Inside the Merchant, Episode 2 Full BBC Documentary 2016

this is the merchant hotel a luxurious landmark in a booming belfast once the bank headquarters its grand facade no concedes a sumptuous playground for this seriously wealthy powered by a large staff committed to five-star service hello and classic cocktail this week the hotel is fully booked unfunctional at full throttle there's a dinner for their peers Northern Ireland's top hotel yers no pressure a tricky new venture gigs for kids it's a daunting departure for me and a mammoth makeover from John laughter Diller well refinish they'll be perfect [Music] the hotel handbook is the staff Bible with strict rules for clothing and conduct for the hectic week ahead executive housekeeper Eve reminds her troops of the need to be perfectly turned out dead she was nicely polished over okay and Sophie nobody had today thank you and husband very good very good everyone is keeping to the rules very well presented yeah if you were coming to stay in a hotel of this standard and you met a housekeeper that wasn't presented in a professional manner that would already please something in your mind I think mmm I thought well the housekeeper looks like what's not going to say about the bedroom or the toilets or the whatever so therefore I then try to instill lot and my staff that they take a pride in themselves which then is reflected into their work we're going to start off with personal hygiene so every day you must have taken a bath rush or and use the orderin before you come into work because even if you've had a bath ashore we all get sweaty when we're working and it's not a nice for someone to come in behind you your personal hygiene is extremely important and it also is important for the people who work alongside you as well okay change your shirt and your under clothing daily regularly brush your teeth and share your breath is fresh for example of a smoker speaking to a guest that won't be nice if they're breathing smoke around smoke-filled breath around the guest now we'll get to the hair and so hair must be a natural color as blonde black red or brown and nothing unnatural such as purple green and all the time needs to be kept neatly and groomed all the time all shoes should be black and socks should be black or time with no perfect we cannot wear our shoes with no socks so black or tan yeah that's all clear do we understand we're clear on everything it's the gas first impression of us and we want to make a good one and that's what this is all about thank you [Music] this hotel prides itself on giving young people our foot in the door in the hospitality industry 18 year old Sophie started on work experience and is now employed three days a week I find a challenging at times but I like to meet new goals for myself want to do something wrong I do always get it corrected and make sure do it right it has to be up to high standards cuz there are very high I've only had a couple really really nasty people but I think man or far qinger than women on one nickel india1 said to me I got the her brush to her dry the clothes one of our room is hard shake town on the carpet from obviously the guys getting ready Sophie really has grown and confidence grow on and scale grow on an experience she's not really here near enough full time with us so Sophie has been a real success Sophie's cleaning skills have impressed but she has fallen foul of dress code demands I have only one Pearson and that's my tongue if told me to take an eyeful do dominant know I've told me to take and I she was like so we get that silly tongue right again to command rates of over three hundred pounds per night owner bow Woolsey and his wife Patra decided to source fine furniture and antiques for all the rooms it meant a shopping spree in the markets of Paris all the antiques zilch I wasn't by myself and my wife not Mira my wife and I bought in France this material this comes from Paris this was made specially for us there's a lot of thoughts going under this or a lot of expenses gone there was a degree of haunted if you speak the Petrus you may say that I won't speak France and she did all the negotiating I would say a price and the deal agreed too quickly I would tell her to bring the price died he would tell me no you've got it you've got to negotiate another thousand pounds offer a thousand euros or whatever it was and I know here we go and and we did it we did it I couldn't afford sterile room like this it's a risk for the hotel to have such expensive opulent furniture gracing every room and on her morning patrol eagle-eyed Eve spots are horror this was one of our first rooms at checked out this morning and unfortunately the murdered table has been broken in the room but fortunately the gas told us that he accidentally he had a glass bottle off the table so in terms of us having to get this M fixed it would be in and around a 350 400 Pine mark so the gas has paid for that damage in advance if there was any other sort of damage in rooms and that there may be not honest a bite and don't tell us on check ID we would look to seek payment for damage and things because it's not acceptable if something does get broken and unless just for us to discover we will take this table away nigh em and we have a spare table brilliant we don't want the rooms to look any different for the next gas coming in and this is obviously a weekend so the hotel is completely full so we wouldn't be in a position not to be able to let this room or elephant yeah that's ground yeah this one's back from repair we'll get a cleaned up when we're cleaning the room and he'll be on the way me don't in this choice city center location space is at a premium so the hotel has created a roof guard to host private events today it is getting a seasonal makeover and a brand-new wardrobe for winter every year we themed the the roof garden for winter and summer some of our themes have been very successful others have been not so much with high hopes of success this year's theme is inspired by a children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis we've been selling the space and we've been promising tear gas going to be like this this and the other thing so it's just making sure that that's all hairy right so I'm sure it's gonna look fab it already does so far so good with only 24 hours of transformation time it's no fairy tale for the task force they also hope to recreate the Kingdom of Narnia complete with an entrance through wardrobe doors dan are you drilling holes through that door against problem with the door is it's so heavy it's and it's quite a large doorframe we would really love it at the entrance to the roof garden because naturally that's where Chico that fan turns to Narnia through the Wardrobe door so it's just proving a bit tricky to get it and where we would like it central panel came off as one bigger house so that's definitely findable and then the other one MIT's one drama developer will be finished don't be perfect if they can sort the closet crisis the hotel hopes to launch a new venture in the Narnia themed roof garden and new idea working with a minute knives for children's parties it has become a bit of a phenomenon in recent years but it's a very different market place we haven't really lived in too much before that's almost overkill on the big one we're using the space whenever it's not me being used during the day time and every know me consider use us to be us again and evening times so we are using dead space yes we're creating dreams and also maybe keeping the owner happy too what I just put the kids stuff up no kids party is going to work without some decent knowledge and today's some tantalizing tidbits are under scrutiny [Music] sampling the tasty treats are lucky grown-up managers Marco Gavin and Rachel bore chicken goes on a little bit of chips harman cheese quiche cheeseburger and then just little chocolate donuts which with the sauce on the side with these then or tonight something I would put it on the side and the children can just come along and take a dip in it was quite dry yeah yeah what's what onions maybe a lot of children eat clean you know I would imagine I know I know from from my children after the it should have one or two things that's then they want to move on to drive someone else you know the chrome on is very light like this is yeah this is on the Twitter perspective things don't eagle10 this what is like are those the best things for it because I don't get down I think they get all three layers versus no user defined off going case lag ring Johnny this is heaven mmm is amazing cuts gonna say is a strawberry and champion hope it's not just a story about me no way no you can't better this one keep that away from the kid yeah beautiful you kind of fool yourself anything else healthier yeah yeah you know I sort of lies so doughnuts it's really rich nice very bitter yeah almost levity rich we can't do all chocolate because your parents are worried about their clothes yeah goes everywhere yeah you're bringing a whole new level of logic into this yeah the neck the next one of you is in your wife trim time is running out for the roof garden transformation team and the hotel storeroom is plundered for some last-minute imposing props well we'll just get it all on the cage for a minute and then stores come run it up there - that bear huh - worried event designer rachel is at the helm of the challenge a scheduled photo shoot paths further pressure on the team in under four hours the room will be revealed on social media I am now going to spray [Music] please please put those lights on - static can't be live enough light sorry they're just the distant like them in a supermarket then we're just going to do what I would call a coil of snow around there okay so right let's not everyone we have got to be out of here by 4 o'clock and we have got four hours left we did have an issue with the narnia wardrobe doors they were supposed to be going on entry as we come in through the glass so we've compromised and we put them on this war and expose a snowy Narnia scene [Music] just trying to get any form of attachment just to hide those modern-day screws a few things she touches place the trees and then really clear up and then that's us for finished before completion petrol pops in to give her seal of approval what we'll do is we've got some snow up the gap okay and just have the snow spilling out of the Wardrobe yeah holding flora delighted I think it looks really lovely through people have got to walk in and go wow that's the reaction you want and and you know that is the reaction we get as well so it's great we're confident that we're on the right tracks while Petra appears happy with a rooftop Narnia events manager rachel has one lasting regret the doors I just thought walk into the Wardrobe and there's Narnia but the doors were on the other side but there's some things that we just can't Dane just have to let it go Rachel despite Rachel's reservation the hotel's omage to CS Lewis completes just in time for the photo shoot [Music] today sees an important event in the hotel's calendar they are hosting their peers and rivals for the Northern Ireland hotels Federation a new gourmet dinner all Northern Ireland's top hotels and restaurants are on the guest list which means great pressure in the grit room for food and beverage manager Marco 140 guests attending the dinner this evening hold them from the spirit industry no pressure it's much different to a normal day in the restaurant on top of everything in the old restaurant a little years so certainly we were watching us how on on our skills and ability but we loved it 1 4 5 6 8 9 12 14 we give the event added culinary cachet the hotel has flown in London's hottest michelin-starred chef this sizzling Harley Daboo with these events you know doing place 150 people I think six courses so a lot of organization goes into it yeah yeah this is the kind of fun they're getting you know getting stuck in as well as overseeing the food guest chef Deboo has insisted on his own table adornments complete with cabbages the table decoration do you are specific what always the chef this evening normally we wouldn't put a cabbage whatever No however not everyone is enthralled by Ali's table centerpiece I think it looks disgusting in the garden yeah that's beautiful in the garden table but definitely not in a beautiful elegant dinner table it's not up to me I'm just a dust in the system [Music] with the staff of 350 to inspire owner bill Wolsey has a rather unorthodox management technique to talk to you how much you know what families overused in business bigger companies always Twitter and on about families we have an environment where we have the highest staff retention in our industry not by a small weight but by my and that's because we empower people that's why people stairs not all this rubbish if it send a birthday card ringing not and Sanja where the university will not that sort of company we seem to attract we've dropped a nice personality you know when they and they quickly gel and no matter what department it is and everybody there's not a lot of crosswords I come across yeah there's lots of crossword well you for me well he would argue with me but then I do I can't tell him a fit girl a little white lie cuz he completely knows you're you're doing that study thing you know and I can't just don't do that anyway if I'm trying to buy myself a bit of time me and I tried admit to my mistakes want me to put together a meeting yes just as you grow you need to learn and I'm really open to all of us learn and me particular right okay you started your college as a successful self-made businessman bill is keen to help inspire the next generation today he's on the road for a series of motivational talks the first is in Bangor where he attended Technical College and started his first business we bought a pub and banger either had a sort of year which was like a nightmare so it was it was a difficult period I was actually stabbed in the bar but we held firm to our beliefs so everything I learned in that first year I've kept with me for the next 39 years in fact yeah I used to come here well it was Bangor tech to say I was a failures probably speaking to you highly of myself as a friendship and what's it's good to come back to school that I was a failure and if you can talk openly and give them an understanding that you know life is all about work plan yourself just like the opportunity was given to me you know there's not that many people that I know you know who have received the moved on life and it was easy that's all you know and they're rolling your sleeves up and I'm working hard we're off to start 360 which is an organization which looks after the vulnerable adults and kids who've had a particularly difficult start my message is all you know the same that I'm not particularly talented but I I work hard I display a certain tenacity and that's sometimes is is enough my reason for coming up here is not to show you lot hi clever I am or hi talented I am at the exact opposite it was a sort of unusual background I came from at school I was a disaster nobody could get my interesting and because of that you were sort of getting in the minor scripts you ended up like a cop successful business mom more than Ireland I right yeah so you went from being thank feeling they got that you were useless mm-hmm till they got no you thank all the speech businesses and Mully and stuff you're asking not uselessly I wasn't useless but I didn't find anything that motivated me once you find something that motivates you then you know that gets your concentration then you know your all your energies go towards that but until you get that you're lost and what you need is to be able to put food on your table our society is completely ours about fierce who deserves the most prayers me for getting paid well doing a job that I love or my father who worked every day of his life to fix machines that he here it or my mother who worked in launderettes or took an crap jobs to put food on our debt who deserves the most prayers exactly so you remember that not everybody wants to claim the greasy pool getting the job and stand on a job and enjoy and what you're doing putting food on the table says a lot about you and you lot some of you will your claim up the the greasy pool but the others who don't and don't want to deserve every bit and I think more priya's than people like me those talks seems to have gone down well one boy is keen to find out more about working in hospitality there lake acts are some way so I'm a sommelier or yeah you enjoy waiting to take I'd like to become more knowledgeable about it genuinely if you're interested we'll look at where you are and we can give you a you know a path if someone like me can do it anybody can do it I think I went well they were a really good young man so the seem to be interested so yeah I'm pleased with [Music] the hotel has its first children's party booking it is eleven-year-old Kiva's birthday and she's come to discuss the detail with Events Manager ritual I wanted to talk through the food options I think I'd like to go with the children's finger food because if the parents will probably be expecting them to have eaten yeah full table room Elin we Alden just homages good idea cubed so I also want to talk about party activities so they have things like hair braiding you know I have a 10 year old daughter myself so I know that they love the merchant so it's going to be really really fun and hopefully and the birthday card I hope will really really like it so I was thinking about color scheme what's your favorite colors purple purple dark purple or lilac lilac lilac but maybe that kind of blue might be nice you like that blue yeah I've got probably a max of 25 people coming they're all girls and I've got at least 13 people from my class say you have it at your house and then you would have to tidy up after yourself if you have it here everyone else can do it for you you get underneath in the great room it's less than an hour to the hotel's Federation dinner and although everything seems to be in place general manager Gavin casts is critical I over every detail so we have a concierge here from seven yes sir seven o'clock top pod concierge welcoming all our guests for this union you don't want to get to solve every suite just all the steps all right on right down to the bottom Thunder people yeah will do so champion served champagne serving trays devar are you have to put how many people in here 100 in two to six canapes canapes all served here with something here yes you get someone to go in just to make sure that they're all sitting exactly the theme in all tables maybe get someone with a pair of scissors just to snip any bits that are yes Abby noose yeah yeah again especially there there's a bit of a lopsided heaven yes yes no very happy the room is well it's good to see the room being used something so entirely different good to go it's a big night for us and there's a lot of attention should have focused on us and there's a few tigers that come into your hotel you certainly make sure you try and have everything justice should be so no I'm very happy I think it's gonna be a great night above in the roof garden it's time for the merchants first non grown-up gig Gavin and Rachel's summoned their inner child over last-minute preparations Gavin's not an expert on what's way Tilden like the streets I would not have any child has only the an aversion that I haven't tried it's not really how I've seen them in before that's not usually the catering that we would normally do either we have to leave some for the kids I have never eaten as many sweets in my dad so nice I can't I asked you can't eat anymore the girls are going to arrive at reception we've got a sign there Oh tray service for their non-alcoholic Vito's then the girls will come in they're going to play it by eat the sweets it's going to come on afternoon tea stands the Wi-Fi code is because you know this generation they're all about the Instagram I can't get over the house no no Reverend 11 your birthday party where the Bandidos makes you at the Wi-Fi code it's a daunting departure for me it's just not a world I would know a lot about so rachel has a daughter run by the same age so I've had that everybody actually really saw her responsibility make sure that everything goes according plan today which are know will yeah I love her and I've loved chatting with cave about all her plans and what wants for the day I just want to make sure it fun so I'll be a steep learning curve for something today but they will tell us they won't they cut weird by the time they arrived tonight and be dark outside to the fairy lights are never gonna taken over in the patio area so we'll just turn justin beiber a little bit they'll fill start the the ran hello dear she looks way better Taylor sweaty hey be done since common totes sweet but forget Gavin and Rachel this is all about the birthday girl her guests their moves on those celebrated cocktails not the Marchant fresh mint fresh lime apple juice the chicken of the circle rice let me know with Harpo nice [Music] quite a friend you keep forgetting if they're all children but yeah they'll seem to be having a brilliant time it's so funny and you know they're so into the Wi-Fi and pushing on and scrum they're just taking constant selfies it's funny and it's really funny to see no other conversations by the elephant's we have a really nice bag man [Music] job done kids parties may no turn into a regular feature but how did Marco fare with the great and good of the Northern Irish hotel industry went very well very happy guests been all from the spirit industry obviously you always a bit concern was with the feedback you're gonna get delighted to the other night lots of you could pay compliment to the surveys very pleased very proud [Music] [Applause]

Channel: secretslifeofhospitalbed

Views: 61,082

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Id: nu1XDt6dosw

Length: 29min 6sec (1746 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 22 2016