(Editor’s note: Stan wrote the following as a result of conversations/correspondence with two long-term guests staying at Cluny 2010/11.)

An anecdote about Peter’s days running Cluny as a hotel, and accepting ’only the best’, as part of his principle of ‘Perfection in all things’.

After having accepted Peter as a manager, Mrs. Bruce must have had many a day of second-guessing her decision. This would have started right off the bat, when Peter, shown their manager’s quarters, rejected them outright and insisted – based on Eileen’s guidance – that they be given the best rooms in the house. When Mrs. Bruce and another member of the Board of Directors heard about this and stormed up to Forres and Cluny to fire Peter, he kept his cool, pointing out all the plans he had for the place to increase its takings, but staying firmly with his position, that if they were going to be successful there, they must model it in their living situation. Apparently Mrs. Bruce helped him win that day. But then came the day…

As part of his philosophy, Peter once ordered ‘only the best’ of gravy boats; stainless steel, as I recall the story. The day came that the purchase was delivered, by a man whom Peter knew was a spy for the Board of Directors. He opened the cartons, and found – tout alors! – merely ceramic gravy boats. Which obviously would never do. So he began taking them out and ker-rashing them on the floor, one by one, saying, for all who had ears to hear, “I ordered only the best; I will accept only the best.” But he got away with it; because he was beginning to produce, as a manager. Reminder of that: he/they trebled the takings within three years, and within the same period of time, raised Cluny from 3-star hotel status to 4-star. Hard to argue with success.

This success was why they were asked to go to another hotel in the chain, to turn it around financially the way they had Cluny. But that’s another story…