Hospitable approach pays off for The Merchants Inn

In the world of sport a big factor in achieving success is making the most of opportunities when they come along. Taking your chances.

It's just the same in the world of business.

For the town of Rugby, the Rugby World Cup presented a massive opportunity.

The prestigious 'proud home' status, awarded to the town by the World Cup organisers as the birthplace of the sport, ensured its inclusion on the must-visit list of thousands of visitors from overseas during their stay in this country.

So the question facing Rugby businesses was how to make those visitors welcome: how to encourage them to spend their time and money in the town during this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

The Merchants Inn had the answers.

England's team might have bailed out early but the Merchants Inn was a World Cup winner after Warwickshire County Council-backed WorldHost Ambassador training helped it to offer those global visitors an extra-special welcome.

The Little Church Street pub prepared for the event by sending 11 of its staff for WorldHost Ambassador training. Warwickshire County Council had teamed up with workforce development charity People First to offer the prestigious training which was used to prepare staff and volunteers for the 2012 London Olympics - an event where the warmth of welcome was legendary.

The difference made by the training was immense - and will have a benefit which far outlasts the duration of the World Cup itself, said Merchants Inn general manager Scott Whyment.

"Our staff came back from the training with a lot of positivity and real enthusiasm for the World Cup," said Scott. "We always try to offer a warm welcome but it was great to hear these messages presented so well from an outside source. I think it was a real eye-opener for some of our staff.

"Quality of service is about 80 per cent of what we do. There are hundreds of other outlets serving the same thing in the area so you have to make the service element special. That's what we aim to do and the WorldHost training was a massive help.

"During the tournament we had visitors from all over the world, pretty much all the competing nations, a lot of Antipodeans and Japanese. And Columbia, rather strangely as they weren't in the World Cup!

"The tournament was great for us. We knew we would be busy on match-days but we had a real lift on the quieter days too."

Even before the tournament began, the Merchants Inn had some success of its own to toast, winning the coveted 'best pub' accolade in the inaugural Warwickshire County Council-backed Coventry and Warwickshire Tourism and Culture Awards.

The pub is reaping full rewards for its determination to make visitors as welcome as possible.

Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Cllr Izzi Seccombe: "I congratulate the Merchants Inn on its commitment to high-quality service. They are a great example of the welcoming spirit which we are proud to show visitors to the county.

Cllr Philip Johnson, Chair of Warwickshire County Council’s Communities Overview and Scrutiny, said: “It is wonderful that businesses like The Merchants Inn took advantage of the internationally recognised WorldHost Programme which was just one of a number of measures the county council delivered to help Rugby capture the economic benefits of the World Cup."