The Scarlet

On the 10th and 11th of May we met some wonderful people hoping to join the     Scarlet at our Exclusive Recruitment Event.  All of the Scarlet team so far were involved in helping to run the day (except for Chris; well - someone had to answer the phones!).  We all had fun meeting each other and sharing information about our unique hotel.
Down on the beach, teams were put through their paces and demonstrated amazing knowledge of, and commitment to, sustainability.  It was a fantastic day to be on the beach and we were lucky that the sun shone both days, although a little windier on the Monday!  Suzie, our Sustainability Manager acted as Master (or Mistress) of Ceremonies and our HR team, Liz and Karen, kept us organised and on time.  We were even able to do a mini beach clean at the same time!

Feedback from the day has been extremely positive – from everybody involved.  Many people have been invited back to spend more time with us.  A step nearer to joining our team!!

Ben and Steph have been running separate recruitment days for their Chefs and Spa Therapists, putting their specialised skills to the test.  I keep volunteering to be a guinea pig but somehow get overlooked!

If you are reading this and thinking “I’d love to get involved”, feel free to apply through our website.  We still have some positions available so don’t miss the chance of a lifetime!

May 20th 2009

Gill Blundell, Human Resources Manager

As Head Chef for the Scarlet, I am responsible for making sure that the team get some sustenance each day as we work hard preparing for opening.  On Friday with some bits and bobs in the fridge, it was soup that was to be the order of the day!  Seeing the wild garlic and stinging nettles that adorn each and every hedgerow that surround us I thought a little nettle and wild garlic soup would fit the bill.  In a howling gale and some serious precipitation I set out to forage for the ingredients, as I left it was suggested that Jasper, the hotel dog, might like to come along.  Jasper obviously has more sense than I, because within a few yards he was pulling back towards the house, sensible dog!  I returned about half an hour later, drenched almost to the bone, but armed with fresh ingredients for our lunch.
Taking a couple of shallots, a few sticks of celery, a potato and some thyme I peeled and roughly chopped said ingredients and showed them to a warm pan with a glug of good oil, sweated until softened before adding some corporation stock(water), a stock cube, some salt and pepper. The pan was set to simmer until the potatoes were tender, whilst I set about washing the nettle leaves and wild garlic.  If you are thinking of trying this one may I suggest a pair of rubber gloves!  Jasper found out to his discomfort that sticking his nose into the bag of nettles was even more foolish than coming out to pick them with me in the first place.
Once the potatoes were tender, I added a few big handfuls of nettle leaves and the wild garlic then bringing the whole thing back to the boil I blitzed with a little stick blender, tasted, adjusted the seasoning and poached some eggs to serve in the soup, all in all a very enjoyable little luncheon!

Ben Tunnicliffe

When we started this project one of the desires of the shareholders was that what ever was to be built should hunker down into the landscape, disappear below the skyline and not be seen as “boxy”.

I think it is fair to say that the building which is emerging is never going to be called “boxy” and is definitely hunkered down into the landscape. In fact, it has curves in abundance and this really is starting to make for a very pretty building.

But why are curves so appropriate to the design of this building? If the architectural design of The Scarlet has a theme it seems to me it is the way the building reflects nature and the natural curves all around us. In these parts, nature doesn’t do straight or flat or angular. We are blessed with the curvature of the horizon, the curve of the bay and the curl of the wave. ‘Berryl’s Point’, the headland on which our gaze is focused, dips down and the fields on this headland are shaped to suit the landscape.

Curves are at the heart of this building. As you drive down the hill towards the bay, you cannot but help to notice the four curved ‘turrets’, which are in fact the lounging space created for our Unique rooms, accessible via a spiral staircase. Driving down Tredragon Road you will also notice that the roof on this elevation is wavy, not just curved.

Within the building, the corridors curve to an extent that ensures you cannot see from one end to another. Long, straight hotel bedroom corridors tend to be so boring!! In some of the bedrooms, the walls are curved, some of the showers are in circular pods and the changing cubicles in the spa are inspired by a snails shell. The whole building is crescent shaped and as a consequence each bedroom has a slightly different focus for its view.

All of this has of course created some difficulties when it comes to construction. Timber tends to come in straight pieces as does pre-cast concrete but despite this the building is very sensual. Already it asks you to stand and admire, for your eyes to feast on the sculptural feel that all these curves evoke. If the reaction of those people who have seen this building at close quarters is anything to go by, it will be a building which pleases people and given what we wanted to achieve at the outset, this is very satisfying.

Simon Baldwin, Development Director

Sorry we’ve been a bit quiet recently, we’ve been busy recruiting our team and getting creative with our new website. We have now recruited our management team and uploaded a new look website.

Hip hip hurray! We added lots of new pictures and more information to our website so you can get a better feel for what our beautiful new hotel will be like.  This is work in progress so keep an eye on the website for more information because we will keep adding to it.

Check it out  www.scarlethotel.co.uk

The Scarlet has seen nearly every sort of weather this January!  At the beginning of the month the sun was shining, which obviously confused some of the builders as they hoovered the roof with their tops off!  On 8^th January in freezing conditions we were surprised by a wonderful display of icicles on the cliff’s and Jasper enjoyed skidding on frozen water on the beach, he is all legs now!

Then yesterday the snow came creating a wonderful winter scene (apart from that digger of course). Snowed in for the night Jasper enjoyed his first taste of snow just as the sun came up to begin to melt it all away.

Nikki Broom, General Manager

My 2009 resolution was to take Jasper for a walk on the beach every morning partially to clear my mind ready for a new day and in the hope that he would then sleep until home time. Sometimes we manage to convince Simon to join us and we then spend the time discussing what our goals for the day are. Being on the beach at the same time everyday means I am much more aware of the tides and our route is always influenced by them.

Nikki Broom, General Manager

Our first photo shoot for Scarlet took place in December 2008, and it caused a bit of a stir!

With the arrival of a hot tub for us to try out for The Scarlet’s spa, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to grab some pictures of it down on Mawgan Porth beach.  So, with the help of a few strong men we took the stylish looking tub, some logs, red wine and models down to the beach.  Our aim for the day was simply to capture the fun, laughter and romance that will be had in these additions to The Scarlet’s spa when it is open. Have a look at the pictures and see what you think!

If I ever needed a reminder about why I live in Cornwall (not often!) yesterday had to be it. Up early to a slightly frosty but beautifully sunny day we went walking along the coast path from Porthtowan to Chapel Porth and back again. By ‘we’ I mean me, my hubby (just back from Portugal) and Jasper (our 3 month old whippet puppy). Jasper will come to work with me every day at the Scarlet. He is in training so our future guests will be able to take him out when they go walking, he was very good and really, really cute!

Watching Jasper having such fun made me more appreciative of the fact that it is the simple beauty of this county that makes it so special. Running and digging on the beach, taking in the breathtaking views, meeting new friends, returning home invigorated and with cheeks on fire.

Somehow after such a perfect morning nothing seemed a chore and when I retired, the Christmas tree was up and the house clean from top to bottom. I slept well and dreamt of more days just like that! Z z z z z

Nikki Broom, General Manager

When the shareholders of Bedruthan bought the old Tredragon Hotel, the site consisted of the old 27 bed hotel including an indoor pool, bar, lounge, restaurant and terrace as well as a bungalow and garage. The hotel grounds were partially landscaped and laid to lawn, terraced in parts, divided by Cornish hedges (stone faced banks of earth) and a large area of impenetrable brambles and spiky bushes.

As part of the site preparation all the buildings needed to be demolished and taken away. Before any of this could happen and the bulldozers allowed on site, it was brought to our attention that the site was almost certainly home to slow worms, lizards and even some snakes. I discovered that slow worms are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. As a developer, we needed to take reasonable steps to prevent the killing or injuring of slow worms during the clearance of buildings, vegetation and top soil on the site.

By the time we were aware of this responsibility it was September and we needed to safely move these shy creatures before the weather got too cold and they went into hibernation. With the help of a few experts we encouraged them out of their homes with some black roof felting and strategically placed corrugated metal sheets on the ground!

The slow worms found a new home with one of the shareholders, Debbie, who is a very keen gardener. They now enjoy protecting her vegetable garden against hungry slugs!

As we cleared the site, piece by piece, we then undertook a “destructive search” whereby we took the Cornish hedges apart, stone by stone catching even more of the reptile population on the site. Finally, we carefully dug up the top layer of soil and then laid a black plastic sheet fence, partially underground, around the whole site to prevent them from returning while our backs were turned.

All in all, we were on site just over five weeks and the weather was unseasonably warm so we were able to complete this operation very successfully. In that time we caught nearly 120 slow worms, lizards and two small adders.

When we open the hotel next summer we hope that the landscaping we have undertaken, including the building of a natural pool will encourage a similar diversity of reptiles to make this site their home. We will have a number of green roofs, and much of the site will be planted with the type of wild grasses which one finds on the nearby dunes. In fact their will be no mown grass on this site at all!

Keep slow worms safe!!

Simon, Development Director

Not everybody has the opportunity to start with a blank piece of paper and say what it is they want somebody to design. Just thinking about it is scary but that is what was required if we were going to get the hotel we and our guests want. So, there was nothing else we could do but try and write a brief for our architects.

The sort of questions we asked ourselves included:

• What style of building do we want?
• How do we want the building to relate to its cliff top location?
• Who is the hotel for and how do we expect them to use it?
• What is the quality of the hotel we require?
• What does the hotel need to offer our guests?

The building needed to take advantage of the topography of the site. It slopes down towards the cliff top path and overlooks the sandy beach of Mawgan Porth. The design needed to recognise that this is the North Cornish coast and that the weather will sometimes be wet and stormy so this hotel has to make the most of the spectacular conditions that it will be exposed to.

The building will incorporate sustainability into the design; it must be integral and not just bolted on as an after thought. It will tread as softly as possible on the planet.

We want to create:

• • Lots of spaces where couples can enjoy some peace and quiet, time to reflect, slow down. Spaces with differently framed views, spaces indoors and outdoors.
• • Opportunities to meet and talk or share experiences with fellow guests. A great arrival, cosy lounges with open fires.
• Bedrooms which are unique and not all of the same size or shape.
• • A restaurant where many of the tables can appreciate the views and outside terraces for alfresco dining, and of course really yummy food!
• Cornish art and quirky stuff that makes us smile
• A warm welcome that comes from the heart of our team
• A place that encourages people to engage with nature
• Oh, and a spa that restores wellbeing and inner calm, where the ahhhh of a treatment would last for days not hours.
• To sum it up lots of variety!

How much of this brief will we have achieved? Roll on next summer, but I have to say it is looking good!!

Simon, Development Director