Maintaining History Using computerized maintenance management, Leeds Castle mixes the new with the old. by Len Vermillion
Once home to medieval kings, queens, lords and ladies, Leeds Castle is nestled on two islands in the River Len in among the lush greenery of Kent, England. It’s a place with significant historical value.
Since 1974, the castle has been operated as a convention and tourist center. It serves not only as a museum but also a unique hospitality property. The castle welcomes overnight guests for special events. Nowadays, it’s a place where the old meets the new as its operators have infused new technology, including a computerized maintenance management system from CWorks Systems, to help with the unusual job of maintaining such a unique property. John Summers, head of support services at Leeds Castle, discussed the challenges and solutions for managing maintenance at the castle.
n Lodging magazine: What are the main challenges for effectively maintaining such a historic facility? n John Summers: Leeds Castle presents many of the issues that any other con-ference venue or hotel might face, but with the complication that every job needs to be done with exacting standards whilst following tight listed building regulations.
n LM: How does new technology help you meet those standards? n JS: New jobs never stop coming in so it is imperative that tasks can be easily prioritized and distributed to the most suitable tradesman. Cworks enables this to be done centrally whilst still allowing individuals from across the estate to enter new work, sign off on existing jobs and view the reports showing the current picture and level of commitment for the maintenance teams.
n LM: What do you use the system for in the castle? n JS: We use it to track and collate all maintenance requests covering the 500-acre estate, from medieval door handles to computer-controlled temperature and humidity control systems. Everything goes through Cworks first.
n LM: What benefits have you seen from computer-manged maintenance? n JS: [It] allows us to effectively resource the maintenance team whilst also checking their progress against key performance indicators. We have been running this system for over four years and would never be able to operate at the level we do without it.
n LM: Leeds Castle is such a unique facility, how does today’s technology help keep a place like this attractive to guests while not interfering with the historical integrity of the building? n JS: Leeds Castle’s secret is adaptability. By day we welcome 600,000 visitors a year, on weekends there are weddings, in the evenings and on some weekdays there are conferences, banquets and product launches, etc. Then just to round the whole thing off, a couple of times a year we hold major events on the grounds, including concerts, fireworks, jousting and performances by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. All of this diversity and flexibility means that every sector has some reason to come to Leeds Castle. But this amount of adaptability doesn’t come without rigorous, detailed planning and control, with all sections of the castle’s work force having a part to play. n
