Riviera Pebbles Blog: Synergy

Posted on 22nd May 2014 in Pebbles Properties

UK based team

The 16 May 2014 saw the new signage going up at our new larger UK offices in Glossop Derbyshire. This is the new HQ for Pebbles and where we now have eight salaried staff. The main role of this office is to speak and email our guests, at all stages of their booking with us until they arrive in Nice, where the Nice office takes over.

It goes without saying that both offices work closely together, there is even a dedicated SKYPE room in both the UK office and the Nice office so that we can communicate daily for our meetings, and then internal phone lines between each office, so it’s just like being in the next room. Some of the UK team also make regular trips to Nice (there is no shortage of volunteers!) and there are firm friendships springing up between the offices. Between the two offices, there’s a lot that goes on to make our guests’ stay with us as perfect as possible.

The UK office is now the bustling HQ where promises are made, expectations are set and the ever, ever growing “To Do” list looms large from whiteboards everywhere. It’s also here where the oils of master-planning, data-crunching and process-engineering merge to deliver that all important well-oiled machine. Its here we find ways to shout from the rooftops to the big wide world about Pebbles, and here where the beans are counted. There’s far too much to mention about the cogs of all that makes Pebbles whole on this post. For now let’s just concentrate on the VIPs – yes, that’s our guests. The Very Important Pebbles.

For Guests, the UK office is home to reservations and our front-line agents Karen, Laura, Katie and Eva, along with our reservations manager, Neil. They’re here to help match our guests with their perfect pied-a-terre, home from home, or maison magnifique. Whatever takes a guests’ fancy - so long as that fancy is stylish and well equipped.

When everything is done, and the Pebbles passport sent out, we safely hand you over to be looked after in Nice. The dedicated Pebbles Reps are all based at 20 rue Giofreddo. Emily, Ellie, Lianne, Jon, Katie, Emily H greet each and every one of our guests personally and navigate across city streets and sprawling pavement cafes on their de-rigour pebbles’ bikes often in soaring temperatures, but always with a smile. When not with a guest, they are knee deep in the daily complexities of planning each arrival to fit with our guests’ preferred time, reporting maintenance issues and helping with our guest requests.

Alice, on reception, is on hand in our office to deal with any eventuality ranging from collecting free beach towels, borrowing a travel plug, printing boarding passes or help storing luggage . If Alice can’t help, there’s Michelle, our "firm but fair" office manager, as well as Emily and Flora, our assistant managers who wear several hats admirably.

Our maintenance department is also based at 20 rue Giofreddo. Headed up by Flora with the help of Steve they boldly go forth to arrange the fixing of leaks, broken appliances and the like. Poor Flora and Steve. We don’t want to be rude, but they are the are the last people anyone in our team wants to get an email or call from, but they are appreciated immensely as they help us keep everything as ship shape as possible for our guests’ precious time with us. When there is something wrong, he or Flora contact not just our team of plumbers, electricians et al, but also our reservation team so we can work to ensure that if the maintenance is going to affect our next guests’ stay a solution is found.

Last but by no means least are our home services, who as well as keeping an eye on maintenance issues, efficiently yet discreetly scrub, dust and make-up our beds with cotton fresh linen, fluffy white towels and perfectly position our L’Occitane toiletries and guest welcome packs. All managed from our centralised store by our wonderful Tina – our store manager, at 23 rue Giofreddo. Based here is also our much loved Lenka – our immensely clever IT Wonder Woman, who is called upon to fix all manner of technical issues that occur from time to time in our holiday rentals, and our offices.

Maintaining Pebbles is the hub of our business. It is no easy task. Nice may not be a huge city, but not only are our properties diffused all over Nice, but everything varies. Appliances, beds, TV’s, Wi-Fi, Sound Systems. Whilst it’s the individuality that excites us, and our guests, about the rental properties on offer – at times of maintenance, we dream of our apartments, all in one place, under one roof. Yet, that would be a hotel – and what’s special about a hotel these days?