Caterer & Hotelkeeper's reporting of the accommodation rating schemes review has stimulated informed debate across all sectors of the hospitality industry in this country. I welcome your recognition of the excellent nature of our scheme, which does indeed reflect the view of many readers in Scotland.

The use of stars or alternative symbols to describe the quality grades of B&Bs, guesthouses and other "non-hotel" accommodation, which you cover in the same issue, determines the accessibility of our schemes, and the Scottish Tourist Board has been seeking discussions with other parties, including the AA, on this issue.

The clear requirement of our industry (hoteliers, B&B owners and others) is for symbols and awards that are immediately and easily understood by consumers. That, rather than the views of any particular interest group or organisation, must determine our final decision.

Giles Shepard, Michael Guthrie and John Jarvis should resign. As the results of the General Election show, their political views are clearly not shared by the majority of their staff, shareholders or customers.

They have taken a personal political stance supported only by a minority. Their company's shareholders would be better served by appointing the likes of Gerry Robinson, Richard Branson, Alan Sugar, Anita Roddick and so on - company directors prepared to run profitable businesses within the framework of the Social Chapter and, in particular, not afraid of paying wages in line with those previously set by the old wages councils.

Messrs Shepard, Guthrie, Jarvis and the like seem to have forgotten that these councils were originally established at the behest of the business world to protect responsible employers from the "exploitation" policies of irresponsible employers.

The restructuring at Granada, which leaves hotels without general managers, marks a negative and destructive change for the industry.

By its very nature, the hotel industry offers service at differing levels to a variety of customers in a panoramic marketplace. For hotels to find their niche in an ever-expanding market requires more than "branding" or "marketing" by so-called professionals who survey hotels from a distance.

These two concepts must be interpreted to the troops on the ground. For the Heritage group of hotels to be considered appropriate for management by "cluster" is a clear indication of how little is understood by those who should know better about the individuality that pervades the hotel industry and about how much the hotel visitor embraces it.

The lack of cohesion within operating units can only exacerbate the itinerant nature of hotel staff, who will find themselves bereft of role models, trainers, motivators and leaders. Who will teach the principles and standards of hospitality and ensure delivery of the same to guests whose continuing presence determines the very future of our industry?

If hotel companies are to become solely cost-driven then how long before we ask guests to clean the bathroom and remake the bed before they leave, thus dispensing with the cost of any staff at all?

Modular hotels do exist in Japan and by all accounts are very profitable. In Britain, only a service-driven industry will ensure plentiful jobs both for managers and those they seek to manage.

Having lived and worked opposite Leeming House hotel in Cumbria, we have seen it grow into one of the finest hotels in the country. Christopher Curry, the manager, has given his life, his all, to the running of this fine establishment.

Over the years we have experienced all departments and know the amount of work and interest he has given to this hotel. We were appalled when we heard of the decision by Granada to make Mr Curry redundant. The superb staff - whom he has trained personally - were completely shattered by the news.

His personal approach and the love of Leeming he had and gave will be greatly missed by many clients. It will be detrimental to the hotel generally.

The Granada organisation has made grave errors, not only with Leeming House, but also with so many other fine hotels they are attempting to run. We naturally think of all of the other managers who have suffered in the same way.

We are disgusted at the step the organisation has taken and can think only of the unhappiness this has given to so many worthwhile managers and their families who have been in their employment, some for many years.

We only hope that Mr Curry and other managers of similar repute will find suitable jobs so that they can prove what the Granada organisation has lost and, more importantly, what the catering industry could have lost. We despair for the future of the catering industry if organisations like Granada behave in this ruthless fashion.

I cannot allow the comments about vegetarians made by Michael Gottlieb and Christine Baker to pass without comment.

I have worked in the hotel, restaurant and education sectors of catering for over 20 years and have witnessed at first hand the casual, second-rate manner in which vegetarians have been, and continue to be, treated by many in the profession.

The fact that great advances have been made towards rectifying this shabby treatment of a key group of our customers cannot instantly wipe out the memory of all those thoughtless, lazy responses. A few come readily to mind (vegetarians could no doubt add 100 more):

"... so you'll have the cheese omelette then?"

"One beef without the meat please, chef."

"There's always a plate of vegetables."

"Which one's the vegetarian then?"

"Yes, all right dear, I'll get yours when everyone's been served."

With such treatment over the years I don't believe we can have any complaint when vegetarians enter our establishments with some trepidation and treat us with a certain tight-lipped suspicion.

I spend a lot of time reading back issues of Caterer & Hotelkeeper during my lunch breaks and the reading is always entertaining as well as informative.

I refer back to the issue of 5 December 1996 and the Viewpoint article by Mike Brearey, general manager at the Croft Hotel in Leicester. He stated that he does not have a problem in rendering a room smoke- and nicotine-free after a smoker has left.

I beg to differ. Smoke and nicotine cling to all surfaces in any room, especially glass, materials and net curtains.

I have been in housekeeping for 20-odd years and am currently employed at St Michaels Hotel in Falmouth, Cornwall, one of the hotels belonging to the Regal Group. We too have non-smoking rooms, but from time to time have to let other rooms to non-smokers.

No amount of fresh air and air fresheners will rid the room of the smell of smoke. I have recently had to shampoo carpets and wash curtains and paintwork to reach an acceptable level for a smoke-free zone.

The group as a whole does not operate a smoking ban, and I do not think we as hoteliers ever will. The public must have a choice and we must try and accommodate everyone.

We are a small/medium-sized three-star hotel with 36 en suite rooms, restaurant, bars and coffee shop.

We take great pride in training our youngsters, who aspire to be great chefs. Our methods include giving them quite a bit of responsibility, possibly earlier than would be the case in larger establishments.

We have two pupils at the moment who are brilliant, and I would love to give them more incentive by being able to find them placements, say for one month or so, with one of the country's top chefs. Just think what this would do for their morale.

I would get a great kick out of being able to walk into the kitchen one morning and say: "I have got you a placement with Raymond Blanc or Paul Heathcote." What about it, you top chefs?