I stayed at the Hayes conference Centre on a Writers Summer School. The cost of accommodation varies according to the building.
Grounds with trees and benches and flowers.
Flowers
Beautiful flowers near the house by the back lawn and the main conference hall.
Hidden in an inner courtyard in the main house were chess and draught pieces.
A good place if you have an Alice in Wonderland outfit. And a rabbit puppet.
Outdoor chess and draughts. An indoor gym.
Bedrooms and Bathrooms
The room had wifi and other instructions readily visible.
Very thick absorbent towels and bath mat by the brand Richard Haworth.
The smaller of the two dining rooms. Our conference of 200 people used both. It was handy to be flexible or follow the advice of staff to switch rooms if you were in the room with longer queue. Pop next door and join a shorter queue.
A double room with shower room. Rooms vary in size.
This lovely sign made us feel happy every day. A great backdrop for a photo, saying where you are, and the double positive message.
I wondered about booking the Hayes conference centre at Swanwick in Derbyshire. Do they hire out odd leftover rooms like a hotel? No.
However, you can book for a minimum group size of 12. The Hayes is slightly dearer, about ten pounds dearer, than their accommodation further south nearer London, in Hertfordshire. However, Derbyshire is more accessible for visitors from the north and from Scotland.
Our Writers Conference before Covid-19 booked all 400 rooms in advance, for the following year, paying a non-refundable deposit, and books five years ahead to be sure of continuity. You don't have to spend half the year hunting for a venue and leaving potential delegates and one day guests wondering whether they can afford the fare and travel time.
Plants indoors as well as outdoors. A cactus in flower on a corridor window ledge in the main house.
And hot coffee or hot chocolate all day long from a help yourself machine.
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