Worried about venue

Sonrisa

Looking for some advice- have booked a venue for reception for early next year. It’s not super expensive but not cheap either. Visited recently for lunch and thought it was fine but some things needed a bit of work e.g a bit of power washing needed outside, grounds needed a bit of maintenance. We had a look into the reception room and the carpet was a bit grimy (although they may have had something there the previous night). Nothing horrific but I was with my mother who has extremely high standards who may have freaked me out a bit. Noted that a few recent reviews have been fairly average, although most still excellent- some reviews noted staff seemed inexperienced and a bit of maintenance needed. But then a lot of reviews still glowing! Am I just having a wobble or should I talk to the wedding coordinator about it? Is it probably down to post Covid issues and should I just trust they’ll have it sorted by early next year?

Dempo1

Hi,

I'm assuming you had some good experience of the venue prior to making the booking.

It is a very trying time for a lot of venues in hospitality generally, and I fear many not just struggling with business challenges but staffing and critically maintenance.

I spent many years in the sector and can understand these challenges but Maintenence should never, ever be overlooked, especially presentation and this would concern me, especially at a time of year when matters you raise would be addressed.

The presence of inexperienced staff in hotel's, particularly is unfortunately being widely reported again primarily caused by a lack of experienced staff retained throughout the Pandemic and the fact many have left the industry. I can't say for sure how long this crisis will go on far but certainly a year or more, however and more importantly & this said, you mention good reviews and I'm sure the Venue will make every effort to insure your special occasion is managed professionally. Reviews are always subjective, very easy to weed out spurious from the genuine, but remember a large event is very different to say a luncheon, over night stay etc.

VERY IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT SERVICE OF LARGER EVENTS LATER.

I met with couples regularly always open to suggestions etc, in fairness I managed a boutique hotel with very well maintained estate and gardens so my job was made easy, other venues I managed with no grounds a little more challenging but physical presentation always maintained, even if I had to paint myself.

I certainly address your concerns the physical presentation of the exterior presentation now.

NOW THE SERVICE OF YOUR EVENT.

I'd be hopeful that for larger events the venue has a core team of experienced service staff (I used to call them the flying squad) that are brought in to serve weddings and larger events so I wouldn't over worry in this regard.

I'd also make it my business if possible to dine, have lunch etc a few times before your special day, something I always encouraged couples to do and share their experiences, good or bad.

To surmise, yes venues have their Challenges, but I believe communicating any concerns early is wise and most Venues retain a core & very experienced team (not necessarily employed full time) for special events who focus entirely on large functions such as weddings

Try not to over worry, it will be fine, Good luck 😊

Faith

I suppose my first question would be: why did you book the venue? What attracted you to it and made you think “yes, this is the one for me”?

I remember viewing a venue when they were setting up for a wedding. They put out a red carpet and it was filthy. It was more brown than red and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. That, along with a few other cosmetic issues, put me right off.

was your venue like this when you booked it or has something changed?