There can be few businesses in Guildford that embrace the ‘independent spirit’ more enthusiastically than Mandolay, the 4 star hotel and events venue on London Road.
Tami Vickery, Sales Director at Mandolay explains why being independent is so important to Mandolay, and how not being part of a group or chain allows the entire team to be creative and respond quickly to fresh ideas, often inspired by suggestions from guests.
‘We take genuine pride in our independent status, partly because it really helps when it comes to making changes so quickly. Little touches like providing flavoured popcorn in every bedroom, offering complimentary coffee at check out and selling our own range of homemade jams and preserves have all been introduced thanks to ideas from guests.
Playing an active part in town centre initiatives is also very important to us, we participate in promotions and we are always keen to promote fellow independent businesses. We have a regular feature on our blog page and social media where we ask staff to tell us why the love Guildford, and more often than not they mention shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants in town.’
Mandolay attracts guests and visitors from home and abroad, allowing the team every opportunity to ‘show off’ the wonderful places to visit in and around Guildford, as Tami explains.
‘We have maps on reception, showing places of interest and local amenities, these are hugely popular with guests and it is great to hear how enthusiastically people talk about the town and the must-see attractions like Guildford Castle Gardens and of course, the High Street. We really appreciate having a Tourist Information Centre in town as well, it’s a great place to guide people to, and the staff are so welcoming and knowledgeable’.
In recent years Mandolay has received numerous awards and accolades from the AA, English Tourism, and Conde Nast Johanssen’s to name a few, but according to Tami, it’s proudest boast is a simple one.
‘We are a hotel close to the heart of Guildford, in every possible sense’.