When Sian and Tony O’Brien took over as General Managers of the Oyster House, Mumbles, they wanted to give the hotel a mini makeover and increase their capacity.
Sian said: “The mattresses were only around two years old; there was nothing wrong with them. It’s just you are quite restricted when you have double beds in a room.
“We often get asked for twin bedded rooms and so I thought by switching to Hypnos mattresses, which enables you to zip two mattresses together to create a super king, it was the perfect solution to help cater for all our guests.”
Sian has worked with Tony in the hospitality industry for 38 years. The couple have run pubs in London, Surrey and Devon, and had thought about retiring. But the opportunity to run the Oyster House, was ‘too good to be true’ according to Sian.
She said: “We’ve always had our family home in Neath. Every holiday we would visit for a few weeks, so it was always the plan to come back to South Wales.
“So, when Young’s Pubs, who we have worked with for 38 years, asked if we would like to go along and check out their latest acquisition, our thoughts of stepping down for a quieter life went out the window.”
Sian added: “Once we saw it, that was it. We knew we could turn the business into something special. We have a fantastic team; there’s twenty-eight of us and from the moment you set foot over our doorstep, you are guaranteed a warm welcome.”
“And if you stay overnight, we’ve been told by our guests that they’ve had the most restful night’s sleep!”
The Oyster House has sixteen en-suite rooms, some of which have glorious coastal views, and others which overlook the much-loved village, which Sian says is an ‘equally peaceful and idyllic’ setting.
There’s also a panoramic upstairs terrace for guests to sit, chat, eat and drink.
Sian comments the couple have spent a lot of time reworking the menu and are proud to support locally sourced produce.
She said: “It’s all fresh homecooked food. I’m all about local so we buy as much as we physically possibly can from local suppliers. We use Gower Butcher, Swansea fish and all our preserves, jams and breakfast supplies come from Gower Farm.”
The couple are hugely community-orientated and admit that at every pub or hotel they have run, they have always done ‘their bit’ to support local charities and projects.
Sian said: “When we were refurbishing the bedroom stock, I knew that I wanted to ensure that the mattresses went to a good home.
“They were like new and had so much more life left, so my first thought was the air ambulance shop.
“I hope that whatever they raise, that people enjoy sleeping on their new mattresses, safe in the knowledge that they have also helped towards paying forward to cover the cost of a mission.”
The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique third sector and public sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Sian says connecting with the Charity has ‘inspired’ her to do more to fundraise for the service.
She said: “I aim to do a quiz night or two, and a few other things over the coming months.
“The clinicians are fantastic. I hope they don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I never need them. But it is good to know that if something should happen that they would be there for us.”
Kerry Manning, manager of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity shop and donation point at Cwmdu Industrial Estate in Swansea: “What a fantastic idea from the Oyster House team!
“Our shops across Wales, really rely on new stock coming into our branches each day, to enable us to raise funds for the Charity.
“Each one has a range of great quality items which are donated by our supporters, and not only do they help to raise vital funds, but they provide a sustainable way to shop and help to reduce landfill.
“When we were told that a dozen bed mattresses were on their way, the team was excited, because our customers get access to top brands at bottom prices.
“Every pound spent in our Charity shops, goes towards ensuring our helicopters stay in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road, helping save more lives.”
