Plymouth’s Piece de Resistance – Afternoon Tea at the Crowne Plaza Hotel by Juliet Coombe
Plymouth’s Crowne Plaza hotel is situated in a breathtaking location, with a stunning spot for afternoon tea or sumptuous dinner surrounded by a panoramic vista, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. On the eleventh floor, where Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar & Grill is located, the epic views of Plymouth’s high point, the Hoe, unfold below, and Plymouth Sound spans across the waters into Cornwall, and, through the panoramic conservatory-like giant size glass windows, you can piece together the fascinating history over the city’s most delicious and creatively contemporary high tea.
Lauren Rogers, sales manager and long term member of staff, loves the place, and you can see this in her sparkly eyes. Since the pandemic was declared she, like all the hotel’s amazing staff, has been happy to waitress, run the breakfast floor and, like the General Manager, also be part of the check-in team, welcoming guests.
Lauren explains, “The great thing about Plymouth is that everyone pulls together in a crisis” and nowhere could this be more clear than at a hotel that has looked at every aspect of your wellbeing and safety, from masking up at the entrance to providing hand sanitiser outside every lift door, so you can use it both on entry and exit.
Like so many people in hospitality, she was very nervous about how to keep everyone safe and also take care of the team. “After setting up protocols, we finally reopened in June for essential workers and then in July for the general public to enjoy a staycation, as so much of the rest of the world had become impossible to visit without weeks of quarantine. I honestly thought the hotel would remain very quiet and worried that people wouldn’t want to travel, all our overseas bookings had been cancelled. We have been delighted to see the hotel vibrant with people over the last few weeks and have given people a really amazing holiday during one of the most stressful years in recent history.”
Throughout September, occupancy continued to be abundant and this has given her dynamic team lots of positivity and confidence to build a safer environment through the winter months. Her motto is perhaps the secret to her sales success: “All hands on deck”, and seeing Lauren serving breakfast and the General Manager on the front desk has helped boost morale enormously, while also helping senior management understand the operational issues at first hand.
Lauren tells me, as I tuck into the most amazing array of mouthwatering cakes, “Everyone is doing whatever they can to make the hotel run smoothly through very challenging times when there are new guidelines constantly coming out. Now the summer season is coming to an end, we envisage small corporate groups coming back and more retired people coming on staycations, who just love Plymouth and the many things you can do in the stunning Ocean City. We will also provide for small weddings and groups of six for Christmas party bookings or whatever size is agreed according to government guide lines at that time.”
The encouraging part of these challenging times is how kind and supportive the owners and management have been, “During lockdown and still today, we have weekly Zoom call to keep each other informed about any developments. We have been really well treated by the company, who care about us as much as we care about our customers and although lockdown was an emotional roller coaster, I know that I have a fantastic place to work.”
I learn, as I enjoy the salmon and cucumber sandwiches, that I can order bubbly or tea, depending on the nature of the celebration. Better still is the kids’ tea, just as yummy and half the price, making it a fabulous birthday treat for all the family. Camera in hand, a must for any tea at the top of the Crowne Plaza, one can pick out the Barbican where the Pilgrims spent their last night before their epic voyage. Move from one side of the room to the other and you will see, on a clear day, the mystical undisturbed moorland views of Dartmoor, a place made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s book, the Hound of the Baskervilles, where standing stones and rock formations have many a story to tell. Also, on a clear day you can see the Douglas lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks, some 14 miles out to sea, something the Mayflower would have sailed past on its way out to deeper waters. The iconic red and white Smeaton’s Tower, which now stands proudly on the Hoe was once sited on these rocks – you can even see its remains next to the Douglas lighthouse – and became the blueprint for all lighthouses built since, and was only relocated to the Hoe because the rocks became unstable beneath it. This view is a natural high with spectacular sights to die for. Don’t worry about parking, either, as it is free for three hours, even though it’s in the centre of town – so great for enjoying lunch, tea or dinner.
As a glass of bubbly was handed to me, a bank of thick cloud crept from around the point, across the sea in a Turner-like moment, making the Hoe vanish in a wall of grey fog that covered those below in droplets of cool water, as it blew the bright blue skies away. The thick cold bank then crept from the sea, over the Hoe to fill the entire space between them and us, threatening to swallow even the glorious sun itself before it could surf across the sky on its descent to the distant horizon. It hid all the key buildings like a gigantic grey eiderdown that when lifted, revealed, one at a time, each building with a story to tell, which you can read about in the Mayflower A Sea Change book’s Crowne Plaza spread that forms part of 400 amazing documented things you can do and see in the city. The book is soon to be a permanent feature in the executive suites.
The whole socially-distanced restaurant space was alive with the sounds of excited conversation about the ever changing view, “it’s like we are in a James Bond Movie,” something Lauren, the queen of sales, would love to host, as long as it did not mean closing down the hotel. For her, it is a living space full of joyful energy that makes everyone leave with a sparkle in their step.
Returning customers are something on which the team prides itself, and, of course, they love to see the ‘wow’ factor on the first time visitor. With a tea fit for a king, all you have to do is sit back, enjoy the magic and watch the clouds rolling back to reveal the city’s many hidden treasures and statues like the Naval War Memorial and Drake’s, reminding us of the real power of Mother Nature.
Once again people were biking along, and the children on the Hoe were playing football, as we clinked our glass of cold Prosecco, and raspberry that gives it that extra fizz, while enjoying the ever-changing view from Plymouth’s most special city space and place to stay. To book this incredible experience call 0371 423 4876 or go to their website for the latest news and deals Crowne Plaza Plymouth.
Mayflower A Sea Change – For those who love other great secrets!
Meet more, fascinating Plymothians, learn about their amazing stories, find out positive strategies for survival, and discover the extraordinary story of the Mayflower pilgrims in Mayflower – A Sea Change, which you can buy from me or organise a personalised walk by emailing: julietcoombe@yahoo.com.au
Or direct from Bookfluential signed: https://wordfluential.com/sea-change
Or Amazon: Mayflower A Seachange
See other stories in this series: Resurgam Mayflower – A Sea Change Series #Plymouth
Photos by Juliet and Crowne Plaza Hotel
