Behind the Scenes with Scott Hollywood, Resort Manager

With the complications and restrictions implemented as a result of the recent Covid-19 outbreak, seeing travel and tourism come to a complete standstill, the day-to-day operations of the Merton Hotel have been challenged in a way not seen since the Second World War. But, in true Seymour fashion, our very dedicated and talented team has gone above and beyond to adapt our services in these trying times. 

This year, Scott Hollywood took the reins from Luis de Oliveira as the new Resort Manager for the Merton Hotel. As the man most familiar with the day-to-day running of the Merton, Scott couldn't have predicted being presented with such a challenge so early on as the head of the resort. Scott tells us how he worked together with his team to take the hotel in a new direction and keep the business ticking. 

It was heartbreaking to learn we’d be unable to open in time for the Easter holidays as is usual with the Merton Hotel. Since the end of March we have been looking at ways to continue to operate safely and continue to keep our staff at work. We put together a new takeaway service, known as Seymour Hotels Catering Home Deliveries offering freshly prepared frozen home meals. We worked with local suppliers to get the message out and were one of the first businesses to launch on a newly created website -  Fetch.je. We have continued to adapt and as a management team we review our standard operating procedures weekly to make sure we are providing a safe working environment for our team.

Although this has been a very difficult time, we have kept the team informed at every opportunity and taken time to get their feedback. My team have worked hard together to support one another during this crisis and they have adjusted well to the situation. Thanks to them, the home delivery service has been incredibly successful, we create freshly cooked meals which we then freeze and deliver to the guest who then heat up the dishes in their homes. The popularity of the offering and the amount of repeat business we receive is a testament to how good they are! For the Liberation weekend we added a new offering of afternoon tea and BBQ packs so that families could celebrate without fuss.

It’s been a tough year as we haven’t been able to open since the season ended in December 2019 and we all really miss our guests, both the new ones we can’t wait to share the Merton experience with, and our loyal friends that we see year after year. I am in contact with many of you and I know you are missing Jersey, just as much as we miss you - the Merton isn’t quite the same without you. We know you will still have some great times to look forward to once we can reopen our doors to  a safe environment. Whenever that is, one thing is guaranteed - our guests can look forward to great service from a team that are excited and ready for your arrival! 

Share this page