Holidays - Hotel spotlight
Meet the hotelier
In the first of a new series of interviews featuring some of your favourite hotels and hoteliers, we meet Jason Bracken of The Auckland Hotel in Morecambe.
A family affair. Jason Bracken (right) with his sister Lisa, parents Valerie and Peter and manager Nigel Walker (left)
Tell us about your hotel.
We’re right on the seafront at Morecambe so a number of the rooms have sea views. We’ve enlarged and improved the hotel over the years and we now have 51 bedrooms and two rooms for coach drivers. We’re in an ideal spot for touring the Lake District, North Yorkshire and the Blackpool coast.
How long has your family had the hotel?
My parents, Valerie and Peter, took over the hotel about 30 years ago. I run the hotel now with my sister, Lisa, but our parents are still very much involved. We also have a manager, Nigel Walker, who’s been with us for about eight years.
Why is your hotel so popular with groups?
I think it’s because we’re all friendly and approachable. We’re there for people if they have any problems and we aim to iron them out as quickly as possible. Customers who come here are really like part of the family – we greet them on the coach when they arrive and we’re always there to see them off at the end of their holiday.
How important is it to maintain standards at the hotel?
Hugely important. We’re very hot on cleanliness and all of the rooms are double-checked after the chambermaids have been in. We’re always updating the hotel to keep it looking fresh – we shut down for eight weeks in the winter for maintenance and decorating.
What about the food at the hotel?
We operate waiter service in our restaurant and we’ve got a good reputation for food. It’s all home-made and traditional and guests have a choice.
Has The Auckland Hotel won any awards?
In the past ten years we’ve twice won the GTO Travel Award for ‘Best Individual Hotel’. We’ve made it to the finals on a number of occasions and we’ve been runner-up three times.
What is it like working with Airedale Tours?
We’ve been working with them since they set up 25 years ago. They’re a very good company – very professional and efficient. For instance, if guests have any special requests, these are all sorted out in advance of their stay.
Is there anything new on the horizon for the future?
We already hold a themed break called ‘Back to the 40s’ which is very popular with groups. In April we’ll be introducing a ‘60s Mania’ break. Our annual ‘turkey and tinsel’ breaks are also a big hit with groups and we’ll be carrying on with those. We’re also looking forward to developing new ground floor bedrooms and improving the public rooms in the next year or two – alongside the continuous updating of the rest of the hotel.