Fifty years ago today, on 29 May 1953, at about 11am, probably the same time as you are reading this article, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest. Attempts to climb the mountain had begun 30 years earlier, but failed because of the combined effects of low temperatures, strong winds, difficult terrain and high altitude. Hillary and Tenzing managed to overcome these difficulties with careful planning and a dedicated back-up team. They suffered hold-ups along the way, but achieved what many thought was impossible through sheer self-belief and tenacity.
It sometimes feels as if the UK hotel industry is trying to conquer its own Everest, trying to get back to the heady heights of success it was enjoying in the late 1990s, but suffering from an ongoing series of setbacks. The latest figures from consultant PKF suggest that the climb is proving tougher than expected, with London experiencing its worst April for 20 years.
It would be easy to get depressed, wondering how long the recession will last. But, as in mountaineering, the hold-ups act as a spur to greater resolve and bring out the dogged persistence that is sometimes required in business.
It was a dismal Easter in the capital. So? Did we expect it to be anything else? No, and there are signs that the pick-up is around the corner. The provinces are not doing so badly, with trading pretty much the same as last year. And events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, which provided a recent boost to London, prove that it doesn't take much to kick-start the micro economy of hotels.
A cold wind continues to whistle through empty corridors; news from the front is pretty poor and there's a feeling that the expedition is stuck at base camp. But, in terms of the current economy, this is probably as bad as it gets. I wouldn't mind betting that, given a few decent breaks in the economic climate, the ascent will begin very shortly. Progress may be slow to start with but, from now on, the only way is up.
By Forbes Mutch, Editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper