Saturday, February the 7th, 2004
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Now : you know and I know that Hooting Yard is not the place to visit to read the latest headlines. However, yesterday's Guardian had a small item that deserves attention:
A hotelier who refused to provide a free glass of tap water to a guest at a Christmas party has written to the guest suggesting she try living in the modern world. Anthony Cobley, manager of the three-star Atlantic hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, said in his letter to Sally Burchell, a social worker, that he could do without her as a customer. Ms Burchell, 43, had to pay 85p for a glass of mineral water during the Christmas lunch for 50 colleagues from the Cornwall child protection unit. Afterwards she wrote to the hotel saying that she thought it unfair when her party had paid £18.50 a head for their meal, and spent hundreds of pounds in addition on wine and beer. Mr Cobley wrote back: “I feel the need to enlighten you about the workings of the modern world. I buy water from the South West Water Company. I buy the glasses that the water is served in. I buy the ice that goes in the water and I buy the labour to serve the water. I provide the luxury surroundings for the water to be drunk in and again pay for the labour and washing materials to wash the glass after you have used it, and you think I should provide all of this free of charge. Customers who only drink water and complain about paying for it I can certainly do without.“