Margaret:
Hello Rob, Margaret here.
Margaret:
I'm just calling about the arrangements for Dad's 80th birthday party.
Rob:
I've rung round the rest of the family.
Rob:
Most people do intend to come, even though it's a long journey.
Rob:
Have you made any progress with the venue?
Margaret:
There are three possible hotels we could use for the party.
Margaret:
The Royal, the Star and the Winchester.
Rob:
If we can make a decision now, you can probably book straight away on the internet, can't you?
Margaret:
Well, only the Star.
Margaret:
I'd have to make a telephone booking at the others, but that'd be OK too.
Rob:
So which one do you think?
Margaret:
They're all fairly suitable and they're in really nice locations.
Margaret:
The Star looks right out over the bay.
Margaret:
It's on a cliff top.
Margaret:
Then the Winchester is in lovely countryside too.
Rob:
It's in the valley, isn't it?
Rob:
What about Mum's wheelchair?
Margaret:
How easy would it be for her to get in and out of these places?
Margaret:
Well, I know that the Winchester would be fine, and the Star because I've been there with her before.
Margaret:
I wasn't sure about the Royal because I seemed to remember it had a lot of steps, so I checked.
Margaret:
And apparently it's had ramps installed recently, so there wouldn't be any problem there either.
Rob:
And what about the kids?
Rob:
Which one do you think would be most suitable for them?
Rob:
Have they got play areas or anything?
Margaret:
The Royal hasn't got anything, but the Winchester has one.
Margaret:
It's on the ground floor, they said, not far from the dining room.
Margaret:
The Star's got one too, but it isn't undercover and we don't know what the weather will be like, do we?
Margaret:
Then there's the birthday meal itself.
Margaret:
The Royal's the only one where there'd be a choice.
Margaret:
The other two have a set menu at lunchtime.
Margaret:
Mind you, they all do very good food apparently, so the quality should be fine.
Rob:
I don't think it really matters whether there's a variety or not, but I think we need to have our own room, don't you?
Margaret:
The only one that can provide that is the Royal.
Margaret:
The Winchester and the Star only have one dining room, so we'd just be sitting with the other guests but in a separate area of the room.
Rob:
That's not quite the same, is it?
Margaret:
But the other thing to consider is the price.
Margaret:
Normally there's not much difference between them.
Margaret:
Perhaps the Star's slightly cheaper than the other two, but the Winchester is offering quite a good reduction because there's so many of us.
Margaret:
The Star and the Royal would just charge their standard rates.
Rob:
So, taking everything into consideration, which one do you think we should go for?
Margaret:
The Winchester, unless you...
Rob:
Okay, that's fine by me.
Rob:
You've obviously gone into everything very carefully.
Rob:
You've done nearly all the work so far, so what can I do now to help?
Margaret:
Well, could you manage the finances?
Rob:
Do they want the whole amount in advance?
Margaret:
Just a deposit.
Margaret:
I'll find out how much and let you know.
Margaret:
Then if you could send that straight away to secure the booking...
Margaret:
And I'll go and buy some invitations.
Rob:
I've got a programme on my computer.
Rob:
Then, once we've had the replies, I'll call everyone who's coming to find out if they want transport.
Margaret:
I can help out with that.
Margaret:
Pick people up from the station or whatever.
Margaret:
And could you stress that Dad doesn't want presents?
Margaret:
He keeps reminding me.
Margaret:
He says there's nothing he really needs.
Rob:
I'll try to discourage them, but you know what people are like.
