stop over as an observer. If the wedding went off without any major glitches, it became a feather in MoonStar's cap and would generate long term publicity. If on the other hand it failed, plenty of damage control would be needed for current guests and future ones which required Cathy's presence anyway. As it was, because of this wedding, guests with previous reservations on the same dates were refunded or their trips postponed with big discounts. Neither of which was an easy feat to accomplish.
Two days before, when Cathy arrived, she noted obvious tensions running high among the wedding troupe and the associates at MoonStar Edinburgh. All rooms of every category were fully booked. The wedding was a five day event with the first day being the welcome dinner. This would be followed by the wedding rehearsal on day two. Stag night and a hen party would be on day three then the wedding ceremony followed by a dinner and a wedding high tea on the last day. At least one hundred part-timers had been recruited to join forces with the property's service team of three hundred associates.
Painstaking efforts had been made by the Events Department in the past eight months. They had planned everything down to the last second when the confetti balloons were set to burst. But even with the best laid plans, it was always better to make room for disasters. As Cathy neared the Fleming Hall, she heard a piercing scream and the loud clutter of cutlery shattering on the wooden floor. She quickened her pace and stepped in to see the bride-to-be Angela, flinging cutlery carts to the floor.
A few Banquet associates were lined up in front of her and watched while a few tried to hide their amusement. The Banquet Manager, Ronald did his best to pacify her. After the irate bride stomped off, he barked at his junior associates to pick up the cutlery and have each piece wiped again. Cathy approached him with a raised eyebrow. Laughing heartily by the time Cathy got to him, she was not sure if it was a pure funny tickle or the stress from the past few days had finally gotten to him.
He acknowledged her with a nod.
"She had wanted patterned cutlery for the wedding day dinner. These were plain. I was trying to explain to her that these are for tomorrow's welcome dinner ... she wasn't listening, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders as Cathy smiled.
"I'm free for the night so tell me what to do," she said.
"We need to place the cutlery on the tables and then fold the napkins. Once the tables, chair covers, centre pieces and wall flowers are ready, we'll need to work our string magic again just to make sure nothing was moved ... you know, the usual."
"Right, I'll grab a cutlery tray and get to work," Cathy said as she tied her hair back and put on an apron.
To maintain true hotelier spirit, this was what you had to do. Irrelevant of rank or experience, you learnt from the bottom. When it got to peak periods, it meant all hands on deck. If unsure, you asked but there was no such thing as not doing unless you wished to have your food spat on in the kitchen before it was served to you.
In a far corner, she saw a few Banquet associates already working their 'string magic'. With more than three hundred tables to go, it would definitely be a long night. What the guests saw as tables and chairs neatly in a row was actually the result of hours of measuring and adjusting. If the floor did not have markers, a string was used to measure the distances from each table to ensure equal and adequate space for guests to move around. Details, details and more details. Even if guests were not interested, the hotel's ability to churn out a masterpiece rested on how much time and effort was spent on details. The finer the masterpiece, the happier the guest and higher the revenue. It was pure simple logic at the end of the day.
As the hours wore on, Cathy heard some of the servers talking about Angela. She glanced at Ronald
Two days before, when Cathy arrived, she noted obvious tensions running high among the wedding troupe and the associates at MoonStar Edinburgh. All rooms of every category were fully booked. The wedding was a five day event with the first day being the welcome dinner. This would be followed by the wedding rehearsal on day two. Stag night and a hen party would be on day three then the wedding ceremony followed by a dinner and a wedding high tea on the last day. At least one hundred part-timers had been recruited to join forces with the property's service team of three hundred associates.
Painstaking efforts had been made by the Events Department in the past eight months. They had planned everything down to the last second when the confetti balloons were set to burst. But even with the best laid plans, it was always better to make room for disasters. As Cathy neared the Fleming Hall, she heard a piercing scream and the loud clutter of cutlery shattering on the wooden floor. She quickened her pace and stepped in to see the bride-to-be Angela, flinging cutlery carts to the floor.
A few Banquet associates were lined up in front of her and watched while a few tried to hide their amusement. The Banquet Manager, Ronald did his best to pacify her. After the irate bride stomped off, he barked at his junior associates to pick up the cutlery and have each piece wiped again. Cathy approached him with a raised eyebrow. Laughing heartily by the time Cathy got to him, she was not sure if it was a pure funny tickle or the stress from the past few days had finally gotten to him.
He acknowledged her with a nod.
"She had wanted patterned cutlery for the wedding day dinner. These were plain. I was trying to explain to her that these are for tomorrow's welcome dinner ... she wasn't listening, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders as Cathy smiled.
"I'm free for the night so tell me what to do," she said.
"We need to place the cutlery on the tables and then fold the napkins. Once the tables, chair covers, centre pieces and wall flowers are ready, we'll need to work our string magic again just to make sure nothing was moved ... you know, the usual."
"Right, I'll grab a cutlery tray and get to work," Cathy said as she tied her hair back and put on an apron.
To maintain true hotelier spirit, this was what you had to do. Irrelevant of rank or experience, you learnt from the bottom. When it got to peak periods, it meant all hands on deck. If unsure, you asked but there was no such thing as not doing unless you wished to have your food spat on in the kitchen before it was served to you.
In a far corner, she saw a few Banquet associates already working their 'string magic'. With more than three hundred tables to go, it would definitely be a long night. What the guests saw as tables and chairs neatly in a row was actually the result of hours of measuring and adjusting. If the floor did not have markers, a string was used to measure the distances from each table to ensure equal and adequate space for guests to move around. Details, details and more details. Even if guests were not interested, the hotel's ability to churn out a masterpiece rested on how much time and effort was spent on details. The finer the masterpiece, the happier the guest and higher the revenue. It was pure simple logic at the end of the day.
As the hours wore on, Cathy heard some of the servers talking about Angela. She glanced at Ronald
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