Staff at The Bower Inn are celebrating this month (June, 2017) after being named as one of HotelsCombined best places to stay in the UK and within the top 3% of hotels worldwide.
The boutique B&B in Bridgwater has been given the accommodation search company’s Recognition of Excellence for consistently achieving the highest standards of customer satisfaction.
Peter Starling, who co-owns the business with his wife Candida Leaver, explained: “We are thrilled with this award and are very proud of our team. Everyone here works extremely hard on all aspects of running the hotel, pub and restaurant, and to have recognition like this makes it so worthwhile.”
HotelsCombined conducted an extensive survey covering different types of accommodation within the UK to reach their conclusion.
The survey was based on gathering data from millions of guest reviews and translating them to an official Recognition of Excellence, which is not a ranking list, but a group of outstanding accommodation providers selected by a strict set of criteria.
The company undertook analysis of customer opinions online and, also, took into consideration the way The Bower Inn staff interacted with HotelsCombined communication team, demonstrating their commitment in providing quick assistance.
The hotel received 266 positive opinions posted by guests online across forums, websites and social media, which were analysed by HotelsCombined and gave a score of 9.3 out of 10.
The hotel is now representing the top 3% of accommodation providers worldwide for customer satisfaction.
Paulina Krolikowska from HotelsCombined UK said: “We are thrilled to be working with the best hotels in the UK and The Bower Inn is certainly among them. What is different about the Recognition of Excellence is the way information is gathered and analysed. It all depends on the guest and his or her experience with that particular accommodation.
“With this award, we’d like to make it even easier for every traveller to identify the best hotel for customer service and therefore the best value for their money.”
The Bower Inn has 16 luxury bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. All feature vintage furniture and accessories, some dating back to the 1820s, but have all the requirements a modern guest would expect.
“We provide traditional country breaks with contemporary facilities. Guests can enjoy delicious food, sourced from suppliers and producers that are located as near to us as possible, and experience a good night’s sleep in one of our cosy beds, which have Hypnos mattresses and duck down or synthetic duvets, or vintage eiderdowns, combined with fine linens.”
The Bower Inn team prides itself on attention to detail, whether it’s the quality of food or the fixtures and fittings in the bedrooms, or the general ambience and the way they interact with all their customers.
“Our food is ingredient-led and wholesome from breakfast through to lunch and dinner. Candida’s bees work hard to make our breakfast honey and we make our own vegetarian sausages on-site or source superb pork ones.
“Our bread comes from a little, local bakery in Bridgwater, which employs traditional baking methods to create its products including using old brick ovens.
“We make our own granola and fresh fruit salad. We serve speciality teas from the region and locally roasted and blended coffee from Clifton Coffee. These are all the sorts of things discerning guests require these days and it’s a pleasure to provide it too, giving Somerset producers and suppliers a boost.”
Candida and Peter took on The Bower Inn in 2010 when it was a rundown and empty country pub.
The 18th century inn is now set in a pretty cottage garden with a large weeping willow and sweet peas and roses in the summer months.
“We’ve spent the past seven years revamping the inn’s fortunes and creating a highly successful pub, restaurant and hotel with an excellent reputation for ambience, customer service and food.
“We’re very flexible and will go that extra mile to welcome our guests and be accommodating. Being a small, friendly, family-run, independent operation means we are open to customer requests and can react quickly and efficiently.”
For further details about The Bower Inn, which is on Bower Lane on the outskirts of Bridgwater just off junction 23 of M5, please call 01278 422926 or visit www.thebowerinn.co.uk.