LUX Hotel & Spa Awards 2016

LUX - Hotel & Spa Awards 2016 35 Best Luxury B&B 2016 – Harrogate Fast approaching its one-year anniversary, Sara’s business venture has attracted a steady mix of clients. “We get quite a lot of younger couples, who have not started a family yet, and are looking for somewhere romantic and peaceful in order to escape from work and city living for the weekend,” she mentions. “We also get a number of visitors who tend to come for slightly longer breaks to enjoy the wide range of amenities and facilities that are close by, such as National Trust Fountains Abbey and RHS Harlow Carr, as well as the nearby cities of York and Leeds, and of course the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.” To Sara, success as the head of a burgeoning B&B establishment has rested upon her ability to deliver what the customer wants, time after time. To her, hosting a high end B&B “is really a question of listening to people, and being aware of their circumstances in coming here, as well as having high standards and an eye for detail.” “Some people will want to talk and have long interesting chats; others might be more used to hotel environments, which do not have that same sense of personality; some guests might just wish to keep to themselves, which is fine as they have their own privacy, in the comfort of the refurbished barn. “I will always ask our guests if they have any allergies before they book a room with us. There might also be guests that have decided to forego bread or dairy products, which makes it my responsibility, as their host, to ensure that they are provided with options that suit their needs. That way, they are not missing out on the things that we provide for other guests without those restrictions. Best Luxury B&B 2016 – Harrogate Company: Roseberry Cottage Bed & Breakfast Email: info@ roseberrycottage.co.uk Web Address: www.roseberrycottage.co.uk Address: Bishop Thornton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 3JP Phone: 01423 772 926 HS160035 “Ultimately, it’s a question of tuning in to what our guests want; the overall experience is the same for everybody, in that we will go to the same lengths for all of our customers to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible. By listening to the needs of our guests, we are more able to facilitate those needs.” “With the sort of luxuries that we have come to expect whenever we travel, the little touches that we provide are part of what we take pride in. We provide our guests with luxury toiletries, fluffy dressing gowns, towels and slippers, and other high-quality products. The bread, biscuits and preserves are all home made, sausages and bacon from an excellent local butcher and the eggs from a neighbouring farm. The guest’s kitchen has a proper tea pot and nespresso coffee machine, with good quality teabags and coffee should our guests want any. Our guests deserve the best treatment, so we work hard to ensure that nothing falls below their expectations. We choose to focus on giving our guests as many luxuries and comforts as we can in a smaller, more personal environment than a hotel. “The converted barn’s surroundings have been refurbished to compliment this – we have a young orchard and wild flower meadow outside, on the way up to our vegetable garden and fruit cages. At this time of year, we’re often out picking soft fruit for jam making and our guest’s breakfasts. Come autumn, there will be ripe apples and pears in the orchard, which I will use to make compotes to serve at breakfast. We also grow our own potatoes and salads for guest’s barbecues, which can be ordered in advance and served on their terrace, if people choose not to go to one of the many excellent local pubs or restaurants for dinner. “ The B&B industry, Sara remarks, has certainly seen a surge in higher expectations for luxurious accommodation. “People are much more well- travelled these days; having been abroad and spent a lot of time staying in increasingly well equipped surroundings. “We want to attract people who perhaps don’t think of going to a B&B, remembering them as they were 20 or more years ago when you would be in a bedroom in somebody else’s house, perhaps with a shared bathroom, and eating in their kitchen or dining room. That is not something that most modern guests are looking for, opting instead to have their own privacy. On top of this, the industry has changed tremendously in the last decade alone, with the growth of the Internet allowing prospective guests to go online and examine a property in great detail. That alone has had a tremendous impact on the way that smaller businesses like ours can reach wider audiences.” Sara, though, admits to the complexities that this brings. “The single biggest challenge that I have faced is social media, and trying to get my head around it!” Undaunted by this, Sara’s enterprise has made a firm stamp on the local industry, benefitting from people looking for a more modern, luxurious retreat, away from Harrogate’s hotels. “Moving forward we are keen to preserve our high standards of quality and maintain our excellent standards of service in order to exceed the expectations of our customers. We look forward to a bright and prosperous future.” Roseberry Cottage Bed & Breakfast At Roseberry Cottage Bed & Breakfast, Sara Jaffar considers herself fortunate to be so well placed. Located in the middle of the countryside, the picturesque Spa town of Harrogate is just 15 min- utes drive away, and the Yorkshire Dales are on the doorstep. The Bed & Breakfast is situated in English countryside comprising a wild flower meadow and young orchard, a main house, and a converted barn. Inside this refurbished barn are two beautifully decorated bedrooms, each with a modern en-suite bathroom, and a delightful communal kitchen area, where breakfast is served.