‘Absolute delight’ of boutique B&B owner named Thanet’s Tourism Superstar

Stephen Darrer

Thanet’s Tourism Superstar has been named as Stephen Darrer of Cliftonville Townhouse after he scooped a whopping 62% of the public vote.

The Isle of Thanet News teamed up with Thanet council’s tourism team to find that special person who consistently goes the extra mile to deliver excellent customer service and to make a holiday experience to remember for visitors.

To be named Thanet Tourism Superstar the nominees needed to work within the tourism and hospitality industry in Thanet, be passionate about where they work, knowledgeable about the isle and happy to talk about this outside of their work remit.

A shortlist of three was chosen by a judging panel made up of Visit Kent, Thanet council and The Isle of Thanet News in October from those put forward by visitors and colleagues.

The contenders were Stephen Darrer, Emma Barrowcliffe from Nethercourt Touring Park and David Dray from the Royal Harbour Hotel and the winner was decided by public vote.

Stephen owns boutique bed and breakfast Cliftonville Townhouse. He is also the secretary of GRASS, a local community street scheme, and plays an active role in running community events such as the Cliftonville Games and Cliftonville in Bloom.

He was nominated for extra special touches provided to guests. These included creating a hand-drawn map of the area highlighting where guests could go out and taste the best that Thanet has to offer, from the local produce at Quex Barn, to seafood at Hantverk and Found and afternoon tea on the Walpole Bay terrace.

After discovering that he had been named Thanet’s Tourism Superstar, Stephen said: “It’s an honour and privilege to receive this award, especially when judged among many worthy contestants that work extremely hard delivering fantastic hospitality here in Thanet.

“I am absolutely delighted to have been named Thanet Tourism Superstar, I would like to thank all our guests and the people of Thanet that took the time to vote for me!”

Stephen, will receive an engraved award and a trade pass to Kent attractions. The  pass is courtesy of Visit Kent. These will be presented by the Chairman of Thanet District Council, Councillor David Saunders on Wednesday, 7 November

Stephen will now be put forward for VisitEngland’s 2019 Tourism Superstar awards.