle it
Staycation. It’s the portmanteau that seems to be on everyone’s lips right now, as we contend with yet another summer separated from Duty Free shopping, sun loungers and pretty much anywhere that’s not the Costa del Garden.
With Covid restrictions still curbing everyday life and lockdown-easing, quite rightly, paused for at least the next few weeks, many of us are setting our sights a little closer to home for our next getaway.
Certainly, it’s something we have noticed at Cromlix, the five-star country house hotel owned by Andy, as our usual overseas guests have been replaced by visitors from within Scotland and just south of the border. In normal times (which admittedly now seem like a distant memory) we would be welcoming guests from all corners of the globe, who love to visit Scotland for the history, scenery and, of course, the golf. Now, visitors from Shetland seem quite exotic.
Ofcourse, weare delighted to open our doors again, but it’s been a real challenge to ensure we keep both visitors and staff safe, while allowing guests to enjoy some much-needed down-time. In the haste to get back to normal life (there’s that phrase again…) it’s easy to forget just how much harder business owners are having to work.
Not only is there an investment in things like hand sanitiser stations and extra cleaning, but limited capacity in dining rooms and bars means the same amount of staff but less money in the till. I’m sure there will be a lot of businesses trading with very little to no profit at the moment because the restrictions are still very, well, restrictive.
And speaking of staff, a lot of restaurants and cafes may also be struggling to fill open positions. Quite a number of our staff were from overseas, and many decided – understandably – to travel home during the pandemic and haven’t yet returned. Quarantining, the cost of PCR tests and ongoing travel restrictions have meant many places are struggling to get enough chefs and waiting staff to provide the same service they did pre-pandemic.
The prospect of another spike will be causing sleepless nights for the many businesses, who are perhaps only just hanging on by the