Plymouth Hotel Shocked by Zero Food Hygiene Score Rating

The New Continental Hotel got a low food hygiene score. Hotel bosses were surprised by the zero rating. They said they’ve already made changes and hope to get a score of at least four soon. The hotel is always improving, they claim, and Christmas event bookings are coming in already.

Staff were shocked by the council’s inspection result. The New Continental’s rating dropped from four to zero. Inspectors found issues in three areas: food safety management, cleanliness of facilities, and hygienic food handling. All needed improvement.

Simon Hawke, the hotel’s operations manager, called the rating a big shock. Nikki Field, who handles accounts and HR, said it was very disappointing. They didn’t expect this at all. The managers said the inspection was at a busy time, just before Christmas, and issues were mostly about paperwork and Victorian building maintenance.

The hotel has kitchens spread across three levels, which can make top hygiene scores harder to achieve. Managers insist they’ve made improvements already. Inspectors have revisited and are happy. The hotel can now apply for a new inspection, though it could take up to three months.

Miss Field said the revisit went well and showed no problems. She said they did structural repairs due to the building’s age and maintenance work was needed, but nothing major. The concerns were related to the building structure, not the food.

Mr. Hawke also mentioned paperwork issues, stating they have now completed all of it. The hotel wants to be reassessed quickly to get their normal score back. The New Continental opened in 1865, originally as two hotels, and was bought by the Hajiyianni family in 1984.

The hotel has three kitchens and many rooms, three function rooms, a brasserie, and a leisure club, and parking for 70 cars. Eighty people work there. The hotel was renovated in the 2010s. Rooms were updated and the outside was repainted, and they constantly improve the hotel.

Miss Field said they are replacing fire doors, constantly upgrading the hotel. Mr. Hawke said they are painting bedrooms, too. He added that business is good and they are busy at Christmas. They look forward to a successful year, with bookings for Christmas events already coming in.