Suffolk One College students experience customer service in Aldeburgh

A party of Ipswich students had a day at the seaside - at Aldeburgh - to find out about the realities of working in the customer service industry.

The year 12 hotel management students from Suffolk One College travelled to Aldeburgh to apply their customer service college-based studies to on-site hotel experience. Working with the TA Hotel Collection, the students visited both the White Lion and Brudenell hotels on the Suffolk coast.

They were greeted by the hotels’ general manager, Peter Osborne at the White Lion.

The students were given a tour of the hotel including the Bar & Brasserie restaurant and the relaxing sea view rooms.

They also had the opportunity to work in the kitchen, preparing meringues for Eton Mess and decorating biscuits. Before lunch in the Brasserie, the students were shown the fisherman’s huts and smoke house opposite the hotel and tasted some of the fresh local produce used in their menus.

After lunch the students headed along the seafront to the Brudenell, where they had a tour of the front of house areas and kitchens, which enabled them to compare the customer service provided by the two hotels.

On visiting the rooms at the Brudenell, the students were surprised that a local hotel could provide such luxury and excellent customer service.

Having thoroughly enjoyed their day. One of the students said; “We had a great time at both hotels, and were made to feel like guests experiencing the high standards of customer service they receive”.

They added: “The bedrooms in both hotels were amazing and we were impressed with their attention to detail – especially the personalised soft toys for children.”

Peter Osborne will also be meeting the students for a more in depth presentation and discussion on customer service s time.

He will be explaining why the hotels are so successful and be giving examples of excellent customer service that he has experienced during his career in the industry.

For more information about the White Lion and Brudenell hotels visit www.whitelion.co.uk and www.brudenellhotel.co.uk.