Hale House B&B

One year after moving into my newly built house and six months after opening my doors as a traditional Bed & Breakfast I have been fortunate enough to receive recognition from VisitBritain, our national tourist agency. VB have a range of categories & standards but, following a visit by a ‘mystery’ guest, Hale House B&B in Hale Road, Wendover has been awarded a 4 Star Gold for Guest Accommodation and a Breakfast Award.The ‘mystery’ guest, who awards the stars, only reveals himself after paying the bill following an overnight stay & he then discusses how your property has been marked! Boy do they pay attention to every possible detail – I was amazed at their critical observations but nonetheless I seemed to pass muster.

Welcoming the public into one’s home is a strange business – you never know who’s going to turn up, or why, but almost without exception my guests have been charming, appreciative and respectful of my home. The reasons for their stays are very varied but I’ve not had many walkers who I thought would be my main customers with the Ridgeway National Trail on my doorstep. The things that impress people are equally varied – for some it’s the generous breakfasts, others it’s the comfy beds and for some cleanliness seems to be their top priority. – good job we are all different.The detailed entries in my guest book are testimony to people’s differing priorities!

After a period of getting into the swing of being a landlady and finessing my chamber-maiding skills I am hoping that I will have a busy Spring and that the reputation of Hale House will gather strength following these recent awards.

Susanna Geoghegan