HIGHLANDS HOTEL - FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2008

Early 2008 News from Jersey - The Storm

Dear Friends

It is with excitement and anticipation we enter a new year, Highlands Hotel’s 41st. Certainly the number of early bookings is up even on last year with mid-summer being particularly popular this season. It is always a challenge to meet our claim to ‘Offer the very best in Christian hospitality’!

Today Alex and Manuel have been laying wires around the corridors and lifting carpets and floorboards in preparation for the overall Wifi installation which Jonathan, our son, has designed to keep Highlands fully secure. A fitter has been busy here to upgrade two more bathrooms, whilst Sandra and I have taken about 20 telephone calls. (If you get an answermachine message always leave a response as we phone back as soon as we are able.) Far from the tranquillity that people imagine of a Jersey hotel in winter.

We have had a batch of storms recently, not to mention a cold snap (even frost) just before the festivities. Our new 2008 brochure features waves around Corbière Lighthouse causeway – spectacular but fortunately not a view many summer visitors get to see, for they prefer the calm and crystal blue water. Oh to have the faith of our Lord, seeing beyond the storms of life towards the beauty and peace of another more glorious day.

Many thanks to those guests who helped the ‘Highlands Hotel Hospitality Fund’ meet the needs of two sets of missionaries to get ‘refreshed’ in Jersey last year (from serving in Uganda and in Nepal) and both were very appreciative. We hope to help a family working in Central America this June. Do let me know if you wish to know more about this way of blessing those in their ministry.

There have been the usual ups and downs in the travel industry. Condor ferry website seems better this year but it is still cheaper to book through the hotel as we benefit from a Travel Agent’s discount. The advantage of booking air flights through the hotel is the extra ABTA/ATOL protection, the minibus service to the hotel and the all-age insurance scheme, so weigh the slightly additional cost against the ‘full package’ service. Charter flights to smaller airports (often Saturdays) have to be booked through the hotel (Hull, Stansted, Aberdeen etc).

Thomson are investing in new, longer planes. These will not be able to land in Jersey – the older planes will still come here from Coventry but there are to be none of their flights from Doncaster, Cardiff or Luton. Flybe will trial Saturday flights from Newcastle and Doncaster to Jersey. Bmibaby resume a summer service from Birmingham and Cardiff. Both Luton and Liverpool will have daily flights to Jersey operated by Easyjet (so watch out for lower prices – a real challenge to bmi/flybe at Manchester and London Heathrow/Gatwick. Charters have been announced from Inverness and Manston as well as Southend.

Other new carriers – Manx2 from Gloucester and Jet2 from Leeds/Bradford. Apart from Gatwick, Flybe now have taken control of BAConnect UK routes, so it is good still to have some competition from Air Southwest (Bristol/Plymouth). VLM still use London City and Aerlingus Dublin. For flights from Gatwick visit www.BA.com or www.flybe.com

I will attach a provisional list of forthcoming events in 2008 but more details will often be found at Jersey Tourism (www.Jersey.com) Like Highlands Hotel, Tourism have a redesigned Logo – almost a golden dove (though the locals dubbed it ‘a flying banana’) to go with new premises. St Helier Waterfront is an exciting new development of shops, offices and even a 21st Century bus station.

Please do contact Sandra or myself soon if you want to book for 2008, some weeks are particularly busy already.

Jersey Special Events 2008

Click here for our Speaker Ministry 2008

With best wishes

Alan Irving
Hotel Manager

Tel: 01534 744288
www.highlandshotel.com
enquiries@highlandshotel.com