A CRAVEN guesthouse owner can make a claim no other Yorkshireman has been able to equal - that as one of the finalists in the AA's Landlady of the Year award for 2003-2004.

Michael Wade, of Grassington Lodge, Grassington, has been chosen from bed and breakfast proprietors across the UK, because, he says, he was the one who answered the door!

The contest, now in its 10th year and open to both sexes, is judged by the AA's team of hotel inspectors who nominate proprietors from more than 4,000 AA-listed guesthouses, farmhouses and inns.

Mr Wade will now join the 19 other finalists at an award ceremony at London's Claridges Hotel on May 14, where the winner and two runners up will be named.

He is the first man to represent Yorkshire at the awards, although there have been a few men nominated in the past.

Mr Wade said of his place in the final: "I am flattered to represent Yorkshire in this competition, although I do have my reservations about the title!"

AA spokesman Denise Raven, explained the title Landlady of the Year was deliberate and used as a generic term, much as the term chairman is used for both men and women.

"Using the term landlady was chosen because it naturally conjures up the guesthouse and B & B image, whereas landlord is typically linked to pubs and hotels," she said.

Peter Birnie, the AA's chief hotel inspector said: "It is unusual for a man to get through to the finals of Landlady of the Year award. Historically the award and industry tends to be dominated by women."

Following a 27-year accounts career for Rowntree, Mr Wade and wife Sandra, bought Grassington Lodge in 1997. Much of the last six years have been spent restoring their Victorian home. It is the standard of this refurbishment, together with their warm hospitality and Sandra's fine breakfasts, that have earned Grassington Lodge the top five-diamond rating with the AA.

"This is all about hospitality - we do our very best to look after our guests and this is reflected in return visits and recommendations to others," said Mr Wade. "We are also very lucky to be in such a splendid location in this special village of Grassington, with its cobbled square, cosy pubs and family-owned shops."

Mrs Wade said her husband was being very modest about being picked for the final 20.

"While he says it could have been either of us, it is Michael who is far more at the front of the business than I am and always genuinely helpful toward all our guests," she said.