Posts Tagged ‘Meetings in Swansea’

Can you believe that I actually agreed to a number plate with the number 13????

The Dragon Hotel Mini was delivered to the hotel on the 1^st March so I was very excited to drive home that evening with only 5 miles on the mileage counter.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this new mini does not attract the speeding cameras and police cars on the M4 like the old one did!!!

Last week the Mini and I were busy playing the Easter bunny when we delivered Dragon Easter Eggs to companies in and around Swansea.  I thought it was nice to break the engine in slowly before the long journeys up to Derby and Manchester this month to drum business up for the hotel.

So if you see me at the traffic lights in the morning doing my lipstick give me a beep.

Question:- How many people can you fit in a Mini?

Answer:- If it’s a new BMW Mini and those people happen to be very flexible then the answer is 28 (5 if they’re all like me), as confirmed for a new Guiness World Record at Potters Field Park, London in 2012.

After 6 fabulous years, Rob has finally taken the jump and is moving on to pastures new! So Rob leaves Tara and Andy to take on the Personal Training in The Dragon Hotel in Swansea to the next level and look forward to welcoming Natalie and Louise to the Team!!

As with any celebration (we are sad that rob is leaving us….honest!), there has to be some celebratory drinks.

Many of the staff from The Dragon Health Club and Hotel met up on Saturday for a day of Sport and Socialising. Naturally, some of the boys had to start celebrations after a large cooked breakfast so the partying started at 12pm. Then it was a few drinks whilst watching Swansea vs Arsenal (we lost L ) and then a few more to watch Wales vs England! Woo Hoo!!! We won!!!

So there was more celebrating! This lasted into the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, after a shift of partying in excess of 12 hours (Rob struggles putting hard work in for 8 hours) Rob was a little sleepy, and managed a bit of shut eye before actually getting to bed!!

We all partied hard to make sure Rob had a good send off and we wish him all the very best of luck in his new job!!

Good Luck Rob, We’ll miss you!!

From everyone at The Dragon Hotel

xx

Shrove Tuesday will be upon us so we thought we’d get in really early and make sure that not only are you prepared for some flipping good fun, but you’re also having a healthy pancake day this year!

Tara Hammett, our Health Club Manager and one of Swansea and South Wales’ top Personal Trainers (Did we mention finalist in the National Fitness Awards Personal Trainer of the Year 2012?) has shared her healthy pancake recipe that will keep your mid week healthy nutrition in check! It’s gluten free, high in fibre and massive on taste!

Ingredients: (for one pancake, increase ingredients accordingly)

For the pancake:

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

2 Egg Whites

¼ Cup Coconut Milk

For cooking in the pan:

Coconut Oil

For adding at the end (optional):

¼ teaspoon Truvia

Lemon

Mix all your pancake ingredients together. Firstly I whisked my egg whites up, then I added the flour and milk to a nice little batter.

Add ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan and swish it around.

Add your pancake batter to the pan and cook on one side for about a minute whilst swishing (said that twice now) the batter evenly around the edges.

Then…..the next move is your shout….what will it be??

A Flip????

Or

Risk a toss???

Well…..I’m gonna put it out there – I flipped!! Which I must say is medium on the adventurous scale, because sometimes I totally bail out and cook the other side under the grill (top tip).

Cook the other side for about another 30 seconds, then slide it out onto your plate, sprinkle with a bit of truvia and squeeze some fresh lemon and tuck in!!

NOM!!

So, you’ve had fun, you feel like you’ve indulged and you can enjoy the rest of your evening guilt free!!

Macros per pancake:

139 kCals

9g Protein

6g Carbs

3g Fibre

9g Fat

Enjoy!!!

Tara x

We are pleased to announce that The Dragon Hotel has become an Associate Hotel with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.

This marks a really exciting chapter for the hotel. Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has over 45 hotels across the UK and 6 resorts in Spain and Portugal.  One of the UK’s largest privately-owned hotel groups, with its roots in Scotland, we’re looking forward to being part of a family that also includes famous hotels such as the five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel and Macdonald Compleat Angler on the banks of the River Thames. 

The hotel will continue to be owned by asset management and property development firm London Devonshire Trust and The Dragon Hotel brand will not be changing. This is yet another new chapter in the hotel’s colourful history – we thank you for your continued support during this exciting time.

Well it has been a very coooold one in Swansea!

The snow certainly came and made its mark and it’s been getting to the health club staff as outdoor training has been a no go and it’s been quiet as many of the team’s personal training clients from Swansea have been snowed in, even though Swansea City Centre was still moving.  Although residential areas certainly resembled more of a winter wonderland!

Andrew hasn’t been out on his bike for a week – which is unheard of! Tara had to sleep in the hotel (not that she’s moaning) on Thursday night. Rob has put on a few pounds as he’s not been able to go out running and believes ‘comfort eating’ will protect him from the cold. James has also missed a few gym sessions but luckily, we all have Tara’s home HIIT workout video’s to follow to make sure the snow doesn’t sabotage our fitness to much!

But…we’re hopeful that the big melt is on its way and getting back to fitness and healthy eating is high on the agenda!

Tara has kicked off the Diet Tribe with Badger & Claire on 96.4fm The Wave and we’re all looking forward to seeing how much weight the tribe will lose over the next 6 weeks! Listen out to Tara on air for all her top fitness and nutrition tips.

You can also download her FREE E-book and join in with the journey on Facebook.

We hope you’re keeping safe & warm and continuing with your healthy 2013 goals!!

Want a change from the normal Advent calendar?

Need some motivation to keep in shape in December and burn off the Christmas party buffet & the celebratory drink or two?

Then join in with Tara Hammett, one of the Top Personal Trainers in Swansea and The Dragon Hotel Health Club Manager as she kicks off her FREE ‘Merry Fitmas – Advent Workouts’

Tara will be kicking off the festive fitness on Saturday 1^st December and will be helping keep everyone fit & fab with 12 minute home workouts that you can do every morning. You can join in too for free and receive your short workouts every morning in your inbox. Take part with hundreds of others and stay in shape for your party outfits and sign up with your email on www.taransformation.com

So get ready to open the Advent workout doors and make December 2012 the most fittest, fabulous and festive yet!

Merry Fitmas from The Dragon Team!!

Finding it hard to arrange meetings with colleagues or clients? The Dragon Hotel, Swansea’s premiere city centre hotel has the answer! (more…)

The tag line reads ‘The Best of The Best’ and staff and management at The Dragon Hotel are indeed delighted to be included within this elite group once again. (more…)

It’s the day after Beaujolais Day and already the Christmas decorations are going up!  The Conference Office is asking when will we get a break?!!  Although to be honest it’s been feeling like Christmas since September with the bookings coming in followed by deposits, full payments and menu orders.  There truly is no rest for the wicked…

Having said that though, Gethyn has still managed to find time to gallivant on his travels since we last spoke, fitting not one but two jaunts away.  He is forgiven though because he did bring us all some rock back from Minehead!  He’s also looking rather distinguished with his new spectacles. As trendy as they are though Gethyn, you can’t deny that old age is catching up with you!

We had a bit of a panic when Take That announced their impending tour since ARGH! Sian could not get them to pick up the phone to purchase her tickets.  A collective breath of relief could be heard when eventually news came through that at least someone in her circle of friends had managed to get a ticket for her – phew!

Cath’s still on her campaign to lose a stone in weight before Christmas – at 8lb loss so far it’s still on track but she can’t honestly say that its going well and that’s before there’s an advent calendar to be opened each day!

Well, we’d better sign off now as much thought and consideration must be given to the Office Secret Santa…

Have a Cool Yule!

Suzanne Spiller has been Conference Sales Manager at The Dragon Hotel for the past 3 years. Suzanne’s background has always been within the Hotel Industry and since joining an independent hotel in 2007 has found Swansea a very friendly and rewarding place to work. Outside of work Suzanne’s keen interest is running and raising money for some fantastic charities.

Let’s now introduce you to Suzanne’s team:

Sian Owen, Conference Sales Co-ordinator, also joined the team in 2007 and is the Wedding Co-ordinator. Sian herself got engaged in New York in January and has a sparkling rock on her left hand. But the love of her life is her beloved dog Lottie!

Last but certainly not least, Gethyn John, Conference Sales Co-ordinator, has worked at The Dragon Hotel for the past 5 years, where he began his role as Operations Manager. He then made the transition to the Conference Sales Office in 2008. Gethyn is the most green fingered amongst us and when he isn’t working he is in the garden.