A time to reflect on the past year

It seems a long time ago since we closed our doors for a break, but actually it was a mere two weeks. We shut the hotel for a number of reasons in January.

Business is limited at that time of year, and in our opinion our time is better served resting and preparing for the next year than plodding along achieving little return.

Second, the house is small, and any major works must be carried out when the hotel is closed to avoid disturbance to guests. This year, for example, the access bridge is receiving major attention, and without water wings or a boat, Eriska will be an island without access during the 14 days' work.

The four-week pause in January allows us time to reflect on the past year and gives us the opportunity to plan for the forthcoming year.

Eriska has changed dramatically since it opened in 1974. Had we not adapted and moved with our market we would not be here today. We began life as a simple house offering a warm welcome and peace and quiet, and employing no full-time staff, with the returns allowing us to invest in the property.

Now we are an all-year business, offering full-time employment to 30, and manage not only the main house but all the associated leisure facilities. We have become a resort where visitors can relax and spend their holiday. Last year we had more guests than ever, and our average stay of nearly three nights was longer than in any previous year, increasing our turnover to a record level. But we have tried not to lose sight of our beginnings and our ratio of return to new business has remained as high as ever.

There is little point in running ourselves ragged if at the end of the day we cannot reinvest in the business and help it to grow. The last year of the millennium was our best to date, and as we entered the new millennium the levels set looked like being millstones around our necks with the achievements hard to beat.

The predicted fall at the start of the next century came and went and, although it was a tough 12-month period, we relied on our firm foundations and managed slight growth.

But we hope we have not sacrificed our core principles.

BEPPO BUCHANAN-SMITH is director of the Isle of Eriska, a privately owned hotel on the west coast of Scotland

Next diary from Beppo Buchanan-Smith: 1 March