Business

Why ensuring the wellbeing of its employees supports positive guest experiences

Published

4 years ago

June 21, 2022

UNDERSTANDING your customers and staff is essential to ensure a successful business. For one of West Wales’ top tourist resorts, guest experience, employee training and wellbeing are at the heart of its business model.

Bluestone National Park Resort near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, attracts thousands of guests to its 500 acre resort each year. Ensuring every guest has the best possible experience is its number one priority.

From accommodation to food and beverage, outdoor activities to its Blue Lagoon water park, each area of the business has its own unique needs and requirements from guests and staff.

“You cannot underestimate how much work goes into ensuring we provide the best possible short break holiday experience for our guests,” explains Claire Lewis, Head of Guest Experience at Bluestone.

“Crucially, we strive to make sure that every guest that leaves Bluestone not only wants to return but tells their friends and family about what a great time they had. The slightest upset during their stay could impact on that. Therefore, we have to stay one step ahead at all times, and we do this by making our team a central part of the guests’ journey.”

Bluestone has been working with one of the UK’s leading customer experience insight providers to support this. Insight6 South Wales director, Mel Evans, works closely with Claire and the senior management team to track the guests’ journey, gauging their experience and ensuring employees are trained in providing the best.

From mapping the journey of a guest’s experience within all parts of the business to understand each and every eventuality, undertaking reviews of their stays, to advising on improvements and training.

“We work very closely with the team at all levels as every member of staff is an integral part of the guests’ experience one way or another. It’s not just the front-of-house team or the F&B members, it’s also the support staff, such as HR and finance. They all have an important part to play,” said Mel.

“With Bluestone, we undertook a deep survey among its employees. One of the areas raised by many was internal communications. Many felt they didn’t know what was happening within the business. This resulted in a positive change with the implementation of an employee app, providing live and regular information from all departments. It’s made a huge difference.”

Mel added: “We also worked with the People Services team using our employee feedback portal, which during the pandemic allowed the business to gather feedback from all its employees, measuring how they were feeling and allowing the team a safe place to express any concerns or stresses. People Services could then quickly react to anyone who needed help or support.

“The wellbeing of employees can impact on the way they interact with a guest, therefore ensuring they are able to talk and receive support if they have concerns, maybe stressed or just need someone to talk to is vital

“Good internal communications and positive wellbeing among employees will provide a positive impact on or guests to enable them to enjoy their experience at the resort.”

Mystery shopping has played another key role. A technique used for many years and in Bluestone’s case the guest experience is measured from the point of booking to the point of leaving the resort. It remains a crucial way to understand where and how a business is doing well or not so good.

Customer researchers are sent in regularly to gauge what guests are experiencing. This is then fed back for review, allowing changes to be implemented where they need to be.

“On an ongoing basis we also measure guest experience across the resort with QR codes asking for feedback “in the moment” in areas such as Blue Lagoon, Well Spa, restaurants, venues and other locations. Our feedback portal then flags if there has been any feedback that requires action and staff are able to respond to the issue immediately – the same day,” said Mel.

Claire points out how the feedback from one venue stated that guests would like more seating for busy periods. “As soon as that feedback came through, we immediately made more chairs available. It was as quick as that.”

Claire added: “Unfortunately, many businesses might understand their customer journey, but they only take a snapshot. That’s a moment in time and things can change, quickly. Our method is embedded into what we do day-to-day and there are constant measurements we use to monitor our guest experience from end to end.

“Working with Mel and Insight6 we have developed a robust and successful guest experience tracking system. It ensures we are constantly looking at how we can improve our services and is one reason we hope why our guests leave happy, relaxed and want to return.”

Business

Council seeks senior officer with salary of £132,063 – £145,050 plus perks

Published

8 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council is on the lookout for a new senior officer with a salary, including allowances, that could top £150,000 a year.

In an advertisement posted on its own social media page, the council is seeking a new Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place.

It says: “Are you an experienced leader with a passion for place, regeneration and economic growth? Pembrokeshire County Council is seeking a Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place to help shape the county’s future.

“This influential role will lead on regeneration, economic development, planning, transport, environmental services, climate change and major capital projects, supporting ambitious investment opportunities including the Celtic Freeport.

“Based in Haverfordwest/agile, Pembrokeshire: £132,063 – £145,050 plus £9,576 lease car allowance and relocation package.

“If you have a strong track record of delivering growth and transformation in complex environments, we’d love to hear from you.”

A linked page quotes Chief Executive Will Bramble, which also features a video of him promoting the county as a place to work: “Pembrokeshire is a great place to learn, live and grow. With some of the finest natural assets in the whole of Wales, we are immensely proud of our county and everything it has to offer.

“Since I joined Pembrokeshire as Chief Executive in 2021, I have been hugely impressed by the passion and dedication of our officers and members, and their shared commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for our residents.

“As part of our journey towards being an even better organisation, we are looking to recruit for this critical post.”

Business

Development on Pembrokeshire farm with 700 herd approved

Published

9 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A RETROSPECTIVE call for amendments to a previously granted building and slurry lagoon at a 700-herd Pembrokeshire dairy farm has been given the go-ahead by county planners.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Bill Ridge of Vaynor Farm Ltd, Bethesda sought retrospective permission for a replacement agricultural building for cattle housing, the retention of a slurry lagoon as built and associated works at Talybont Farm, Llawhaden.

A supporting statement through agent Cynllunio RW Planning Ltd said: “Bill Ridge farms at Vaynor Farm, trading as Vaynor Farm Ltd. The farm is a 645-acre farm compromising of owned and rented land, this supports a dairy herd of circa 700 cows. The dairy system is an extensive grass-based spring calving system.

“The application is made following receipt of a letter from the local authority planning enforcement department stating that the replacement agricultural building which had recently been erected required planning permission and that the lagoon also recently built seemed not to be in line with the approved plans of [the 2022 application] recently approved on site for the lagoon.

“Therefore, this application seeks retrospective planning permission for the retention of the building as built and the lagoon as built.”

It said the 22.72 by 13.33-metre agricultural building “will house the farm’s dairy replacement heifers as a replacement to the previous building on site,” and the lagoon is of a similar size, depth and capacity to the previously approved one, other than slight changes in positioning and orientation, providing 4,500square metres of slurry storage, which in combination with the existing store of 6,900cubic meters at Vaynor will provide over 170 days’ storage.

It went on to say: “All development is reasonably required for the purpose of agriculture. The applicant does not intend to increase the farm’s stocking rate as a result of this development.”

An officer report recommending approval said the application had been amended since being submitted to improve the proposed green infrastructure, adding: “Information has been provided during the course of the application that proposal is not intended to result in, or support, an increase in the herd numbers of the agricultural enterprise.”

It concluded: “Based upon the information provided within the application, it is considered that the development would be reasonably necessary for the purpose of agriculture.”

The application was conditionally approved.

Business

Former St Davids GP surgery to holiday let and home conversion conditionally approved

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS to convert a former GP surgery in Pembrokeshire’s only city to a home and to build a holiday let in its grounds have been given the go-ahead by the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Alice and Danjal Joensen, through agent Oochitecture, sought permission for a change of use of the ground floor of the former GP surgery, Eryl Mor, 36, New Street, St Davids, merging with an existing first-floor apartment to create a larger single dwelling house, along with the creation of an attached short-term holiday let.

The GP surgery is currently vacant, following its closure in October 2024 after new partners could not be secured.

A supporting statement says, prior to being a GP surgery, the two-storey element was a single dwelling house.

It adds: “The house would consist of an open plan kitchen-living space to the ground floor, along with a study, lounge and utility room. The first floor includes four double bedrooms with ensuite and main bathroom.

“The new unit of accommodation would form a holiday-let with two double bedrooms, shower room, and an open plan kitchen-living space.

“The GP surgery is currently vacant, following its closure in October 2024 after new partners could not be secured, therefore the proposed change of use will provide a viable long-term future use for the property.”

It said minimal external alterations are proposed to the property with existing entrances utilised for both the main house and holiday-let, adding: “The existing concrete ramp to the front elevation will be retained with proposed works including extending the upper level and steps to provide a connection to the front door, allowing for accessible entrance to the property.

“There will be no changes to vehicular or pedestrian access, with the site continuing to be accessed via the existing entrance from New Street. Parking will be provided for the main house and holiday-let on the existing tarmac driveway off New Street.”

An officer report recommending approval said the application included a unilateral undertaking agreement for a contribution towards off-site affordable housing.

Of the loss of the surgery itself, it said: “Given that the loss of the surgery was a high-level decision made by the Health Board, it is not considered that the current proposal would have a detrimental impact upon the community.”

The application was conditionally approved by Park planners, conditions including the affordable housing contribution.