I continue to run the self-catering/holiday apartment business- Hodgson's Choice. This year we won "best self-catering" from the York Tourism Bureau and were finalists (second year running!) in the Yorkshire Tourist Board's White Rose Awards.
I am starting this Blog not only to provide some information to people interested in coming to York, but also to share some of the antics and experiences I've had from time to time as I've met some really interesting people or rather, they've had the experience of meeting me!!??
Case in point: I recently had a Japanese couple come to stay. We liaised via email. Their English wasn't great, but my Japanese is non-existent. I offered to pick them up from the train station on their arrival (part of our 5 star service!) to which I didn't get a reply. So I thought I'd go at the anticipated time to pick them up - after all, they wouldn't be too difficult to pick out from the crowd!?
I should point out that the day had started out badly - the lifts were being re-furbished and behind schedule and one of the washing machines had "packed up" - I was waiting for the 3rd "bad news" item of the day... what's the saying, they always come in 3's?
Anyway, I got to the station and waited. Eventually a Japanese couple with a 7 year old boy came out. I thought, "Oh great, there's number 3. We don't take kids over 2yrs. How am I going to explain that to them? They don't speak English! " They started to cross the road so I skeedaddled round, illegally parked and called out their name. "Aye!", they nodded. I got out of the car rushed over and grabbed their suitcases and threw them in the back, pushed the little boy into the backseat and was imploring them to quickly get into the car before I got a traffic ticket or worse a bus would come up on my backside and honk but they continued to look at me confused. I was getting increasingly anxious when I noticed the mrs. was holding a piece of paper so I asked to see it - to show them who I was. As I looked at the paper it was all in Japanese apart from in big, bold, English lettering the words "Ramada Encore".... I had the wrong guys. How embarrassing! Lord knows what they told their friends when they returned home. I did eventually find my Japanese couple who were lovely and appreciated my one Japanese word - "dom-adigato" - "thank-you".
I should point out that the day had started out badly - the lifts were being re-furbished and behind schedule and one of the washing machines had "packed up" - I was waiting for the 3rd "bad news" item of the day... what's the saying, they always come in 3's?
Anyway, I got to the station and waited. Eventually a Japanese couple with a 7 year old boy came out. I thought, "Oh great, there's number 3. We don't take kids over 2yrs. How am I going to explain that to them? They don't speak English! " They started to cross the road so I skeedaddled round, illegally parked and called out their name. "Aye!", they nodded. I got out of the car rushed over and grabbed their suitcases and threw them in the back, pushed the little boy into the backseat and was imploring them to quickly get into the car before I got a traffic ticket or worse a bus would come up on my backside and honk but they continued to look at me confused. I was getting increasingly anxious when I noticed the mrs. was holding a piece of paper so I asked to see it - to show them who I was. As I looked at the paper it was all in Japanese apart from in big, bold, English lettering the words "Ramada Encore".... I had the wrong guys. How embarrassing! Lord knows what they told their friends when they returned home. I did eventually find my Japanese couple who were lovely and appreciated my one Japanese word - "dom-adigato" - "thank-you".
