Hotel staff to become City of Film ambassadors

Receptionists, bar staff and other front-of-house employees are being given training about Bradford's status as the world's first UNESCO City of Film and how to spot key film locations.

It is hoped that hotel staff - often the first point of contact for visitors - can sing the praises of the city and help boost tourism and spending ahead of the opening of the Broadway shopping centre on November 5.

The first training session took place earlier this week at the Great Victoria Hotel and later this month staff at the Midland Hotel will follow suit.

Both The Bradford Hotel and Jurys Inn have signed up for training and three more city centre hotels could follow.

The training has been devised and delivered by the team at Bradford City of Film.

City of Film director David Wilson said: "Hotel reception staff are often the first point of contact for visitors to the city and I think it is important that they are equipped with some key facts about our film credentials.

"Staff at the Great Victoria Hotel were already very knowledgeable about a number of productions that had taken place in the city recently, including The Syndicate and DCI Banks, but I think they were quite surprised by the extent of production that has taken place here and over such a long period of time."

As part of the training staff will be offered the opportunity to go and see a film at Picturehouse cinemas at Bradford's National Media Museum and write a brief review of their experience

"By asking staff to actually review a film really gets them involved in a film activity in the city and hopefully they will have a good time and want to share their experience," said Mr Wilson.

"As a city we have seen an increase in filming requests in recent years. We are also expecting a marked increase in visitors to Bradford in the coming months and years and many are genuinely interested in locations they may have seen in films or on TV."

Mr Wilson said social media was playing an increasing role in publicising film and TV locations which was helping Bradford make the most of its own film links.

"Bradford is in a prime position to take advantage of this in the coming years as productions continue to increase the film credentials of the city."

Dan Kirkham, general manager of the Great Victoria Hotel said: "I would personally like to place on record a huge thanks to David Wilson for coming to The Great Victoria Hotel to talk to our front line staff.

"The time he spent raised much awareness in the connections that Bradford has with film and TV. It highlighted how great the locations are in and around Bradford and what we have to offer guests visiting our hotel.’’

Gary Peacock, general manager of the Midland Hotel, said: "The Midland Hotel, with its rich tradition of hosting film productions, crews and celebrities is delighted to support this initiative by Bradford UNESCO City of Film."

Colin Philpott, chief executive of networking group Bradford Breakthrough, said hotel staff were already fine ambassadors for the city.

"What David (Wilson) is organising is a great idea. Generally, we all need to be on the front foot and shouting about the attractions we have.

"The fact is, we are going to get lots of extra people coming to Bradford as a result of the Westfield shopping development.

"We want people to come back to Bradford to shop and to do other things. The cafe and bar economy around the city centre is part of the whole package. These things feed off each other as people on the frontline become more aware what the rest of the offer is."

Mr Philpott said other cities had benefited hugely from film tourism, among them Lincoln where the cathedral was used as a prime location for the filming of the best-selling book The Da Vinci Code.

Last year Bradford Breakthrough started a pilot course for cabbies to help them answer questions from customers about regeneration, restaurants, and things to do and see.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for education, skills and culture, said: "I'm pleased that the City of Film is taking this initiative.

"Bradford has a strong history of film and it's good that our hotels also recognise that this is something which adds to the visitor experience.

"This is the latest in a number of initiatives to improve customer experience in Bradford.

"Bradford Breakthrough took the initiative with the taxi driver training and more recently SkillsHouse (Bradford's retail academy) has announced it is introducing WorldHost customer service training for people wanting to get a job in the new retail job opportunities in the city.

"Bradford has to compete with other cities for overnight stays, shopping trips and days out.

"So it's important that we do everything we can to make sure that visitors enjoy the time they spend here and are encouraged to come back for more."