A LLANDUDNO hotel named in Tripadvisor's top 10 best places to stay in the UK have said they are "thrilled, honoured and humbled" to achieve such recognition.
The Tynedale Hotel, on Central Promenade, was ranked number 10 on a list of the UK's 10 best hotels.
Topping the list was the luxury Shangri-La The Shard in London. Starting on level 34 – a soaring 125 metres high – the hotel occupies 18 floors of The Shard.
The Tynedale Hotel is owned and operated by Tracey and Nathan Midgley who have been at the hotel since 1989 / 1991 respectively.
Nathan said: "We are absolutely thrilled, honoured and humbled by this huge recognition. It Is unimaginable that out of all the hotels in the UK that we have been named in Tripadvisors top 10 places to stay. How did they even begin to find us?
"There is an awful lot of thank yous that we need to make but the number one reason we have been placed so highly is all down to our incredible team of 54 staff who deliver genuine levels of hospitality. They are always friendly, extremely hardworking and do an amazing job. We are so fortunate.
"It doesn’t matter how much you spend on a hotel or how luxurious you make it, a hotel is only as good as its staff.
"For the Tynedale Hotel to be on the same list as The Shangri La The Shard in London is unbelievable, I mean we are not exactly comparing apples with apples.
"We operate in two completely different sectors and are worlds apart but, with the Trip advisor award based on reviews, It appears, with genuine hospitality, friendliness of staff, and our amazing view of Llandudno Bay, we can give them a run for their money after all."
The Tynedale hotel was sold and changed hands in 1997 [the year Nathan and Tracey were married] when new owners Howard and Mary Williams and Anthony Williams purchased the business.
Tracey and Nathan stayed on for 12 months as part of the sale agreement, managing the hotel and advising Howard and Mary on the business as this was a different style of hotel than they had been used to running.
Nathan said: "That first year flew by and we agreed to do a further 12 months during which we were offered the opportunity to buy Anthony Williams’s share of the hotel.
"We initially bought a 10 percent share and sold our house and both our cars to buy the additional 15 percent stake. We knocked down a few walls and created a flat within the Tynedale and moved in with our daughter and new born baby.
"A partnership was born. A few years on and Howard and Mary moved back up to Scotland to set up another business whilst we bought a further 25 per cent of the Tynedale.
"Fast forward 24 years and the original partnership continues.
"All partners agree that none of us would be in the positions we are in today without each other, but thanks must go to Howard and Mary for giving us the opportunity."
Nathan and Tracey have invested more than £3.5 million pounds into the Tynedale and have created a boutique style hotel that offers accomodation to groups and individuals all year round.
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Nathan said: "The hotels design and interiors is all down to Tracey who has an amazing eye for detail, creativity and décor.
"Our room occupancy is a year round 96 per cent and we have a very loyal team of long serving staff. Neil Harrison our Head Chef started with us in 1996 and his son James started with us when he was just 13 he is now 37 has five children and heads the kitchen with his Dad. Nicola Davies, our head receptionist, has been with us over 20 years, with Martin our duty manager not far behind and our son in law Sam Midgley-Davies is our assistant hotel manager.
"We would like to thank our whole team, guests, coach operators, entertainers, suppliers and contractors for helping us achieve this recognition.
"All the hard work is paying off but there is always more to do, we will continue doing what we do and improve where we can."
Tripadvisor's 2023 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Hotel Awards' are "the very best hotels in the world", according to global travellers. The awards are put together from 12-months of Tripadvisor review data (January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022) from more than 1.5 million hotels.
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