A Keswick guest house has been recognised as being one of the best places in the world to stay.
The Avondale Guest House in Southey Street has been named as a Travellers’ Choice award winner for the Top 10 per cent Hotels Worldwide.
It is an award which celebrates businesses “that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to travellers around the globe” and that have earned great reviews on Tripadvisor over the past year.
A Tripadvisor spokesman said that as challenging as the past year has been, the Avondale Guest House stood out by continuously delighting travellers.
It is also testament to the hard work and dedication put in by owners Tony and Pearl Pinnick who are consistently praised for their warm and friendly welcome from guests who post glowing comments on the world’s largest travel platform.
The couple have been at the guest house for five years.
“We are delighted to have been recognised by our guests for such an accolade,” said the couple.
“This year has been a real challenge for the hospitality industry as well as others, and to have been able to achieve this award is amazing. Let’s hope we can continue this in the next year.”
Mr Pinnick said that they had updated the guest house and made a lot of changes to the way they deliver service to the guests from the previous owners.
“It’s all very well getting excellent reviews on Tripadvisor but the biggest accolade is if guests come back because people are then talking with their actions,” he said.
“What we have done is convert people into what we would call regular guests. We have tried to update things so that people get a real taste of Keswick and Cumbria. All of our food is sourced locally and we try to give our guests a real taste and experience of what Keswick has to offer.”
In reviews guests have described the breakfasts at the Avondale, a traditional Victorian town house, as being “super” “wonderful” and “amazing.”
The Avondale is described as providing “the perfect base to explore all that the Lake District has to offer.” It is walker and biker friendly offering facilities to clean and dry kit ready for the next day’s adventure.
In 2018 it was included in the Tripadvisor Hall of Fame and was a recipient of the Visit England ROSE Award.
Among the wealth of five-star reviews on Tripadvisor, one under the heading: “Excellent guest house. Strongly recommend” read: “Great location near the town centre. Super breakfasts. Spotlessly clean rooms and bathrooms. Excellent helpful hosts. I have no hesitation in recommending a stay here.”
Another said: “From the time we checked in until the time we checked out, we experienced a wonderful stay at the Avondale Guest House. All manner of care was taken for a stress-free experience, especially during this pandemic. The breakfast served each morning was wonderful and exceeded expectations. We can’t wait to come back and bring extended family with us.”
“I know the past year has been extremely challenging for tourism businesses,” said Kanika Soni, chief commercial officer at Tripadvisor.
“What has impressed me is how businesses adapted to these challenges, implementing new cleanliness measures, adding social distancing guidelines, and utilising technology to prioritise guest safety.
“The Travellers’ Choice Awards highlight places that are consistently excellent — delivering quality experiences time and time again.”
