THE Woolacombe Bay Hotel has been awarded four-star status by two British tourism inspection bodies.

Both VisitBritain and the AA rated the hotel highly on two separate overnight inspections which took into account the hotel's facilities, levels of service, hospitality, cleanliness and the quality of the food.

The Victorian hotel, which was described as "dilapidated" by the Lancaster family when they purchased the property in 1978, has undergone an extensive winter refurbishment programme this season which has seen the creation of five new luxury bedroom suites.

Hotel owner Sally Lancaster believes that these recent accolades are down to the hard work and dedication of the staff. She said: "Thirty years ago when my father bought the hotel the AA had just withdrawn their three-star rating because the property was so run down and in need of desperate renovation.

"It took the best part of a year to get to a standard where we could re-open the building and we have been making improvements ever since."