Business: The Telegraph “is back”
Lex Taylor and Felicity Hargreaves. Photo: Neil Wilson.
“The Tele is back, at least that what our customers are telling us,” said Felicity Hargreaves, one of the new licensees of The Telegraph Hotel.
After a slightly chequered recent history, the historic Telegraph Hotel is once more becoming the kind of place locals and visitors like to socialise in.
Felicity and her partner Lex Taylor have had The Telegraph lease since early September. Felicity is primarily running the business, but Lex is enjoying his return to the licensed trade. He and Flis ran the Marina, now Pohara Sands, until 2001.
“I really like my connection with The Telegraph,” said Lex. “My great-great grandfather, Shamrock Reilly, was the licensee here back in the 19th century. He moved here when his pub, the Shamrock, that was at Waitapu, burned down.”
Felicity and Lex are making changes to the menu, the accommodation facilities and most importantly to the operation of the pub itself.
“We want to make it a warm, friendly and welcoming place for locals and visitors,” said Felicity, a self-confessed foodie. “Pubs need to offer a much wider range of attractions than they used to. Our new menu has broader appeal than just plain ‘pub grub’ and we’ve already noticed people coming back to try their particular favourites. The Wii Olympics will be fun and we’ll have live music all summer. Cornerstone Roots are booked for 6 January.”
Felicity said that visitors have been impressed with The Telegraph’s wireless hotspot and internet kiosk in the room next to the hotel’s front door. “It’s open and available to everyone while the pub is open,” she said.
Neil Wilson
