Guest Post

I am very rarely a Hotel Guest. Our holidays are all spent in Cornerstones these days – and if I do have to stay somewhere overnight, I am usually able to b&b with family or friends. But this last weekend was different. Thursday night I was able to stop with my old friend Elisabeth– which was utterly wonderful. There is a famous photograph [which I cannot track down] of Queen Elizabeth and her mother, after a royal wedding, sitting on a sofa in Buck House, eating scrambled eggs on toast. Elisabeth and I did that 2 nights before the wedding [no, not in BH, in Leicester] Thank you dear friend, for helping me chill out before all the excitement.

But Friday and Saturday, we were guests at the Premier Inn, Leicester Forest East, with 3 adjacent rooms – Liz and Jon, Bob and me, Steph and Lucy [bridesmaid]
Some important information if you are a guest.

Lenny Henry [aka Sir Lenworth] probably has a beard because when they refurbished, they completely forgot to install any shaver points! Fortunately they have plug-in adaptors to lend to fathers-of-the-bride who may get 5 o’clock shadow.

It is perfectly ok for the bride to swan around all morning in her gorgeous silk pyjamas wearing her wedding tiara – but should she wish to get a drink from the vending machine  she must take her room key!
Steph managed to get herself locked out! Then I was in the shower and realised I had no hair conditioner. I asked Bob to go and borrow some from next door [where Steph & all 4 bridesmaids were getting ready] He got locked out, and was banging on our door to get back in. I was still in the shower, and didn’t hear him knocking for ages!

If you have no alarm clock, it is fine to use the alarm on your mobile phone instead. But when it rings and wakes you up at 5am Sunday, don’t try saying ‘hello?’ because there is nobody on the other end, it is just the alarm!!
But I must say that the PI staff were fantastically helpful, and we were well looked after. When we were leaving for the church, the receptionist said “Would you like me to pop into your rooms and top up the tea and coffee supplies again, for when you get back late tonight?” Which was very thoughtful.
When we tiptoed in at 1am Sunday, the receptionist on night duty enquired “How was the wedding? did it all go ok?” – and he was still bright and cheerful when we tiptoed out again at 5.15am to go and clear up the Hall.
When Liz, Jon, Bob and I returned at 10am, after our clear-up, to get our [pre-ordered] breakfast, they fitted in Adrian, Marion and Lucy at an adjacent table [they were not PI guests], so we could all eat together – even though they had quite a lot of extra families there [it was Fathers’ Day]
But it was good fun – and all added to the happiness of our weekend. Thank you Premier Inn for putting up with us up!