His responses remind me of Julian Peck's (The Fieldhead) He refuses to accept criticism, makes accusations and effects character assassinations. Resorting to personal abuse of complainants is never a very smart move either. Mike's also rather too fond of using the word 'ersatz' which I am now inclined to apply to his five star hosting skills I think he feels it makes him seem articulate and superior. It doesn't.

I don't think it's a clever idea to be so disparaging about your local competition either, in fact savvy business owners tend to work 'with' each other rather than 'against' and it's all well and good to take the plaudits when things go well, but to me it's more revealing a testimony how a host or manager responds when there's a problem.

I'm slightly confused about the breakfast situation at the Castle, because a lot of the reviews refer to Continental, with cooked from a buffet at extra cost. Maybe they've changed this or perhaps they priced to include the full cooked and served to order option for the show.
Regarding the 'debacle' I can quite see how cooks are flustered when producing breakfast alongside a camera crew in the kitchen, but for a professional and staffed 'hotel' kitchen to drop a couple of frozen items in their fryer and then get it wrong is ridiculous. To then have a hissy fit and refuse to replace the items is plain stupid.
They're positioning themselves as a luxury establishment so their public personas and level of service should support that.

Mike's from Rhodesia...having an ex-husband who is South African and who is from a very large family I've met more than my fair share of white Rhodesians and Afrikaaners among his relatives and the majority of them are just like Mike - arrogant, lofty and very class-conscious in a manner that is peculiar to white people from that part of the continent. I recall a cousin of my ex's visiting from Swaziland and his wife, who'd been born in Rhodesia, and I was introducing them to a member of my own family who has olive skin, dark hair and brown eyes. She looked at him and said over her wine glass...."Tell me, are you Anglo-Indian by any chance?".

No...he is 6th generation Australian with Irish convict blood.

I couldn't bear a moment in Mike's company to be honest.

I read that

It reminds me of good service we once had.
We were going to an afternoon wedding in Northern Ireland and booked a room at the hotel where the reception was being held. It was March and because I'd felt the weather could be unreliable I booked exceptionally early flights meaning that although we couldn't check in to our hotel until around 2pm, we were actually there by about half seven in the morning.
Likewise because of other commitments we had to leave very early the next morning, prior to breakfast service.

Feeling I had nothing to lose, I asked if it would be possible to have the breakfast which was included in our room rate, a day early and explained our circumstances

Not only did they immediately find us a table and look after us very well, they provided us with a room straight after breakfast, explaining that our room wasn't yet ready, but they wanted to give us somewhere to relax until it was.
We'd have been perfectly happy to stay in the same room, but as we'd booked a superior grade, they insisted we should have that and to clean two rooms was no problem at all.

We've also stayed somewhere abroad where the beach restaurant was closed in the afternoon, but when they saw us going in that direction, they opened it up again (and got quite a few extra customers) and a nice English B&B where the host couldn't do enough for us and even gave us a lift to a local restaurant.

All these places left lasting impressions for the right reasons

We have South African friends and I know their manner can come across as very direct if not even a little intimidating when you're not used to it.

When we stayed in Zambia at a lodge owned and run by a Rhodesian born ex military man, we must've been very lucky because he was charming and helpful and looking at his latest responses on Trip Advisor, much more suited to the hospitality industry. Probably more successful for repeat business too.

When it was decided that they would like more B&S, they were still eating. People ask for more of stuff all the time at breakfast - more tea, more milk, more coffee, more butter, more preserves, more toast..... Toast needs to be taken and put in the toaster. The B&S needed to be put in the oven. Asking for one item which merely needs to taken from the freezer and heated is hardly running the hosts ragged.

Let's not forget this wasn't a run-of-the-mill B&B. It was a high-end, luxury hotel with prices reflecting this. If the hosts can't be bothered to heat up a couple of frozen B&S, then it's a bad reflection of their place and them.

No-one was run ragged. Karen is a trained chef and she even had waiters to serve the breakfast. If it was that stressful, perhaps Mike should have got off his backside and helped. But that never happened. Karen behaved dreadfully whereas she should have kept her mouth shut, smiled and just got on with it.

As I said before, these two are very superior but they're not very bright because they've behaved like total @rses on TV.

I nearly mentioned him!

Not very bright is he?

Just posted something similar.

^^^ This. I've come across similar. What a shame these types still exist in this day and age.

I don't know if it has been said, but Mike to me looks a bit like an aging Lennon.

Certainly nowhere near as bright as he thinks he is


I can see what you mean. I've also seen him compared to the late Peter Sellers. Not sure if the posters meant in his Clouseau guise

He's certainly got a lot of hair for his age.

When he was sitting at the table talking about class, all I could think was Lennon, then at the end he pulls out the Lennon circle glasses too!

Agree. I used to work for a large service industry and we so disliked South Africans. This was back in apartheid era. Talk of "House Boys" and so on was akin to the 60s. They to us were from a past Century.
The fact that he said "Rhodesia" said it all to me.

she certainly let the `posh` facade slip....you`re right, she`d be better being herself .

I think thats a very good description, he is fine and dandy while things are going his way, cross him though and he seems to flip a bit.

I always like to read the poor and terrible reviews, not because of the reviews but because of the type of replies given. it puts me off if they dismiss the customer or start to call them names.

This girl coming up tonight is everything I dislike in hospitality, especially her nails. Her nails stay on for weeks before being inspected. In that time, anything could be growing underneath.
Anyway, we'll see.

Does she apply her makeup in the dark? It's like day glo makeup.

No Mike tonight! there's a relief. she might be ok away from him.

Urgent business,, he's probably just nodded off under another floppy hat

Uncouth and vulgar but at least she's not a hypocrite.

Ugh night storage heaters.

Far too many recaps again

The sea scares her . stupid old bat.

Oh the sausage on a plate.
The woman who sent her cracked egg back, had a pork sausage along with smoked haddock. Is that normal?

See Mike is other wised occupied, maybe in the confines of our Police Service?

Sadly not it seems

Oh well

Rooms are nice. Do any get a sea view I wonder.