Feeling just a little bit sad about it all.....

I was recently appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for our riad in Marrakech. Going by the pictures, the riad is beautiful but not really known so not as busy as it should be. There has never been a marketing strategy around it and this year had been particularly bad so it was time to take action.

We're already with a couple of online booking agencies for the luxury boutique hotel market but weren't with the main one in the UK, the one that is best known for the luxury boutique market. They had visited the riad last year and wanted to add it to their collection but Alberto had said no for some reason. I resumed the conversation with them again and have spent the last month or so building up a great relationship and rapport with the team there, including the editor-in-chief. They were delighted to now add the riad to their collection and on our side, we were also obviously delighted as now it meant that perhaps the riad would be full all year round.

While we were in London, the editor-in-chief and the head of PR and marketing went to stay at the riad for a couple of nights to do a review. I had an email from them yesterday - sadly standards had slipped considerably from the initial photos and we didn't make the cut. I completely understand where they are coming from - they are seen as purveyors of the highest standards and if these aren't met, they won't include a hotel in their list.

It's frustrating for me, I've put a lot into building this relationship and had a great rapport with everyone. But ultimately it makes me feel sad. Sad that Alberto and Yvonne create such beautiful places yet the people who are selected to look after them once they've disappeared onto their next project just don't seem to care. Or not care enough. We've received a list of things that weren't right. They're mainly small maintenance issues, things that would take a couple of hours to put right. But it appears that the general manager doesn't see them or is happy to let things slip. It's the same in the shop. When we came back yesterday, the floor was filthy, the beautiful wooden table we work at was covered in dirt and fag ash and the bin was overflowing. But the person who'd been working at the shop while we'd been away didn't seem to see any of this.

I just don't get it. How can people not see these things. Or how can they not care about something they've been given to run? Do I just care too much? Maybe I do but then again, I've made my name and reputation by delivering at the highest level on the projects that I've been asked to do. When I was running the Society last year, I gave it my all and put my heart and soul into it. After four months of being there, I knew that once the year was over, I'd be moving on to a new place to live. I could have just wafted through those last few months, doing as little as possible but still getting paid. But to me, the most important thing was to make sure the Society was being left on strong foundations and I gave it my all. I'm not blowing my own trumpet or trying to make myself sound better than others but I know what I've put into things and know what has been achieved as a result. It's how I work and the thought of being given a project and not really caring about it makes me shudder. Someone once asked me why I didn't just not deliver on something. I looked at him as if he was mad or had asked me something completely ludicrous and said "I always deliver, that's what I'm known for" - I just don't see the point of doing something half-heartedly - better not to do it at all!

We've now got our work cut out to return the riad to its former glory and sort out all the other issues. I always knew the challenge for me would be coming into things that are already in place but not working well. In the past, I've been involved in setting things up so you can make sure that all that needs to be done gets done at the right time, in the right fashion. This is something very new to me and I hope I can rise to the challenge. I have a reputation here for being strict and having high standards and I hope the people we work with understand the importance of these things and rise to the challenge themselves!

At this moment in time, I don't really know if I can make it happen. I don't question my own ability, I know I can do it. But I'm not sure that other people involved care enough to do what it takes. This is a beautiful operation that is not working well at all......