Phew... We Made It!
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Maison Talbooth reopened on 12th April, the new treatment rooms (at Maison Talbooth) on 14th of April and milsoms Kesgrave Hall on the 26th April - all on time and all... over budget! As you can imagine, the last six months has been an incredible ride and we always knew that running two such large projects at the same time would have its ‘moments’! We are very excited by what has been created which exceeds all our expectations. I must at this point pay tribute to my wife Geraldine, as much of the burden in terms of design, finishes and acting as the principal point of contact with the builders has been borne by her. She has managed it all brilliantly despite all the conflicting pressures, including a very busy home life with Charlie and Jack. The Hills Group, who are our partners at Kesgrave and also the contractors at Maison, have been a pleasure to work with and have completed everything on time to a very high standard. A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words so we have tried to include as many as possible in this Newsletter. However, to use another cliché, ‘seeing is believing’ so do find a reason to visit both Mason Milsom Hotels & Restaurants Summer 2008 Maison Talbooth - too good to leave. The thinking behind the Maison Talbooth development was to create an environment FAQ’s which guests really did not want to leave. Now with the treatment rooms, Garden Room, How many rooms are there? Pool House, swimming pool and tennis court 12 – the three new rooms are on the second floor and have amazing views. as well as the lovely gardens there are plenty Do I still have to have breakfast in my suite? of good reasons to just relax in Dedham. With the addition of the new Garden Room we envisage that most guests will have their breakfast in there. The Maison’s experienced team of Bridget Stanley (General Manager), What dining / menus will be available? Mariann Read and Claire Maund have been boosted by new We will be exteni ng the menu options in the Garden Room with an emphasis recruits Tracey Allen, Janine Buitenhofftencate and Nicky Hyland on light healthy eating throughout the day. on reception. Rachel Anderson, the hotel’s new chef has joined us from Le Talbooth and is supported by Jo Burr. Some of you may remember How many Treatment Rooms are there? Jo from her days at Le Talbooth, Paul was about 6 when she started Three - the largest has 2 treatment beds which will be great for sharing - there! More recently she has been heading up Lay & Wheeler’s kitchen mother and daughter days for example. at the Wine Market. When will the Treatment Rooms open? The treatment rooms staff are headed by Emma Mallet with full time Now - we have three fully qualified full time therapists plus 2 part time. senior therapists Clare Shaw, Hayley Charles not forgetting Anna Taylor What treatments will be available? and Lisa Sutton who work part time. Everything! Dermalogica facials, pedicures, manicures, body treatmet s, If we have not answered all your questions in the column opposite oxyjet and much much more - there is more information on the back cover then feel free to call the team! Tel: 01206 322367 and you can also phone for a treatment brochure. Are treatments available to people not staying at the hotel? Yes - very much so; Just call the hotel and book a session or a Spa package - 12 luxurious bedrooms. see below. In 1969 Gerald had the highly innovative idea of not using room Are there Spa packages? numbers but naming the rooms after British poets an idea that has Yes - these will offer a number of treatments, a light lunch and use of the subsequently been widely adopted across the country house hotel pool / tennis court. sector. Each room has at least one of their most recognised poems on display. Three new rooms, means three new names and the What are the hours of opening? selection has been hotly debated including by the Milsom family Te Treatment Rooms are open 7 days a week from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm so over their annual Christmas lunch. The results of these very sober there’s a time to suit everyone. and academic deliberations were as follows: Are there any other products that will be used? John Betjeman - Trebetherick and Greenaway Oxyjet, Jessica for nails, Fake Bake for tanning, Jinny lashes... The list goes on. Henry Newbolt - Drake’s Drum and Vitai Lampada (Torch of life) Will there be a membership system? TS Eliot - McCavity The Mystery Cat and Preludes No. Although we plan to offer benefits for Talbooth Club members at a We are taking the opportunity to revisit all the poems currently later date. displayed in the rooms and updating the books on each poet. We’ll be testing guests when they arrive for dinner at Le Talbooth! Can I use the pool / tennis court if I am not staying at the hotel? Yes, if you are on a Day Spa package. Unfortunately we are not able to With 12 bedrooms in total the hotel will be ideal for our House Parties accommodate people wanting to just drop in for a swim. and we are seeing this as a significant area of growth. There will, we are sure, be some spectacular parties held in the Pool House too! Can I just go and have lunch in the Garden Room? Yes you can - it’s a light menu and you need to book. Is the pool complex available for private parties? No - but if you book the hotel for a house party you get the use of all the facilities. What meeting facilities are there? The Garden Room and the Dining Area in the Pool House can both be used for meetings on either a daily or 24 hour delegate rate. Are you still offering wedding services? Yes - we still have a Civil Wedding license and we think with the new facilities that we have even more to offer in this area. Can I come and see for myself? Feel free to call in when you’re passing, the team will be delighted to show you around and offer you a glass of Champagne! - Betjeman - just one of the new bedrooms at Maison. www.milsomhotels.com - The Garden Room - a quiet and peaceful lunchtime location... ...a room with a view! - the perfect location for lounging... - NEW Pool House at Maison Talbooth - the finest detail. Maison Talbooth and the treatment rooms. Milsom Hotels & Restaurants Summer 2008 milsoms Kesgrave Hall Our initial enthusiasm for Kesgrave Hall as the next milsoms has been truly vindicated as the project has developed and the new internal spaces created are even better than we first thought! Particular highlights include the bar / dining area with great views over the terrace and gardens as well as into the ‘Engine Room’ and the three signature suites with baths located in the middle of the bedroom - stunning! As the pictures show the project has successfully created a contemporary feel whilst retaining the important period features. - Kesgrave Hall... a stunning location to eat, drink, stay. The Kesgrave Team You’ll be pleased to see Matt Bain (who was Restaurant Manager at milsoms in Dedham) has been moved to Restaurant Manager at Kesgrave Hall. He is joined by Kat Daines who has moved from milsoms (where she was Bar Manager) to become the Bar Manager. Running the kitchen will be Stuart Oliver who was the second chef at Le Talbooth with Lee O’Neil from milsoms as his second chef. In the early days Stas Anastasiades, our Operations Director, will be very much in evidence to ensure that everything gets off to a flying start. The rest of the team have been recruited locally and we were able to bring many of them to Dedham prior to opening in order to show them what we want to achieve. - welcome! The garden and grounds Kesgrave Hall is set in 38 acres. There is a huge lawned area in front of the house which will be ideal for the children to kick a football about whilst parents enjoy a leisurely lunch on the terrace. Beyond this there is an extensive wooded area… thank you to all those who had a Kesgrave Christmas tree this year! The woods have not been managed for some years and to be honest, woodland management is a bit outside our normal expertise! However by happy coincidence sister-in-law Jenny Milsom is the Deputy Principal at Otley College (4 miles up the road) who specialise in this area with a number of courses for arboriculture. They are always searching for RWEs (Real Working Environments) for their students and as such we are working - a brigade of chefs. together to manage the woods. www.milsomhotels.com FAQ’s Where is it? At the Martlesham/Park & Ride roundabout north of Ipswich turn left at the traffic lights onto the B1214 (which is signposted Ipswich). After approx ¼ mile turn right into Hall Road – the entrance to Kesgrave Hall is on the left. Is there car parking? Masses! Will the menu be the same as milsoms in Dedham? The menu will have similarities to milsoms in Dedham but head chef Stuart Oliver will have a different style. He is very keen to promote all that is great about local Suffolk produce. What about the food prices? Very much the same as milsoms in Dedham. Can we just come for a drink? Yes by all means you’re more than welcome! What beers will you offer? Greene King is the supplier and we will therefore be offering IPA and a changing selection of guest beers.