Day 5 - Trevor Willdig

Another story from today (April 6, 2009) that deserves it's own blog entry is a man named Trevor Willdig. Trevor is the Concierge for the Marriott Breadsall Priory Hotel. We only planned on stopping at this hotel since it was near Kedleston Hall and on our way to York. And since they stay would be free since we used Marriott rewards. First, you are greated by this view when you pull up.

The picture isn't uploaded yet but there is a sign above the door that says it's the oldest Marriott in the world. The place is a history tour by itself with the Grandfather of Charles Darwin owning it for a while. It is situated on a beatuful golf course with it's own formal gardens leading away from the front of the Priory. After checking in, getting settled in our room we returned to the front desk. They made reservations for us at a resturant in town. It was 6:30 so they made them for 7:00 - even though the ride would only take about 10-15 minutes. Then we met Trevor. One of the employees later told us that some people really don't like Trevor. We can see that. He is the type of man you either love or hate. We loved him. Trevor took the time to show us around. Basically a private tour of the hotel. He has been an employee there for 16 years. It use to be a very small hotel, with only a few rooms. He actually stayed there on his own wedding night. 

The amount of stories and history that Trevor told us would take hours to retell - especailly since we ended up being over an hour late for dinner. But we'll share some. First, there is Munchy. Munchy was  a stray cat that the staff found on the grounds and adopted. The cat was apparently huge and really calm. It was such a part of the hotel that guests wanted a little something to remind them of the cat. So the staff bought little toy stuffed cats, made little name tags with Munchy on them and sold them to the guests simply to cover the costs of the stuffed animal. Eventually Munchy died. Now, this hotel and garden also has a pet cemetary that was started by the Darwin's. In honor of Munchy they even found a spot for him in the garden cemetary and extended the edge to include a spot of him. 

Trevor and all of his stories were one of the hightlights of the trip. Our only real regret is that we didn't get a picture of the man. The next morning when we left he wasn't working until late in the afternoon.