AS EACH business in the hospitality industry closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down, staff members at the Caledonian Hotel Motel didn't let this get them down.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
As soon as some aspects of the business went into hibernation, owner David Cunningham took a deep breath and surveyed the situation.
“Once we knew we had to close, we took a minute and as a team discussed what we would do during this time,” he said.
Despite the hotel not bringing in the money like it had in the past, Mr Cunningham and his landlord were able to strike a deal that would help keep the business afloat.
“I'm so thankful, because with that flexibility we could complete our next step without that pressure hanging over us,” he said.
After a few weeks of closure, Mr Cunningham was able to get a few staff members in to open up Latte Lane, which allowed cash to slowly flow in.
And all the while, the team began to make changes to the business.
“After a bit of a breather, we got straight into preparing for an extended closure and renovations,” Mr Cunningham said.
Mr Cunningham and his small team began disconnecting and moving kegs up from the cellar, cleaning the lines, sorting and discarding food from the kitchen, among other jobs.
After the preparations were done, the real fun was about to begin.
“We saw lock-down as an opportunity to do some renovations we'd been thinking about doing for a while now,” Mr Cunningham said.
After JobKeeper kicked in, staff came to lend a helping hand to redo the bar area, toilets, beer garden and cellar, reorganise the kitchen, take out the cool room in the bottle shop and install a few new gadgets here and there.
“We definitely took advantage of the time we were closed,” Mr Cunningham said.
“Renovations that would have taken us years if we were open were being done in nine weeks — it was great.”
And while changes were happening within the business, Mr Cunningham was finally able to have time to himself.
“While I'm working, my mind is running a million miles an hour,” he said.
“I would be making sure my staff were on task, keeping an eye on the bar and the phones, serving customers among everything else, but now I have time to think.
“I've been in the hospitality industry since I was at university in England so it's been a nice change. I could go for a run or spend time with my family.”
And once everything was in order and restrictions began to lift, there was a newfound appreciation for the hotel's loyal customers.
“Since we've had our doors open, we've been able to appreciate the ones who have supported us through it all,” Mr Cunningham said.
And while there are still COVID-19 restrictions in place, each part of the Caledonian is open for business.
You can visit the team in the pub from 10 am until close, Latte Lane from 6 am until 2 pm and the motel for reservations.
You can contact the team by phone on 5482 2100 or make a motel booking online at https://www.thecal.com.au/
13°C