New decade and another five stars for Lancashire holiday village
The family-owned, Lancashire holiday business, Ribby Hall Village, has entered the new decade with a spring in its step, having been awarded a Five Star rating from Visit England for the eleventh consecutive year, maintaining its position as the only five-star Holiday Village in the North West of England.
The rating was confirmed following a two-day visit in late 2019 by a Visit England assessor who rated The Village across ten different operational areas. These included reception services, accommodation, shops, bars, restaurants, entertainment, sports facilities and general ambiance. Every single area received a five-star score.
The assessor was particularly impressed with the levels of cleanliness and general maintenance of facilities, commenting that accommodation was of a very high standard and spotlessly clean. She was impressed with the number of dog friendly cottages now available (17) and with the addition of the new ‘bark park’ dog exercise area.
Positive comments were also made about the quality and choice of restaurants, children’s activities and sports facilities as well as the helpfulness and friendliness of staff throughout The Village. The assessor praised the continuing investment of owners which ensures that Ribby Hall Village remains the only five-star holiday village in north west England.
It’s not a time for sitting back, though, as the Chief Executive of this multi award-winning holiday village has vowed to improve the facilities even further in 2020. Chief Executive, Paul Harrison, says: “The award of 5-star status is simply a reflection of our commitment to provide the very best for all our customers, both day visitors and holiday guests.
“If we want to maintain that rating year on year, we have to keep on improving our facilities and offering more choices.”
The immediate focus for the business is to continue its ambitious Reeds Bay development, which includes some of the most prestigious holiday homes (for purchase) available anywhere in the UK. The woodland-bordered Reeds Bay covers over 20 acres and features its own lake alongside 20 properties of the highest specification. Some of these properties are already on-site with others set to arrive throughout 2020.
Ribby bosses firmly believe that these stunning properties will attract new families and visitors to the area, providing a boost for tourism and related businesses across the Fylde and further afield in Lancashire.
In the centre of The Village, a new coffee shop ‘Blend’ is set to open in January 2020 to replace the Starbucks outlet, offering premium quality barista coffee and a range of food to eat in or ‘grab and go’. In Spring, work will begin on a new family adventure golf course, to be built next to the Terrazza restaurant and overlooked by a new outdoor bar on the restaurant terrace. This much anticipated new family attraction is set to open in June 2020.
The role that Ribby Hall Village plays in the local community is vitally important to Paul Harrison and his senior management team. “Almost everything we offer here is open to the people who live and work nearby, and it’s important to us that locals are aware that our facilities are available for them to use and enjoy,
“We have a very loyal customer base and the continuous improvement of all our facilities will always remain an on-going objective,” he says.
Ribby Hall Village now employs over 600 people, mostly from the local area. To Paul Harrison, providing a fair, positive and supportive workplace is as important as delivering a successful holiday and leisure operation. Since 2016, the business has held the Gold Standard from Investors in People, placing it in the top 2% of employers in the country.
“When recruiting, we focus on selecting the best people who we believe have the right qualities to fit and prosper within our business. We will continue to invest in our people, and we are always on the lookout for new talent to help us maintain the excellent standards we have set for ourselves.”
Testament to these standards of excellence are the numerous national and sought-after awards that Ribby Hall Village won in 2019, most notably the Best Day Spa Award for The SPA Hotel, the Health Club of the Year award and Best Customer Service award for The Health Club. As well as the Five Star rating from Visit England, The SPA Hotel retained its Five Bubble rating from the Good Spa Guide.
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Ribby Hall Village is proud to be a VisitLancashire Partner – for more information click here