This week a poem by Siegfried Sassoon to his younger lover came to light, discovered by an academic while looking through the personal papers of Glen Byam Shaw. It was published for the first time by The Observer (whence I pinched this title). Shaw was… Read more

I’ve banged on endlessly about general laid-back hospitality; we love providing a framework for guests to be themselves. It’s the “second lead” subject of my last post. But we got into a spin on a booking last week. A special family event, a *milestone*. It… Read more

I was looking into the biog of Gig Young, the worn and louche looking chap in front of me on the wall in the bar here at SoHoEx. He had a ride through the backstage of Hollywood in the mid 20th century. He was talented but not handsome enough for the lead, always the support... Read more

Isn’t all hospitality about performance? The best staff, the best guests, understand that and the theatre of the hotel/bar/restaurant. When we come on shift, we adopt the personality of the space, we construct ourselves to facilitate performance. Read more

Alt-alc; it’s A Thing. Who wants to ask for a Shirley Temple, when a Bloody Mary just sounds so much more dangerous? Read more

Designing our latest gorgeous new hotel room at Southernhay House has got us revisiting our own golden rules for creating the most beautiful boutique bathrooms. We always say they’re half the pleasure of a boutique stay. Or should be! Building a dream bathroom is a personal thing of course, but these guidelines are worth considering at home. Read more

Launching one of the Exeter Gins last week has got us feeling all Roman! It’s not just modern-day Londoners making a break for our rolling hills, seaside, fine weather and laid back style; those Romans knew a good thing when they saw it. Read more

We’re exploring a relationship with Britain’s fastest growing bookseller because what happens between the covers is as important as what goes on between the sheets. Read more

Is it silly to compare Exeter and the surrounding Devon countryside with Tuscany? Probably, but it's Easter and it's raining and we're doing it anyway. Read more

Plenty, it transpires. The first owner of Southernhay House, Captain William Kirkpatrick was a polymath, inquisitive about different cultures and….an incurable romantic. With two women in his life – one English, one Indian – and children with both, William let his heart lead when choosing… Read more