Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence

Love or hate Tripadvisor, there's one thing for sure many people who want to try somewhere for the first time use it like a crystal ball... how good will my experience really be?

Of course Tripadvisor is open to abuse. TV documentaries have shown how some unscrupulous hoteliers 'big up' their own hotels whilst putting false reviews of competitors TUT TUT. How hotels expect to get a good reputation if they're so focused on themselves rather than the customer is beyond us.

There's always room for improvement and the customer paying the bill has every right to say how they think hoteliers can do it better, whether they do that in the public domain or not is not always something a hotel can manage. Customers expectations and benchmarks vary wildly; what's fantastic for one is second rate for another. With little or no opportunity for hoteliers to respond, without looking like a whinging pom, a hotel's online reputation is a pathway that can be paved with gold or can drop into an abyss in a flash. We say always aim for the highest common denominator and treat every guest like a king!

It's this policy that has won Holdsworth House another Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence for the third year running. For us this means not only do we aim to give everyone good service, but that we acknowledge that we're always learning and we're always trying our best. Occasionally things do go wrong, but it's rare and the customer can be assured we'll always go out of our way to make it right.  We're not afraid of Tripadvisor, we embrace it, so we're already looking forward to a Certificate of Excellence 2014!

Between the Sheets

Guest reviews are something we look forward to reading, whether it's on Tripadvisor, Hotels.com or from a card delivered in the post.

But whilst we work our fingers to the bone delivering top notch service, toil tirelessly in the kitchens to create the best Yorkshire food or stay up past midnight typing out bride's menus and table plans.... in fact it's our humble beds that are repeatedly mentioned in our reviews for giving the 'best night's sleep ever'. 

It shouldn't really be surprising to see our beds mentioned frequently - after all we have over 50 of them. And we all know that slipping twix the clean, crisp sheets is so often what many guests look forward to at the end of the day.

As you cast aside the cushions and throws, and slide between the naked white sheets and cloud-like duvet, there's only one thing on your mind - sleep.

And sleep you will, thank goodness for our alarm clocks. How many hours of lost work, late brides and 'duvet days' have we caused because you can't bear to leave your peaceful cocoons?

So what's the secret? It's a bit Princess and the Pea-like. You start with an exceptionally good coil sprung mattress - purchased locally from an excellent (national) manufacturer, these things aren't cheap. 

Next comes the mattress topper, a cotton-based topper that adds an extra layer of warmth, cushioning and hygiene.

Crisp loose sheets are neatly laid over the topper. Our housekeeping staff could do the Guinness World Record challenge for hospital corners, which snugly hug the bed - unlike fitted sheets that have a tendency to 'ping off' when least expected.

All beds are made up using lovely soft duvets. Gone are the days when you had to fight your way in and out of sheets straight-jacketed so tightly you can't slide a cigarette paper between them.

There's a very definite pecking order to our pillows. Foam pillows must be positioned behind the goose feather ones, so the soft down can plump out proudly, inviting the guest to sink in and sleep. For anyone sensitive to our feathered friends we have anti-allergy pillows and duvets that will ensure your night remains tickle and sneeze-free.

If you prefer a blanket or feel the chill, extra blankets are available, though they're a rare sighting.

As is the fashion at home, we have throws and cushions to help create a luxurious feel and here you definitely get what you pay for; quality is exceptionally important.

We now invite you to test the beds out and see if your feedback is anything like these reviews from Tripadvisor:

"We had champagne and fluffy robes in our room which was so cosy and the bed was very comfy..."
"The beds were comfy and the place has a great atmosphere..."

"lovely hotel , superb food , very comfy beds . Brilliant !"

ENDS.