Mr Luc Perquin Mercure Royal Station Hotel 170 Ferensway Hull HU1 3UF Dear Mr Perquin Today, Remembrance Sunday, should be a time to respect the fallen. However, today of all days, your staff have shown utter disrespect for the millions of young men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. Part way through the Remembrance Service, one of your staff took it on herself to “hoover” the lobby area just inside the doors, obliterating the prayers being said outside at the Cenotaph. When challenged to stop by a member of the Guildhall team she replied that she had a job to do and carried on. When the service finished my wife and I asked to speak to a manager and initially dealt with a trainee receptionist, who was polite, and then a senior receptionist. This member of staff effectively called my wife and I liars, as she insisted that she had been standing in the entrance throughout the service and that the event had not happened. It was not until we detailed exactly what had happened, that she conceded that she had left the area some ten to fifteen minutes before. We proceeded to the civic reception to be told that the Veterans had been charged for their cups of tea. Indeed, it transpired so had everybody else. Your duty manager insisted that this was correct and that the message to charge had come from your sales office. On further investigation with the Guildhall team, it would appear that the reception had been prepaid by Hull City Council and that no money whatsoever should have changed hands. After a little pushing, some of the attendees were given their money back, but only if they asked. I did ask one of the staff to announce that there had been “an error” and he said he would ask the duty manager. I have to say I did see the manager in the room but no announcement was made. I assume that your company have retained a healthy amount from the service of drinks that had already been paid for. I am interested to know what you intend to do with this money. I am appalled by the behaviour of your staff on so many counts. Their disrespect has been so complete as to be shameful. It is shameful at an individual level and on also behalf of the company. I have to say that when the Mercure brand acquired the Station Hotel, it took with it a responsibility. That responsibility is for just one Sunday morning per year, to be part and parcel of the Remembrance Service, as on so many years previously. Should the Mercure brand be charging for the use of the room and a few cups of tea anyway? One of the buzz phrases in corporate use is CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility. Today you failed miserably in almost every respect, and indeed accomplished the diametric opposite of Social Responsibility – you managed to insult. Your staff even allowed a taxi to unload at the front doors of the hotel at two minutes to eleven. Apparently they called the taxi company to complain afterwards. I would respectfully suggest that it should have been impossible for that taxi to get there via your car park at that time. On a personal level, the Hull Normandy Veterans Association have used Mercure for their last two pilgrimages to Normandy - to Lisieux and to Port en Bessin. Today was an insult to them and their very many fallen comrades, some of whom may well have been killed on the sites of those very Mercure hotels, whilst liberating France from the tyranny of Nazism. Shameful. Yours sincerely Mr M A Fuller Copies to Thomas Dubaere, Managing, Director Accor UK Posted to Accor Facebook page Councillor Stephen Brady, Hull City Council Alderman Brian Petch, Hull City Council
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 16:05:32 +0000
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