It may have been ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ for the infamous Hugh Grant, but for local hotelier Robert Abson it’s been two weddings, one funeral and a flood.
Chaos reigned at Paddington House Hotel on Manchester Road, Warrington, when a burst water pipe took out two first floor bedrooms and an upstairs corridor as well as the hotel’s main 130-cover function room on the ground floor – all within less than two hours.
Managing Director, Robert Abson, had only just said farewell to a large funeral party when the burst occurred and was busy preparing for a corporate business breakfast and two imminent wedding parties. Left with no option other than damage limitation, he and his colleagues struggled to combat the flow of water until an emergency plumber arrived.
‘Water was literally pouring down the walls like a river and it blew all the electrics within minutes,’ said Mr Abson. ‘It’s incredible how much damage can be done is such a short space of time.’
Thankfully, Mr Abson was able to get hold of his insurance company BNIB RLS immediately and within three hours of his call they had arranged for a loss adjuster to arrive on the scene. On seeing the urgency of the situation, Mr Abson was granted immediate authorisation to book in local tradesmen for the repair work to begin.
BNIB RLS, based in Wilmslow, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Broker Network Insurance Brokers and specialises in commercial insurance for businesses in the North West. The branch represents the 37-bedroomed Paddington Hotel as one of eight hotels in the Venture Hotel Group. The Group’s additional hotels are in Manchester, Cheshire and Liverpool.
‘I have always been pleased with the service I receive from BNIB RLS but this particular incident took speed and efficiency to new levels,’ said Mr Abson. ‘It is extremely rare for any insurance company to respond that quickly and I was hugely grateful for their involvement.’
Repair work continued around the clock and Paddington House was able to host both wedding parties as planned. Mr Abson said: ‘No-one suspected a thing. It’s testimony to the swift work of BNIB RLS and some excellent local tradesmen that so much seemingly irrevocable damage can be repaired in such a short space of time. It was like a scene from the TV show Changing Rooms.’
BNIB RLS branch manager Bob Stevenson added: ‘My team has been delighted to be of service to Mr Abson. As local brokers we pride ourselves in being able to offer a genuine hands on approach. Incidents of this kind cause undue stress to any business and when important revenue is at stake, not to mention people’s private wedding celebrations, it’s particularly worrying. Anything extra we can do to help solve the problem is a pleasure.’
BNIB RLS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Broker Network Insurance Brokers Ltd. whose parent company Towergate, is UK’s largest insurance intermediary. The company offers national bespoke commercial insurance solutions delivered and serviced at a local level.
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