Award delight for Blackpool B&B couple

The Fossil Tree Hotel managed by Chris and Christine Rinder took home the prize at the 2020 Travel and Hospitality Awards.

The Travel and Hospitality Awards aim to celebrate the best in hospitality and leisure across all six continents, and several industry experts are involved in judging the overall winners.

The couple took on the B&B on Queens Promenade Bispham last April after they left corporate jobs in Worcestershire to return to Blackpool where they originally met at the Imperial hotel. Chris said: “We’re delighted to have won this award.

"We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response since we took over ownership of the Fossil Tree, and to be recognised for our hard work after less than a year at the helm is incredible.

"We welcome a lot of repeat visitors and have aimed to create a home away from home for our guests, offering a tranquil place to stay a mile from Blackpool centre, yet a million miles from the hustle and bustle.”

Chris said the early part of his career was spent working for Forte Hotels and he met Christine when they were both department heads at the Imperial hotel in the early 1990's.

He added: "We both went on to work for Forte head office, me as a regional manager and Christine in corporate conference department. I went on to have a career in senior and boardroom roles with large leisure companies such as Parkwood and David Lloyd, but last year we decided to try something new and that's when we purchased the Fossil Tree.

"Our ambition is to upgrade from 4 to 5 star in the next 18 months and ensure we provide visitors to Blackpool with a quality experience right on the sea front."