A holiday let in County Durham has been given a prestigious award for its customer satisfaction, after outstanding feedback from guests.
Local holiday homeowners Lisa and John Lawson, the owners of Newbiggin Chapel, in Newbiggin are celebrating after being recognised in a national awards scheme that champions outstanding holiday let owners.
The Teesdale property was named one of the winners of the Sykes Holiday Cottages’ Sykes Stars programme after receiving glowing guest feedback.
Lisa and John decided to take the leap into holiday letting back in 2018, when the Chapel that their two daughters were christened in was put up for sale. Keen to preserve the heritage of the Grade II listed building, the pair purchased the property, with John completing most of the renovations himself.
Following its makeover, Newbiggin Chapel opened to holidaymakers in July 2021 and has seen huge success ever since. Sleeping six, the former chapel offers sweeping views of the North Pennines and still has elements of the original chapel throughout, including the alter rail, stove, and a refurbished pew.
Commended for its impressive views and comforting feel, the property sees lots of repeat visitors, with some holidaymakers even staying twice in one month or returning up to three times.
The Sykes Stars programme aims to recognise holiday homeowners from across the UK that have achieved perfect feedback scores from guests consistently in the last year.
Lisa and John were one of only 32 sets of holiday let owners to be awarded a Sykes Star after going above and beyond to provide an exceptional service to their guests.
Lisa said: “Newbiggin Chapel means so much to us and it’s wonderful to be able to offer it as a holiday destination to families who can add to the memories we’ve made there.
“Myself and John have worked extremely hard on the whole project and I’m so proud of us for being named a Sykes Star, with the stress of renovating a Grade II listed building with bats well and truly paying off!”
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James Shaw, Managing Director of Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: “We love to showcase the incredible mix of holiday lets available in the UK and those that feature on our Sykes Stars are some of the very best.
“We know just how committed owners like Lisa and John are to providing fantastic breaks for their guests and it’s great to be able to recognise this. Some of the properties have even received four Perfect 10 certificates, one each quarter, making them our Super Stars.
“Our winners make an invaluable contribution to the UK holiday let market and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in the future, especially as County Durham continues to be a thriving staycation hotspot.”
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