Lauriston Court Hotel, Llandudno, 'world best service'
- Published
The owners of Lauriston Court say they treat guests the way they would like to be treated when on holiday
A hotel in the north Wales seaside resort of Llandudno has the best service in the world, claims the tourism website TripAdvisor.
The four-star Lauriston Court Hotel, near the pier, beat off competition from the US, Greece and Czech Republic.
The 11 rooms at the hotel, run by husband and wife Carol-Lynn and Ian Robbins, start at £35 per night a head.
The hotel has more than 400 "excellent" reviews on the website, although not all are glowing.
Another Llandudno venue, The Clontarf Hotel, also made the top list for worldwide service, at number eight.
The Lauriston also scooped sixth place for best bargain hotel in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice awards.
It is not the first hotel the couple have run in the town: until 2003, the pair were in charge of The Milverson on the seafront for three years.
Mrs Robbins, a former nurse, said part of the success was about anticipating what a guest might want from the moment she dealt with them over the phone or online to take their booking.
On one occasion she helped an elderly female guest dress in traditional Highlands regalia for a wedding, and then helped her disrobe afterwards.
'Personal service'
She said: "It's not a job for us, it's our life - it's just what we enjoy doing."
"It's about the personal service. We just do everything that we can to made their stay memorable.
Carol-Lynn Robins of the Lauriston Court Hotel in Llandudno says they think all the time about guests' needs
"It's about anticipating what people may need before they even arrive - where they may be able to go if they have someone with a wheelchair or, if they've got children, where we can advise them to go."
TripAdvisor spokeswoman Emma Shaw said: "For a British hotel to beat over 650,000 others to be named number one in the world for service really is something to be proud of".
The firm defended its review system which allows people to comment even if they did not make the reservation.
A spokesperson said: "Ultimately, we believe all travellers, not just the one individual who made the reservation or has the receipt, is entitled to share their honest feedback.
"Requiring a proof of stay would also dramatically reduce the number of reviews on the site, and we know from user feedback that our visitors value both the quantity and quality of the reviews available.
- Published7 December 2010