History in the making on our TV screens

Like the rest of the world's population, I will forever remember what I was doing on 11 September 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks against the USA.

It was a busy day at Barnsley Gardens, with several corporate groups in-house. Within an hour of the first plane striking, we had televisions set up in all public areas and meeting rooms.

An hour later, two groups had checked out, going home to be with their families. Many guests attending the meetings had offices in the World Trade Center, or knew of people who would have been there.

From the moment the images hit our TV screens we knew life was about to change and that we were witnessing history in the making.

For days afterwards we were unable to escape from the news. Keeping the staff focused was, understandably, a task in itself. Conversation with anyone and everyone centred only on the events of the last few days and whether or not the Western world would be going to war.

It soon became apparent that the effect this would have on the world's economy was not good. Top of the list would most certainly be the hospitality business and tourism in general. With aircraft empty and people unwilling to fly in and out of the USA, occupancies were sure to take a dive.

Consumer confidence is low, and this year will end on a much grimmer note for a US industry already feeling the effects of an economic slowdown. Jobs lost in our business are running into hundreds of thousands.

Barnsley Gardens is a driving destination, the greatest percentage of our business coming from Atlanta. We have not had any cancellations. Groups have simply moved dates to allow their staff time to recover.

Guests, unwilling to fly to resort destinations, will now drive to spend vacation time closer to home. Our target market is therefore drawn from within a 12-hour driving range. However, the amount of disposable income consumers have will decrease rapidly. The daily news here is of stock market crashes and share values dropping.

But my respect for the country and its people has grown tenfold. The determination, resilience and camaraderie they have shown has been awe-inspiring. n

EUAN McGLASHAN is general manager of the Barnsley Inn &Golf Resort, north of Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Next diary from Euan McGlashan: 22 November