Each week Exmouth Nub News will be featuring a different business or organisation in the town to help support our wonderful community.

This week, we speak to Thomas Lelliott of the Manor Hotel, Exmouth.

Tell us about the hotel?

Manor Hotel is a quiet, pleasant and charming family run hotel with 40 rooms and a small selection of happy, well-motivated team members offering a much more personal and friendly side to a hospitality service; no matter what the request is we are always happy to help, especially when it comes to knowledge on the local area - restaurant/activity recommendations as well as directions.

Our main business comes from the UK, people looking for staycations and weekend

getaways, business travels and family gatherings.

We have a cocktail bar and restaurant, offering both lunch and dinner, cream teas and afternoon tea.

What is the history of the hotel?

Manor Hotel has a Grade II listing because of its historical significance to Exmouth and East Devon. It is not only the area's oldest surviving hostelry, it was actually also one of the first built too.

Originally called The Beacon Hotel, back in the 1790s, it served as a coaching inn and it would have been kept busy, both for its enviable location and because - as the railway did not reach Exeter till the mid 1840s - horse and carriage was the only mode of long distance travel.

Manor Hotel has had its share of famous visitors too. As the Blue Plaque from Exmouth Historical Society describes, Franz Liszt (a Hungarian composer/pianist and teacher) was a visitor in 1840, as well as actually performing here at the then Beacon Hotel.

1. How are you different to other hotels?

Our main aim is to help make the stay one of your most memorable. Our bar (TUCCS@MANOR) boasts a plethora of both alcoholic and soft beverages; variety is something we pride ourselves on.

This includes 20 different gins, 22 different whiskeys, a two-page wine list, 12 rums and 10 different cognacs.

We also offer a selection of bespoke cocktails; we specialise in the classics but we are not limited - because of our wide variety we are more than happy to cater for any request.

The hotel has now closed for lockdown and does not plan to reopen until early 2021.

Tell us about the hotel's involvement in the community?

We had a local folk club that came and played music, as well as other local musicians, prior to the pandemic. This is something we are hoping to continue post restrictions, again with safety at the forefront of our minds. We have also hosted the Exmouth Rotary Club for more than 50.

We support the local food and beverage industry, buying meats from Exmouth's very own butcher - Porky Down - the sausages are always highly rated, our bread is from the bakers in town and the beer is from Crossed Anchors brewery just 100 yards up the road.

We have sponsored Brixington Blues U16 football team – Exmouth. This local team is part of a chartered FA youth football club for seven to 18-year-old girls and boys. With its 30 year history and over 200 playing members we were proud to be sponsoring the U16 team shirts for the 2018/19 season.

We love taking part in Exmouth in Bloom and we have our hanging baskets up all year round in an effort to help Exmouth shine to its fullest potential.

We also have collection pots to help donate towards two brilliant causes: Exmouth RNLI and Exmouth and Lympstone Hospiscare.

We also try to help the local community by mainly advertising job offers to locals and people within walking distance of the hotel.

How have you been affected by Covid?

As is the same throughout hospitality we've been hit pretty hard, having to cancel bookings.

We've had to review our practice and bring it up to speed with all of the latest in Covid standards - all staff go through Covid training. They are also following strict guidelines regarding hygiene, not only for their own protection but for that of guests, ie wearing masks, regular hand washing, the cleaning of handrails and doors where it's not possible to leave them open, sanitation of all public areas regularly (bar, hallways, reception, lift) vastly reduced contact within reception through taking payment early, leaving more information in the guests' room, to make check-in and out as swift as possible and contact-free.

6. What are your plans going forward?

As a result of a second lockdown, we will be offering a takeaway service under the name of TUCCS@MANOR on Just Eat.

We are looking to come back full force early next year (as much as regulations allow us and is safe) with a change of direction, as we are moving away from coach and group business with the hope of creating an ambient, calm, relaxing area with no large groups.

We are aiming to give people that little slice of normality even if it is just a quick lunch or a weekend stay - we want to be the calm island at the heart of this storm.

TUCCS@MANOR will reopen, our bar and restaurant, offering a service to in-house guests, locals and the people strolling past.

Again with a slight change in our operation moving to an a la carte menu.

We are looking to run a maintenance programme during this lockdown period and titivate some areas in need of a little sprucing up, ready for business in 2021.