THE BEATING HEART OF SOUTHSEA

Her doors may have been closed to the public since the end of March… but that hasn’t stopped the Queens Hotel from being a hive of activity during the coronavirus lockdown. From offering respite and solace to NHS workers on the frontline, to being the focus for a community cooking project that has seen many hundreds of meals for vulnerable people prepared at the Queens Hotel, she has remained the beating heart of Southsea. The love for her community has literally radiated from the walls with weekly projection mapping events to show our appreciation for the NHS and all key workers. As the hotel prepares to welcome guests for their new look garden events from July 4, there is a real buzz around the hotel once more.

A dramatic new piece of street art has arrived at the Queens Hotel, thanks to Southsea based artist My Dog Sighs. Measuring a whopping 20m x 20m, the distinctive eye will be watching over the beautiful Queens Hotel garden, and it is also visible from further afield. “Passengers on the hovercraft from the Isle of Wight spotted the design taking shape and cycled over to have a chat with me,” quipped My Dog Sighs, who has painted murals across the globe in the USA, China, Italy, Israel, Korea, and Australia. His eye design has won My Dog Sighs a global audience of admirers and recent commissions have included working with Samsung on a digital technology interactive graffiti wall. Each image is unique with a different reflection in the pupil capturing a special moment in time. “The reflection is rather special because it captures the seafront complete with pier, and I’ve earned myself points for being a good husband by including a silhouette of my wife and I from a photo my son took of us recently at the beach. “Coming out of the lockdown, I hope this captures the need we’ve all had to be with the ones we love,”

he said. Looking back over the last few months of lockdown, it was clear that preparing to close as the pandemic took hold was one of the toughest challenges for the management team. A skeleton staff has helped to ensure the safety and comfort of NHS guests who began arriving in April. Managing Director Farid Yeganeh, explained: “As soon as we went into lockdown, we felt we really wanted to do something to help, and so we offered our rooms to NHS staff.

“We wanted to make a meaningful contribution to staff who were quite literally saving lives during the pandemic.” Nurse Gemma Powell was living at the Queens Hotel for nearly two months, while caring for patients on the Respiratory High Care ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital. She could not go home as she was working in a

high-risk environment, and her pregnant daughter was high risk herself. “I will never forget how well we were treated at the Queens Hotel – I’ve never felt so special.It is a beautiful building and the staff are amazing – they are like family. “I would get in from a night shift and everything would be clean and perfect in the room - and even a card which made me cry. “If ever I was exhausted emotionally, the staff at the hotel would cheer me up. If I could have brought my daughter and cat to live with me, I would have stayed there forever.” Working at the hotel during the lockdown and seeing the NHS workers returning exhausted to the hotel at the heart of Southsea, Megan Lockyer, kind hearted duty manager, created a great way to say thank you.

“I came up with the idea of making hampers for the NHS workers who were staying with us. “The NHS staff had told us how sore their hands were due to constant washing, and we were able to include aloe vera hand cream along with relaxing bath gels, slippers, and other items,” she explained. The first hampers were given to NHS workers during the Easter celebrations, and more hampers are currently being distributed with the help of The Hive. Working with The Hive charity, Pompey in the City, and Portsmouth City Council, the Queens Hotel has been helping to ensure those most in need did not go hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head chef at Brasserie Blanc at Gunwharf Quays, Anghel Niko Nedelcu joined forces with Managing Director at the Queens Hotel, Farid Yeganeh to create the meals and they were joined by General Manager Chris Gilmore and Head Chef Paul Playford, who work at the Queens Hotel’s sister establishment, the Royal Beach Hotel. Other furloughed chefs have offered their services and there has been a real community spirit in the kitchen. Suppliers and city based companies have also donated to the cause. We are really grateful to PMC Construction and Remediation for their continued support, and Buckwells of Southsea for donating meat to help make our meals extra special. Marking the weekly appreciation for key workers became a major event at the hotel too. The Queens Hotel became the backdrop for a series of visual events that helped to raise our spirits during the lockdown.

Social media expert at the Queens Hotel, Aina Sutka explained: “We wanted to show our support for key workers and the NHS during this difficult time. “And when it came to marking the 75 th anniversary of VE Day, we really wanted to say thank you to all the people who fought for our freedom.” All this was achieved, by working with Pete Hall from Portsmouth based Rhino Audio Visual.

Looking forward to their planned programme of garden events which are designed to allow the public to once more enjoy the Queens Hotel with a VIP experience in a safe setting, Farid summed up the journey so far. “There have undoubtedly been challenges we have had to face during the lockdown, and the future for the hospitality industry is still far from straightforward. “But this crisis has enabled us to reach out to the community we serve and we have especially enjoyed working with local businesses who need our support during this difficult time. We look forward to welcoming you all back soon,” he said.

GARDEN EVENTS AT THE QUEENS HOTEL OFFER THE PERFECT SETTING FOR FAMILY REUNIONS

With news that families can now meet up We respectfully ask our guests to remain within their with grandparents and loved ones, we designated area, toilet facilities will be available to hope our new look garden events will garden guests only. offer the perfect setting for these reunions. Bookings will be taken on a first come, first With live music, delicious food, table service and a full package of precautions to ensure your safety, we hope you will be able to join us from July 4. served basis. Bookings are now being taken for July 4 and 5. Tables will be released each Monday for the following weekend. Please email info@queenshotelportsmouth.com or phone our The garden events will run on Friday, Saturday and reception team on 02392 822 466 between 8am-4pm Sunday from 12 noon to 7pm. They will be subject to and place your name on the list. government guidelines. If it rains during the garden event, it will be cancelled There will be a table charge of £60 (£10 per head) and we will move your booking to the next available and a limited number of smaller tables (10 per head). booking window. We will use our social media channels to warn guests about weather related Up to 6 people can sit at a table and there will be a 2m cancellations so please check our Facebook, distance around each one. Instagram and Twitter accounts for updates. As we mentioned before, there will be no orders at the bar. More information will follow on menus and drinks –Initial drinks orders will need to be placed and paid for we are really looking forward to welcoming you at when booking. Further orders will be taken at your table. our new look garden events.