Ballymun Scouts

One of the seven towers

Recent trips to Ireland where I stayed in the Travelodge near my old neighbourhood in Ballymun resulted in two reflections. Firstly the needless waste on the Ballymun Public Housing development in North Dublin on the edge of the then city which is being demolished a mere 44 years after the 3,600 unit development was built. The other more positive reflection was on the great optimism and positive influence of the unique Scouting Outreach experiment in the same surroundings, the 64th Dublin Scout Group, conveniently know as Ballymun Scouts.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/01/tale-of-two-travelodges.htmll

As youngsters we used to play in the fields where Ballymun is now built and collect conkers from the fine chestnut trees in the grounds of Stormonstown House which covered most of the area. The area was bisected by a country laneway which led to St. Pappin’s Church dating from 1864 and at Santry Cross just beyond it was Ballymun House where we used to go for the annual Horse Show. It was an area with a decided rural character on the edge of the city.







Much to everybody’s amazement the Government from 1965 decided to build a high density housing development using pre-cast concrete construction techniques being abandoned in the rest of Europe. At its centre it had 7 tower blocks with spines of eight and 4 storey precast blocks radiating from the centre and between the arms a combination of traditional housing and open spaces. There were three types of flats: seven fifteen-storey towers; nineteen eight-storey blocks; ten four-storey blocks. The tender was awarded to a consortium called CHS (Cubitt, Haden, Sisk) of two UK contractors and John Sisk an Irish company and a factory was constructed to manufacture the concrete panels.


The early days; L-R; Back. Alan Delahunty, Ben Ivory, Dick Tennant - National Commissioner, John Delahunty - Group Leader, Declan Kelly,
Front; Maura Sloyan, David Sullivan, Hugh Hogan



The flats were built in the 1960s under the authority of Neil Blaney, the then Fianna Fáil Minister for Local Government. They incorporated the best social housing practice of the time. The first tenants moved in between August 1966 and December 1966. By February 1969, when the National Building Agency's contract for Ballymun ceased and control of Ballymun was handed to Dublin City Council, (Dublin County Council didn't want it) there was a total of 3,021 dwellings in the new Ballymun, all of which was social housing under the control of the Irish state through Dublin City Council. A National Building Agency was set up to build the project in 4 years but when it was handed over to Dublin Corporation in 1969 many of the community facilities (Shopping Centre, clinic, schools, swimming pool, library) were not completed.


Fund raising Bring & Buy Sale

This led to the “model development” being serviced by inadequate mobile shops and considerable strains as the residents had to travel outside Ballymun for most services until facilities were built. In addition a big selling point of the spacious and roomy flats was the central heating was included in the rent from the district heating plant. However, this led to other problems as residents couldn’t control their heating individually. So Dublin Corporation had their work cut out taking over a facility which wasn’t finished but they didn’t rise to the challenge either with passive, bureaucratic and distant management of the complex resulting in many downstream problems. However the pre-cast construction was at the root of the flats demise as they developed structural problems due to the phenomenon of “solar walking” where over time the upper panels expand, perish the mastic joints and move due to the heating effect of the sun and the contraction due to night time cooling.


Ballymun Shopping Centre

In time Ballymun and the Seven Towers became a symbol of poverty, drugs, alienation from the state and social problems in Ireland during the 1970s. Today it is undergoing a multi-billion euro renewal, with a renovated village centre, surrounded by estates of houses and apartments, with several sub-districts such as Sillogue and Poppintree. Ballymun had a population of 22,109 at the 2006 Census. The history of the area and of the Ballymun Housing Complex is very well and interestingly documented by Dr. Robert Somerville-Woodward in this work specially commissioned by the Ballymun regeneration project.

http://www.brl.ie/pdf/Ballymun_A_History_1600_1997_Synopsis.pdf

Among the opprobrium heaped on Ballymun, the deployment of the flats has been described by the environmental journalist Frank McDonald, in his book The Construction of Dublin, as the Irish state's 'worst planning disaster'. However, at the time of its construction, Ballymun was a sought after location and prospective tenants had to pass an interview to get housing there. The tenants primarily came from the most deprived areas of inner city Dublin, places where the depth of poverty could not be conceived of in modern Ireland. Many tenants were middle class residents whose property was 'compulsory purchased' by Dublin City Council. They arrived in Ballymun to some of the finest social housing in Europe, having central heating and other rarities of the day in their homes.


Leaders Sile McInerney and Alan Delahunty at Gilwell Park Scoutcentre, Chingford, UK


Venture Scouts dinner

The Ballymun Flats were built in the midst of a housing crisis to accommodate the rising population of Dublin City, Ireland, and particularly former residents of inner-city areas which were being cleared in the process of 1960s 'urban slum clearances'. Whilst suffering from a lack of sufficient public amenities, several schools served the area (Holy Spirit N.S. and Ballymun Comprehensive), as well as an Eastern Health Board medical centre and a purpose built shopping centre. The causes of the social problems in the area, and the subsequent discrimination faced by many people with Ballymun addresses when seeking employment outside the suburb, have been disputed, but Ballymun generally paralleled the experience of many working-class people in the 1960 and 1970s when placed in high-rise locations. Despite the negative perceptions of many non-residents of Ballymun, there existed, and exists today, a strong sense of pride and community in the area, as evidenced by the fact that many former residents of the flats have accepted new social housing in the district.






64th Dublin Cub Scout Pack

However, there was a profound lack of amenities throughout the area - initially the only shop was a van selling at premium prices, for example - and, combined with a lack of trees, and estates built in cul de sacs, ghettoisation developed. The earliest efforts to improve services began in the 1970s with the establishment of tenants' associations, particularly in Sillogue. By the recession of the 1980s, Ballymun was infested with social problems, most especially alcohol and other drug abuse. Although the public image of Ballymun has changed somewhat since the beginning of the Ballymun regeneration project in 1997, continuing social problems in Ballymun ensure it remains a remarkably different world to, for example, neighbouring Glasnevin. There was nothing wrong with the flats internally but the history of Ballymun is a sad indictment of the sclerosis afflicting public service management in Ireland. The complex was never actively managed with no controlled access to the flats, no overall management, no residential caretakers and the effective abandonment of the garage units under the flats which became drug dens and repositories for stolen goods.




Father & Son Camp, Powerscourt

However, contrasted with this institutional neglect and mismanagement of the Ballymun Housing complex by well paid and pensioned bureaucrats there was another more positive story of community groups who were determined to make a difference. In the late 70’s and early 80’s the 64th Dublin Scout Group based in the basement of Eamonn Ceannt Tower in the Ballymun Flats complex in North Dublin was a unique experiment in Scouting Outreach.


64th Dublin Scout Troop in the Den, Eamonn Ceannt Tower

Ballymun Scout was set up by a remarkable character, John Delahunty, an old time Scout Leader who believed with likeminded people that the voluntary and formative nature the Scout Movement could help in building a sense of community in Ballymun. He and the young leaders drew in people from established Scout Groups as well as those with no experience to create a dynamic experiment which served as a template to bring the socialising and educational benefits of this voluntary youth movement to a wider audience. In particular in this tough environment it refused to limit its ambition particularly when it entered the St Patrick’s Day Parade in 1977 and won first prize for voluntary organisations and when it ran the Pioneering Activity at the International Jamboree in 1978 at Woodstock Co. Kilkenny. The “can do” attitude of the many people involved contributed greatly to the Ballymun Community and engendered a strong sense of camaderie amongst all involved which has lasted to the present day.


Beaver Scouts 5/6 year olds

When the founder of the Scout Movement, Baden Powell, wrote his fortnightly boys' magazine, "Scouting for Boys", in 1907, he had it in mind that the activities he suggested would be used to augment the existing programme of the Boy's Brigade, Church Lads, or the small number of youth clubs which were in existence at that time. However, his idea snowballed, with the result that young boys of Scout age set themselves up as patrols of "Baden Powell Scouts".


Group Camp at Giltspur House, Co. Wicklow

Thus it was that Scouting was introduced into the parish of Aughrim Street, for it is well known that a Troop of Baden Powell Scouts existed in Marlborough Barracks (now McKee) before 1910. The Troop consisted of young boys whose fathers were in the Irish Regiments of the British Army in Ireland at that time. Following the Civil War and the Treaty, there was no opportunity for Irish boys to join the Scout movement, because the Scout Association at the time was seen as too closely connected with the old British order.


Venture Scout Camp at Crone Wood, Co. Wicklow

This void was filled, however, when two Dublin curates, Fathers Tom and Ernest Farrell, started the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI) in 1927. (In May of 1997, the name of the Association was changed to "Scouting Ireland - CSI" (Catholic Scouts of Ireland), with the Irish version of the name remaining unchanged). It was when Fr. Ernest Farrell was transferred to Aughrim Street Parish in 1937 that the present Unit was founded. The first meeting of the 9th Dublin was in the Catholic Young Men’s Society Hall in Aughrim Street. Fr. Ernest was appointed Chaplain and, due to his close association, the 9th Troop was titled "The Founder's Own". Next to appear on the scene was John Delahunty, who had been with the 19th/36th Phibsboro Knight Errand Clan. Under his leadership the Unit continued to grow, and had to move to bigger premises at Infirmary Road. These premises consisted of a studio-type, glass-roofed building, complete with pigeon loft!


Gerard Cowan leading a sing-song in the Den


Conor Maguire and David Caldwell on the St. Patrick's Day Parade float

So John Delahunty was scouting royalty and highly respected having taken over and expanded the founding scout group of one of the two main Scout Associations in Ireland. However when it came to setting up a group for young people in the Ballymun Housing Complex he wanted it open to all and the group was set up under the aegis of the Scout Association of Ireland. Originally known as the “Baden Powell’s” for its association with the old regime it was a remarkable gesture for somebody of John Delahunty’s standing to effectively turn his back on the tradition he had worked in and decide that in the interests of inclusion scouting in Ballymun must be on a non-denominational basis. In this as in other ways John was something of a pioneer as the associations in Ireland have since merged and are open to all. Indeed when Ballymun Scouts entered the 1977 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin and took on the project they emphasised the role of Scouting in bringing young people of different backgrounds together and deepening mutual understanding. There ambitious entry was completed like much else, on a wing and a prayer and with much help from friends. It included somewhat alarmingly (with Health and Safety hindsight!) a fairground style wheel constructed with timber pioneering poles and ropes and an aerial runway on a moving float as well as a futuristic “Starpeace” float. The entry won the prize for the best voluntary float in the Parade, a notable achievement for any group let alone a fledgling Scout Group with hardly any resources from Ballymun.




Woodstock '78

Similarly for the International Jamboree at Woodstock in Co. Kilkenny the Group took on the Pioneering Field which gave participants the chance to practice teamwork and initiative and learn new techniques in constructing structures from timber poles and rope. It was one of the more successful activities at the Jamboree gaining a commendation. It was signposted by a dramatic gateway and the “Woodworkers” from Ballymun constructed futuristic raised sleeping platforms which they camped in. In this and many other ways such as entering competitive expeditions and the Levy Trophy the group didn’t behave as if it was “deprived” but insisted on holding its own with more established groups from better off areas.


Sleeping platform @ the Pioneering Field, Woodstock'78


Dolores and Veronica at Woodstock'78


Commendation for the Pioneering Activity at Woodstock 1978

This of course didn’t happen by accident but was due to the dedication of the enthusiastic young leaders it attracted which resulted in the group establishing not just a Scout Troop for 11 -16 year olds but Cub Scouts for 7 – 11 year olds, a highly successful mixed Venture Scout Unit and last but not least Beaver Scouts for the 5/6 year olds. As well as its own leaders others from surrounding Groups helped out through a combination of wanting to bring Scouting to Ballymun and personal friendships and material help was given by Groups such as 5th Port Dollymount and 1st Dublin.


Hiking in Glenmalure, Co. Wicklow; Francis Caulfield, David Caldwell, Gerard Cowan, Síle Mc Inerney, Ann Paisley, Gay Spencer

Dublin Corporation helped by giving the Group the basement of Eamonn Ceannt Tower, one of the Seven Towers and their maintenance crews generously renovated it and installed a new kitchen as they were glad to see the space used well for community purposes. A sub-committee of the Vocational Education Committee also supported with grants for activities and camping equipment. The Scout Association itself and its National Commissioner, Dick Tennant, was enthusiastic in supporting this Scouting Outreach and it was used as a model for other areas.


Hugh Hogan showing the President of Ireland, Dr. Patrick Hillery, around Woodstock '78

Parents in the area were fiercely supportive and the hardy women who comprised the Parent’s Committee ran weekly Bingo sessions and other events to support the activities. In this Ballymun Scouts was different often changing how things were done. For instance they didn’t wear the expensive and largely ceremonial berets as part of the scout uniform but had warm woolly hats in the Group colours of Black and Red knitted and issued as more suitable for outdoor activities. The cost of events and camps were kept low to increase participation and nobody was deprived of joining in on grounds of cost. Indeed being part of Ballymun Scouts gave an insight into how hard people in Ballymun wanted to help themselves and how resilient they had to be in the face of often indifferent officialdom and ant-social behaviour. I was particularly struck by one mother telling me of when their daughter was bringing home a boyfriend to meet the family she had to go out every 30 minutes or so to mop out and disinfect the lift.


Hugh briefing Woodworkers at Woodstock'78

Ballymun and its Seven Towers as well as startling visitors to Ireland flying into nearby Dublin Airport expecting to see thatched cottages and not pre-cast concrete towers also entered popular iconography in Ireland. The line "I see seven towers, but I only see one way out" from U2's 1987 song "Running to Stand Still" (on The Joshua Tree album) refers to these towers. They were also featured in “The Commitments” where the question “Why are you bringing the horse in the lift” gained the reply “Jaysus, it does be knackered going up the stairs!” Ballymun flats feature in M.J. Hyland's Booker-short listed novel Carry Me Down (2006), symbolising John's family's descent into poverty.


Gerard Cowan (Bouncer) and Sile McInerney @ Woodstock'78 work party

The creation of Ballymun Regeneration Limited as a limited company controlled by Dublin City Council initiated the beginning of the demolition of the Ballymun flats and the emergence of a "new town" of Ballymun. The new housing is a mixture of public, private, voluntary and co-operative housing. The "new Ballymun" is due to be completed by 2013.The regeneration project, despite well-publicised questions about accountability and democratic participation, has also delivered many other amenities, including reworked park areas, a major City Council office facility, Health Service facilities, a public leisure centre, student accommodation, a new hotel and renewed shopping areas. However given Ireland’s current economic travails and the IMF Bailout it is likely that the area will be left in something of a never-neverland with the ambitious scheme for regeneration not completed as intended. Already the much needed redevelopment of Ballymun Shopping and the station on the Metro North line to Dublin Airport look like early casualties, in the latter case because the line won’t be built.




Starpeace @ St Patrick's Day Parade, 1977

As part of the New Ballymun, a major tree-planting project called Amaptocare has been run, with more than 600 people sponsoring around 700 trees, and providing inscription texts which are engraved on plaques near the trees. All of the trees will be identified on a glass panel at Ballymun's central plaza, which was scheduled to be complete by 2007 but is not due by 2013.

As for 64th Dublin Ballymun Scouts they gently faded out in the 90’s as demographics and Ballymun changed and as many of the original leaders moved on. But it left a considerable impact on the many people who were involved. Friendships from that time have endured and many are still involved in Scouting and other community organisations. Always demanding the best from each scout he instilled values of doing their best and achieving their potential. Like John Delahunty those who continued his work with Ballymun Scouts strongly believed that scouting had something for everyone and you were defined not by where you came from but where you wanted to be. It was a unique exercise in Scouting Outreach which with other community based initiatives showed the positive spirit of Ballymun and laid the foundation for its regeneration.

See also;

Conor Maguire;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/11/conor-maguire.html

Gerard Cowan;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/02/gerard-cowan.html


Farewell to the Ballymun flats

Ballymun Travelodge

Ballymun Travelodge



Not for the first time has the Celtic Sage modestly demonstrated his gift of prophecy! A couple of weeks ago I rounded off my review of Travelodge Dublin Airport (actually in Ballymun; see the review) by stating “In summary, nice building, poor management, woeful security, good value if you don’t get robbed.” I pointed out flaws with the security of the Car Park, and card controlled electronic security locks being out of order allowing access from the car park through the stairwell to all floors in the building.



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/01/tale-of-two-travelodges.html



I also pointed out that the CCTV & “security guard” in the car park were not effective. Well today’s Irish Independent carries a report of a €1m robbery in the middle of the night where a gang broke into a room. €1m is equal to £901k or £751k if you buy a gift card at Marks and Spencer!



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-not-fair-exchange-rate-its-rip-off.html



The paper reported a diamond dealer bravely tackled an armed gang as they robbed him of €1m worth of precious stones and jewellery as well as cash in his hotel bedroom early on the morning of the 29th January. Wholesale jeweller Noah Stefancki (64) was battered on the head with a hammer as he tackled one of the three raiders, but failed to prevent them taking his suitcase. Mr Stefancki told Gardai he had lost his life savings in the robbery of the jewels, which were not insured.





Gardai searching bins in one of the semi-derelict flat blocks behind the Travelodge



Russian-born Mr Stefancki, who lives and works in Southampton in England, is a regular visitor here and travels around the country for business deals with local jewellers. He booked a room in the Travelodge hotel in Ballymun after flying into Dublin Airport as he had stayed there previously and was known to some of the staff. Gardai believe he was the victim of opportunistic local criminals, who became aware that he was carrying a valuable haul in his suitcase, and kept watch on his movements until they established where he was staying. Officers suspect that the thugs did not anticipate such a major haul when they carried out the robbery. Publicity around the raid may now attract the attention of an organised crime gang boss, who could seek a slice of the proceeds.



Mr Stefancki was in his bedroom at around 12.15am when three masked raiders, armed with a gun and a hammer, forced their way in. He lunged at the closest member of the gang and attempted to stop him from grabbing the suitcase. But he was thumped twice on the head with the hammer and the gang escaped from the hotel on foot. They were pursued by Mr Stefancki on to Shangan Road but the three then turned into Coultry Road and escaped. There was no sign of any getaway car. Mr Stefancki immediately returned to the hotel and raised the alarm. After Gardai arrived at the scene, he was taken to the Mater Hospital for treatment for lacerations to his head. He was later discharged.





The insecure "security door" giving access to the Travelodge from the car park





The insecure underground car park



I had pointed out “However the big weakness is apparent when we came back that night and parked in the “secure” underground car park. We pressed the intercom at the car park entrance and without any conversation or checks we were let in. The car park is shared with apartment dwellers and retailers but there are plenty of clearly marked Travelodge spaces. You need to use your card key to access the hotel (and the lift and your room) but when we got to the “secure” doors they were “open” with the electronic lock disengaged so you could go straight in. Once in the lift lobby you could then access all the floors without a key by going up the stairwell. We spoke to the young receptionist the next morning she said the security lock was due to be repaired and had been out of action for weeks. She also said there was CCTV and there was a security guard in the car park. Well there may be CCTV but there is little point to it if there is nobody at reception to look at it. As for the “security guard” we saw what was happening when we were leaving the next day. There he was in an office in the car park chatting away to a friend and just opening the barrier without checking.”



Afterwards the hotel management commented on Trip Advisor;



“Management response from Lisa Walsh, Travelodge Group Revenue Manager

Jan 22, 2010

Hi there,

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. I would like to discuss these issues with you further as your comments disappoint us greatly.

I can assure you the under ground car park is secure – if the magnetic lock was off during the day it was for a maintenance purpose. It is always connected back up.

At this time I can only apologise for your bad experience & for any inconvenience caused.

Kindest Regards,

Lisa”



While proactive the main flaw in the response is that the security lock was not down during the day for maintenance but during the evening and according to the receptionist had been for weeks. It would be wrong to comment on a current criminal investigation but it will be interesting to see if the security flaws I pointed out were a factor in this robbery. As for Mr. Stefancki if I was a diamond dealer I would have stayed in a more central hotel with staff who had been there for ever like Buswells but I can see the attraction if he is travelling around of a hotel near the airport and the ring motorway around Dublin. It is not unusual as I found when I was with Irish revenue and called on manufacturing jewellers in Dublin for diamonds to be transported and dealt this way. Loose diamonds are kept in cloth rolls by grade and the value can be substantial. However if I was Noah Stefancki I would certainly be checking with my lawyer to see if any of the security defects the hotel was told about were a factor in this robbery?





One of the semi-derelict blocks of public housing behind Ballymun Travelodge

A Tale of Two Travelodge’s

Travelodge are the chain of budget hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain originally started in 1985 by Forte Hotels in the Midlands of England which are now expanding rapidly under the ownership of Dubai Capital. Like Ibis and Premier Inn they strive to provide a no frills comfortable room and price according to demand using the same “load management” techniques used by the budget airlines. So generally the earlier you book the cheaper the price and with pre-payment you get the best deals. As well as helping their cash flow this simplifies check –in and means customers don’t need to check out. They either offer simplified breakfast catering with the layout pioneered by Ibis of having the Reception, Restaurant / Bar in the same area and multi-tasking staff. As for catering in Travelodge’s there is either a help yourself breakfast buffet and snack machines or a Bar / Restaurant run by a franchisee.







There is nothing wrong with the no frills hotel concept particularly when access and parking are good and Travelodge are very good on mobility issues. Disabled rooms come with a wet room shower in a very well equipped and well thought out ensuite. They simplify the operation further by not providing room service, toiletries in the room (they will sell them to you) or a room telephone and sometimes, car parking. They wrap this up in the marketing tag-line “It is madness paying for things you don’t use.” They also levy extra charges for early check-in and check out and unlike their competitors don’t allow you to store luggage. They run slick marketing and frequent special offers. So how does the delivery compare with the marketing? Well, before and after Xmas I used Travelodge’s in Ireland and England and the feedback will not make for comfortable reading at Travelodge’s HQ in Thame, Oxfordshire.



Travelodge, Dublin Airport







Arriving in Dublin Airport a week before Xmas I was delighted to see that the normal queue for the taxi rank was not there and I got a taxi to go to the optimistically entitled “Travelodge Dublin Airport” right away. That was the good news. The bad news is the Dublin Taxi driver has zero training or customer service ability. His first gambit was a foul mouthed rant about his 3 hour wait for a “job” with the implication that I he was hoping for a longer trip than mine. He also took two mobile calls (he had no hands free), nearly missed the turn off the motorway and clipped the kerb in doing so and took the longer route on the congested M50 Ring motorway instead of the quicker, shorter, less congested route by the back road to the airport. Oh, there was a final racist tinged rant about “foreign taxi drivers” not knowing their way and “Irish girls” not being safe with them. If this is true then this local product has set a high benchmark for them. Did I say a word to him? I did on my Nelly, I am not the overpaid Dublin Taxi Regulator and I was not going to waste my energy. But here as in so many other areas in Ireland they just don’t get the BIG STORY; they are charging too much money for a poor product and the rest of the world has little interest in their self indulgent whinging.





Entrance



So we arrive at “Travelodge, Dublin Airport.” Now as a Dubliner I knew where it was and it was convenient for my parents who I was visiting. However the title is deceptive as it is actually 3 miles from Dublin Airport in the middle of the Ballymun Flats Public Housing Project which is in the middle of redevelopment but still retains a somewhat grim reputation. If you have seen the hit movie “The Commitments” this is where the boy is bringing the horse up in the lift because he gets too tired using the stairs! Dublin Airport is described as a 5 minute taxi ride away – 15/20 minutes and 15 euro is the reality. It is not the only misleading info on the Travelodge website. The hotel number is described as 10p a minute from a BT Line, it isn’t a BT number, it is an Irish Telecom number attracting International Call charges from the UK. It is described as 2 miles from Dublin City Centre; it is actually over 5 miles. An American tourist who had relied on the website descriptions might be confused at this stage by this “Airport Hotel” close to the City?





Drop off areas at Ballymun Travelodge blocked by vans



However first impressions are positive, it is a 4 storey new build hotel open over 8 months which is attractive looking and has fresh interiors. However first impressions don’t last. The drops off areas are permanently occupied by trade vehicles and you have to pull up in the middle of the road with the added danger this entails and difficulty for mobility impaired guests. When we complained we were told that these were guests and the vans were too high to use the underground car park and they had to be parked in sight of reception so they wouldn’t be vandalised – so no proper drop off / pick up bays. Inside the reception is bright and modern but it took 15 minutes for somebody to come to the desk to check us in. We had to change from the first room we were assigned as the shower fitting was broken but the room we eventually got was nice and bright, clean and of a good size with two beds (bigger than older Travelodge’s) and the bathroom was excellent. It also had a TV, trouser press and tea/ coffee making facilities. As we had booked online at 29 euros a night this was a lot of room for the money. However there was evidence that things had been finished in a hurry, spacers left in tiling, floor strips loose, areas being redecorated after only a few months.





Room





Bathroom



However the big weakness is apparent when we came back that night and parked in the “secure” underground car park. We pressed the intercom at the car park entrance and without any conversation or checks we were let in. The car park is shared with apartment dwellers and retailers but there are plenty of clearly marked Travelodge spaces. You need to use your card key to access the hotel (and the lift and your room) but when we got to the “secure” doors they were “open” with the electronic lock disengaged so you could go straight in. Once in the lift lobby you could then access all the floors without a key by going up the stairwell. We spoke to the young receptionist the next morning she said the security lock was due to be repaired and had been out of action for weeks. She also said there was CCTV and there was a security guard in the car park. Well there may be CCTV but there is little point to it if there is nobody at reception to look at it. As for the “security guard” we saw what was happening when we were leaving the next day. There he was in an office in the car park chatting away to a friend and just opening the barrier without checking.





Underground Car Park





The unlocked door from the car park giving access to all the floors without a key



The next morning when we were in reception there was a young German couple remonstrating with the receptionist. Their car had been scraped and damaged on one side. Seemingly when they were entering the car park there was a large van delivering to Travelodge blocking the entrance and they were told to go down the exit road. As they did so the barrier descended and scraped their car. The delivery drivers didn’t want to know and refused to swap details. They then went to reception and they were similarly uninterested and refusing to take ownership. By the time we were leaving the Gardai (Police) had arrived to deal with the situation. A friend of mine stayed in the same hotel over Xmas and when he was checking out on the 27th December there was a couple at the desk whose car had been vandalised in the “secure” underground car par with a Security Guard and CCTV. Once again the receptionist was trying to fob them off telling them there was nothing he could do. The operation of the car park and the security at this Travelodge leaves a lot to be desired and is an area where the hotel management really need to take ownership.





Bar / Restaurant





Reception



When we went down to breakfast the next morning (it ends @ 11) we were greeted at 10.45 with a somewhat uncouth statement “Oh, I was about to close up” To welcome us. The “Irish” Breakfast consisted of bacon, sausage, beans and pudding looking somewhat worse for wear. Coffee and orange juice (no choice was offered) was brought to the table. There was no healthy alternative, no yoghurts, no cheese, no cold meats, and no selections of bread or rolls. There were min-croissants. The waitress was friendly enough but was very untrained with a poor manner. For this you have to pay 9.95 euros directly to the café as they are not part of Travelodge and we noticed heavy layers of dust on the partition beside our table.





Semi-derelict public housing behind Travelodge





The run down shopping centre opposite Ballymun Travelodge



In summary, nice building, poor management, woeful security, good value if you don’t get robbed.





Travelodge, Stansted, Great Dunmow











Heading across to pleasant rural Essex for a wedding at the historic Leez Priory, a Tudor Manor near Chelmsford, in the days after Xmas and before New Year we had a not so difficult choice. To stay in a charming B & B for £85 a night or book into a Travelodge for £19? Even adding on 2 breakfasts it still came to £30 for a decent well equipped room so bit of a no brainer.





Out of Order parking machine



Checking in was well organised as effectively you book online and prepay to get the cheaper deals and all they need to do at the desk is give you the key card for the room. However the picture was not so good when we got to our room as toilet rolls, remote for the TV and pillows were missing – what housekeeping check list were they working off? The rolls and pillows were retrieved from a store by the desk but the friendly receptionist said he’d have to retrieve a remote from another room as “customers keep nicking them.” He then checked it for batteries as he informed us these were also frequently stolen. Not the best customer service behaviour sharing these thoughts with us?





Overflowing rubbish and litter at the front of the hotel



The room otherwise was fine, clean, well equipped and as described. Very good value at the price, being next to Stansted Airport the “turn up rate” is £59. Good storage, good shower, TV (with remote!) and Tea / Coffee making facilities in the room.



Next morning we went down to breakfast in the relatively small café area which is too small for the number of customers. All the tables were smeared and uncleaned. Once again the staff on duty were young and were obviously struggling to cope but really it became apparent that the problems were caused more by poor management than by the generally helpful but untrained staff on duty. The beverage bar ran out of cups four times during the 30 minutes we were there for breakfast. It turns out they were short of cups and had to keep washing ones when customers were finished. Once again we were told this is because customers steal cups and their General Manager hadn’t authorised replacements (!!). When cups were replenished the coffee machine had run out of water so no coffee. The hot offering consisted of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs and beans. At various times these ran out and it was up to customers to find staff and tell them and then wait 5/10 minutes for fresh supplies by which time something else had run out. Bread ran out for toast – the only choice offered was white sliced and there was a single 2 slice domestic toaster, hardly sufficient for hotel catering. Plates (unheated) and glasses were put on the reception desk to maximise confusion, these also kept running out. There was also the delicious moment when a customer took one of these glasses and put it down telling the receptionist it wasn’t clean. The receptionist was helpful; she held 4 glasses up to the light before giving the fifth one to the customer as a clean glass. There were no teaspoons (yes, you guessed, the enemy – the customer, keeps nicking them) and no stirrers either so you had to use soupspoons or forks but these kept running out. We could have been annoyed at this Marx Brother’s impersonation of a breakfast service but like all the customers we just laughed as we had gone through the pain barrier at witnessing the truly shambolic organisation and eating off dirty tables. Like all Travelodge’s it also only stocks sugar so if you are the 10% of the population who use sweeteners this “luxury” item is also not available.





Brittania Parking Sign



Outside there are notices telling you that the car park is managed by “Britannia Parking Services” and hotel customers (including disabled drivers) have to pay £3.00 to park. Britannia here is in the form of a burly man in a van with clamps in the back. However when we arrived in pouring rain the machines were broken and the hotel took your registration number. This charge is not obvious or highlighted when you book but can only be found under the information for this hotel under the car parking tab. This fee doesn’t extend to keeping the car park clean. It and the front of the hotel were in fact strewn with litter from overflowing bins which very obviously had not been emptied for some time. The food and snack vending machines in the hotel lobby were also in need of a visit with 3 out of 4 out of order.



So there you have Stansted, Great Dunmow, Travelodge. A nice modern building, well located, with good disabled access and very competively priced if you book online and pre-pay. It doesn’t have enough cups, plates, glasses, pillows, remote controls, teaspoons etc; for all its customers / rooms and appears to be mis- managed remotely. It is a pity to build a good facility like this, to market it well and then let yourself and your customers down (and undermine your demotivated staff) by not equipping and managing it properly. Hardly a winning customer service proposition?





Village, Great Dunmow



Travelodge, which operates hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain, was sold by its private equity owner Permira in 2006 to Dubai International Capital. The Dubai firm said it would invest in Travelodge with the aim of making it the UK's leading budget hotel operator by the 2012 Olympics. It was originally set up by Forte and was then part of Granada and Compass Group. The lack of proper training and management systems is painfully and embarrassingly obvious particularly when you compare it to a very similar 2 star budget chain like Ibis run by the French Hotel group Accor. In Travelodge you are continuously faced with disempowered, untrained juvenile staff and poor management systems and processes and non-existent customer service values. Contrast Travelodge with the cheerful and well decorated Ibis Hotels, The Ibis “If we can’t fix it in 30 minutes the room is free” promise, the excellent and healthy breakfasts they offer, the “Breakfast Non-Stop” and the 24 hour snack availability not to mention the contrast in the customer welcome then by comparison Travelodge is a very poor customer service proposition indeed.



It is a great pity that Travelodge’s management is not as good as its marketing. The chain badly needs to be back in the hands of somebody who understands the hospitality industry, treats customers and their staff with respect. The buildings (if they are maintained) are not bad but need to aspire to something better than the atmosphere of the local A & E Department. As their better managed competitor Ibis Hotels demonstrates you can be BOTH cheap and cheerful and with happier customers achieve a better price point.



Travelodge, Dublin Airport

Shangan Road, Ballymun, Dublin, 9. Ireland



Travelodge, Stansted, Great Dunmow

Chelmsford Road, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1LW, United Kingdom



http://www.travelodge.co.uk/