BOURNEMOUTH has been voted the UK’s top ‘staycation’ destination after undercover researchers found that Basil Fawlty-style hotels have been banished.
While the worst excesses of the hopeless hotelier, immortalised by John Cleese, are being repeated at holiday accommodation up and down Britain, there are signs that in Bournemouth Basil has been given his marching orders.
Julian Chamberlain, managing director of Retail Active Mystery Shopping, one of Britain’s leading business intelligence agencies, said: “We didn’t have a single negative report from any of the Bournemouth hotels we visited.
“We did hear plenty of horror stories from many other areas but it would seem that Bournemouth has truly banished Basil.”
While Bournemouth triumphed, Fawlty Towers’ horror stories were uncovered in other resorts including its rival Blackpool.
At one B&B in Devon guests were astonished when the elderly woman owner shut the bar at 10.30 pm, announcing: “If you want your breakfasts in the morning, you will have to go to bed now.”
Mr Chamberlain added: “This year has been particularly important for the British hotel industry with thousands of British people deciding to holiday at home for the first time in many years.
“It may be 30 years since Basil Fawlty became by-words for everything that was wrong with British hotels but for many of this year’s ‘staycationers’ 2009 may he the first time they experienced British hotel hospitality.
“Many have been disappointed to find nothing has changed. But happily we can say that Bournemouth appears to have learned lessons and can virtually guarantee holidaymakers a Basil-free stay.”
Undercover agents carry out incognito visits to examine standards of customer service on behalf of clients.
In 2006 Bournemouth hotel chiefs embarked on an ambitious scheme to improve standards in the town’s hotels in time for the 2012 Olympics.
Mr Chamberlain told the Daily Echo: “The strategy appears to have paid off. It is quite unusual to give a major resort a clean bill of health but Bournemouth has given Basil his marching orders.”
