The staff are very happy at the Club Hotel & Spa. Owner Lawrence Huggler has made the decision, together with general manager Tim Phillips, executive head chef Shaun Rankin and F&B manager Dimitri Marqueteau, to close the hotel for Christmas, giving the team a well-earned break.
"Most people in the hotel industry don't get time off at Christmas, but these have been a pretty tough six months," says Huggler. "It gives the guys a proper break."
The decision, of course, was not taken entirely on grounds of morale. Huggler felt that the hotel had not been trading long enough to be able to put a coherent Christmas plan into place. He also felt the hotel didn't lend itself to putting on big Christmas bash.
"Research showed that people would expect full service at Christmas," he says. "We could only seat about 60 in the Club Caf to have Christmas lunch, which would mean only about 25 rooms occupied. Trying to run a full service when the hotel is only half-full is just not cost-effective."
So the hotel will shut on 23 December and reopen on 2 January, hopefully recharged and ready for the slog that many hotels face in January and February. "Of course, these are the quietest months, and Jersey is even more seasonal than other destinations," says Huggler. "Many hotels close."
However, the hotel already has a battle plan in place. As of last week it is offering a 50% discount on all rooms in January and February - including Valentine's weekend - so long as the bookings are made via the website and before 31 December.
"It's a great way to get people used to using the website," he says. "And although the rooms work out at only £97.50 for two people, we get guests booking spa treatments and tables at Bohemia. Plus, it keeps the atmosphere up at the hotel - which is crucial so that people talk about us after they have left."
Huggler has planned for 40% occupancy, which he admits sounds low, but would prefer to fix realistic forecasts that can be reached. The target for February is 60%.
Occupancy for December, meanwhile, is expected to be only about 40-50%. The hotel has been relying on the business sector, trade which traditionally dries up just before Christmas. However, bookings are already looking healthy for weekend breaks, which is a growing market for Jersey around Christmas.
"In the last few years we have seen more people come over from Guernsey and the mainland for extended shopping trips to take advantage of the shops and the lack of VAT," he says. Huggler is also optimistic about the vouchers for the spa, which are proving to be popular gift ideas for islanders.
New revenue streams are also an important way to keep Huggler's business buoyant. He already has a website, www.feelunique.com, from which you can buy a number of things from the hotel. These include spa products (the Algotherm range and Shankara skin products), the Frette sheets, sea sponges and the indulgent featherbed mattresses which go between the main mattress and the sheets in all the bedrooms. "They change the way you sleep forever," says Huggler.
"It is a side business, but it works well with the hotel," he says "It is about allowing people to take a bit of that luxury lifestyle home with them."
Huggler himself is visiting the World Travel Market in London with Phillips to speak to a few people and get more ideas, and next year will travel to France to stay at a couple of boutique hotels, including La Manufacture in Paris's Latin Quarter.
The reason? He is already looking at other properties on the island with a view to opening a smaller, quirkier, more boutique-style hotel. "It is really just an idea at the moment, but I think it would tie in well with the Club hotel," he says. The staff had better rest while they can.
The story so far
The Club Hotel & Spa was opened on 21 August by Lawrence Huggler. His family already owned the site's freehold through their St Helier printing business, but still took £7m to get the project off the ground. This included the fine-dining restaurant, Bohemia, which earlier this year (it opened in 2003) won its first Michelin star. Looking ahead, Huggler hopes the hotel will record a gross operating profit of between £750,000 and £850,000.