DIGITAL
SPY – Feb 11
A struggling hotel has introduced Fawlty
Towers theme weekends, taking inspiration from the '70s sitcom.
Hit by the recession, manager Lorraine Godwin - who plays the part of nagging wife Sybil Fawlty - enlisted the help of her son Tom to play Spanish waiter Manuel and boyfriend Andy Hillier as Basil.
Godwin, 51, said: "Andy is so good at playing Basil [that] I think if a producer comes here and sees him in action, he could end up in the West End. "Basil will often pick on people but [the guests] love it."
Those staying at the Richmoor Hotel in Weymouth, Dorset are treated to Basil's insults as well as staff messing up their food orders, searching for an escaped rat and moving a fake corpse.
Godwin added: "When Manuel's rat turns up in the cheese and biscuits, we've had women screaming. Luckily, it's not a real rat."
The themed weekends have been a success for the hotel, and the establishment is planning to hold them more often.
Hit by the recession, manager Lorraine Godwin - who plays the part of nagging wife Sybil Fawlty - enlisted the help of her son Tom to play Spanish waiter Manuel and boyfriend Andy Hillier as Basil.
Godwin, 51, said: "Andy is so good at playing Basil [that] I think if a producer comes here and sees him in action, he could end up in the West End. "Basil will often pick on people but [the guests] love it."
Those staying at the Richmoor Hotel in Weymouth, Dorset are treated to Basil's insults as well as staff messing up their food orders, searching for an escaped rat and moving a fake corpse.
Godwin added: "When Manuel's rat turns up in the cheese and biscuits, we've had women screaming. Luckily, it's not a real rat."
The themed weekends have been a success for the hotel, and the establishment is planning to hold them more often.
“Fawlty Towers is here in Weymouth”
TripAdviser 10 April
2012
The only thing going
for this pitiful hotel is the location. There isn't a proper space for parking
the car. Customer service skills is zero. Rooms are a joke. Entertainment is
for the living dead. The bar prices are not cheap as they claim. The only
slightly good thing is the food which is served in a cheap basement conversion.
I have never complained about accommodation but on this occasion i just couldnt
ignore it. I will never be going back to this hotel even if they payed me. And
i would not recommend it to my worst enemy! Pay a bit more and get a decent
place to stay. [See what I’m saying – this is dated almost a year before ‘we’/they
began doing Fawlty Towers, and they STILL went ahead with it! Crazy!]
GroupON 12 Feb 2013
The Richmoor Hotel Doffing its cap to the traditions of the English seaside, The
Richmoor Hotel surveys the blue swathes of Weymouth Bay from its Esplanade
position and delights its guests with live entertainment such as its 'Faulty'
Towers nights
Doffing
its cap to the traditions of the English seaside The
Richmoor Hotelsurveys the blue swathes of Weymouth Bay from its Esplanade
position and delights its guests with live entertainment such as its 'Faulty'
Towers nights.
The
Hotel
Retaining its original
Georgian style, this refurbished seafront hotel spreads an array of modern
amenities over four floors. Stately canopies welcome guests in to the hotel,
where home-cooked fare is whizzed up by chefs in Shelley's Restaurant and a
well-stocked traditional bar keeps glasses topped up. Located close to the
beach, guests can kick back on the lounge's comfy sofas after days filled with
seaside wanderings.
The
Entertainment
Quiet evenings will be
perked up with belly-shaking laughter and live entertainment, as three-course
meals are served up by the 'Faulty' Towers gang. The themed skits will be
performed by much-loved characters, and take place on each night of the stay.
Hotel
Address
The Richmoor Hotel, 146
The Esplanade, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 7NP
Buying
Options
Stay
for two
In a double or twin en-suite
with full English breakfast each morning and a three-course dinner each night
·
£89 for a two night stay (Up to 56% off)
·
£149 for a three night stay (Up to 50% off)
Reviews
The Richmoor Hotel
earned an encouraging 3.5/5 stars from TripAdvisor users. While some encountered a wait
for service, the majority of reviewers found personnel helpful. The comfortable
rooms, seaside setting, flavoursome cuisine and calm public areas attracted
further praise.
This is Dorset 9 Feb 2013
A Weymouth hotel has
taken inspiration from a well-loved TV show to create a ‘Fawlty’ experience.
The Richmoor Hotel on
the Esplanade has been booking in the laughs and cooking up a storm by taking
inspiration from TV show Fawlty Towers.
Guests have been
treated to a hotel stay and dining experience with a little something different
– from a ‘health inspector’ talking to ‘Basil’ about the state of his hotel, to
‘Sybil’ and ‘Polly’ trying to keep everything running smoothly and ‘Manuel’
trying to find his escaped pet rat.
The skits are all part
of a light-hearted weekend break or dining experience. The ‘staff’ said they
took inspiration from moments and characters of the popular show and ‘ran away’
with them.
The Echo was shown one
of the scenarios the staff performed where they got one diner, Nick Bourne, to
pretend to be a health inspector and ‘Basil’ and ‘Sybil’ tried to sort
everything out – while diners clapped and laughed along.
Owner of the hotel
Loraine Godwin, who plays ‘Sybil,’ said that visitors and guests loved the idea
and people had left comments saying what a great time they had.
She said: “It’s hard
work but it’s such fun.”
She said she had been
thinking about doing a theme weekend for years when a friend put her in touch
with Andy Hillier, from Bristol, and the pair chatted about it.
Mrs Godwin said her
friend told her Mr Hillier was a ‘real John Cleese character’ and that if he
ever ‘let loose’ in a hotel it would be like Fawlty Towers.
Mrs Godwin said: “He
can be very over the top.”
Mr Hillier joked he
was ‘press ganged’ into playing ‘Basil,’ and said it was great fun interacting
with the guests and other ‘characters.’ He said: “It takes on a life of its own
– people expect the outrageous.”
He added: “People love
to have fun.”
Audience participation
is actively encouraged and a sense of humour is a must.
The pair, who are now
a couple, said they had only done a few themed weekends but they had gone well
and everyone had enjoyed themselves.
DAILY STAR 11 Feb 2013
A HOTEL which began holding Fawlty Towers weekends in a bid to
beat the recession is being deluged with bookings.
Comedy
fan Lorraine
Godwin came up with the idea after struggling to get guests to stay at her
seaside establishment.
She plays Sybil Fawlty while boyfriend Andy Hillier takes the star role of Basil and her son Tom is put-upon waiter Manuel.
With the help of friends they put on skits based on classic episodes of the sitcom
at The Richmoor
in Weymouth, Dorset.
And the 27-room hotel is now booked up weeks in advance as fans of the show flock to the resort. Lorraine, 51, said: “I’m a massive fan of the show."
She plays Sybil Fawlty while boyfriend Andy Hillier takes the star role of Basil and her son Tom is put-upon waiter Manuel.
With the help of friends they put on skits based on classic episodes of the sitcom
And the 27-room hotel is now booked up weeks in advance as fans of the show flock to the resort. Lorraine, 51, said: “I’m a massive fan of the show."
[I wonder what Loraine
did to get this posted?!]
Ez a legvacakabb szálloda
Szándékosan udvariatlanok és gorombák a
vendégekkel, mégis remekül fut a szekér.
A Weymouthban lévő Richmoor Hotel tulajdonosnője, Lorraine
Godwin természetesen a Waczak szálló (Fawlty Towers) című brit
vígjátéksorozatból vette az ötletet. A személyzet igyekszik minél hűbben
igazodni az eredetihez annak másolásában. Godwin fia alakítja Manuelt, az
angolul alig tudó spanyol pincért, akivel mostohán bánik mostohája, nevezetesen
a nő élettársa, gyakran csépeli – ám csak viccből.
A játék interaktív, a személyzet bevonja a vendégeket, akiknek
nemigen vannak normális elvárásai a kiszolgálást illetően, mivel tudják hova
mentek “vendégségbe”, sőt, éppen azért mentek oda. Nem csalódnak. Rendeléseiket
rendre összekeverik, a menedzser – a tulajdonosnő párja – állandóan beleköt a
vendégekbe, bosszantja őket, ám nem bánják ezt, sőt, kifejezetten igénylik és
szeretik.
Az estek fénypontja a patkány, amely Manuelé, és amely sajtok és
sütemények közül bukkan elő. A patkány nem igazi, a női sikolyok viszont igen –
adta hírül a brit Metro újság.
And
this all the way from Hungary – when, oh, when will this ball stop rolling –
and where?!
And
you thought you had escaped from all this Fawlty Towers folderol – aha!
Talked
to Leah in preparation of our visit next week. Oliver was intent on speaking
with me – seems he needed to tell me something very important: he has come down
with chicken pox! For fun!!
Photos_
1- Basil
and Manuel – John Cleese and Andrew Sachs (German-born British dude acting
Spanish) Did you know John Cleese, now 73, is 6’5” tall?!
2- Basil
and Manuel – Andy and Tom
3- The
whole Fawlty cast (just found this photo online – I knew it had been taken (I WAS
there!) but I’d never seen it.
