MARGARET LIVINGSTONE EVANS Executive General Manager, Langley Castle
Describe in one word 2020?
Challenging! Undoubtedly the most difficult year of my career although things did end on a lovely high with the birth of our first Grandchild!
Prior to the current lockdown how had the Hotel adapted to working through the threat of Covid 19?
When we reopened in July we experienced record occupancy with many people visiting the Castle for the first time and discovering the delights of Tyne Valley and Northumberland. With full Covid measures in place guests felt safe and comfortable. We took payment prior to arrival to minimise reception contact and dinner orders could be placed from bedrooms which customers seemed to really appreciate as well as many other covid tweaks.
How have you adapted to remote working?
I still visit the castle for security purposes but when at home have enjoyed learning new skills. The most important thing at this time has been to keep up the morale of the team and ensure no negativity as we will eventually get through this and come out stronger for the experience.
What have you learned about yourself through this year?
I pride myself on being a people person and a massive part of what I enjoy has been taken away. However I suppose I have been forced to be adaptable and learn to do things despite constraints. When we reopened we did incredibly well. We put together an unbelievable marketing report which gained mention in 260 newspapers and even garnered Government recognition. I was very proud that both Langley Castle and Northumberland were portrayed in such a positive way, it was mentioned by a number of our guests particularly those from the South of England. Lockdown has also given me the opportunity to create ‘Bubble Weddings’ which have proved very successful in the current climate.
Is there anything the hospitality sector can learn from this period?
Not to take anything for granted and how fragile society is. I am extremely proud of how quickly hospitality as whole adapted and changed in many different ways as and when required. I do think we will see a boom in leisure and tourism when we get to the other side of the pandemic and it is important to retain positivity in the meantime. Any New Year hopes or resolutions?
Only that I get to see our new Granddaughter and that that our daughters wedding at the Castle goes ahead in May.
Assuming we return to normality what have you got planned?
We are very busy finding new dates for those with existing weddings and 2022 is shaping up to be an enormous year. We have also invested in four private domes for the grounds which can be utilised when we reopen for afternoon teas. We can even recreate Christmas if people want us to. We are also developing new street food menus which can be used for a variety of events. On a lighter note I have also been developing stories for a podcast for the younger generation on our own “Langley Bear” which has been great fun. Despite the current lockdown it’s certainly enough to keep us busy in anticipation of a more positive second half of the year. For more information visit the website www.langleycastle.com