Ilkley'S hoteliers have hit back at a claim the town offers Fawlty Towers-style service to tourists.

However, the town does currently boast a Spanish waitress!

The Ilkley-Fawlty connection was made during a night radio discussion programme on BBC Radio Five Live this week.

Rather than being praised for its beautiful countryside and tea shops, the town was likened to the 1970s classic comedy, currently being repeated on BBC1, featuring John Cleese as a mad Torquay hotelier, with a poor Spanish waiter and based in a hotel offering a rather dubious standard of service to its guests.

Sunday night's Late Night Currie, hosted by former Conservative MP Edwina Currie, debated the standards and value for money of British holidays - compared with jetting off in search of the sun.

One caller chose to target Ilkley as an example of why not to holiday at home. The gentleman, although not naming a specific hotel, joked about a Fawlty Towers environment he had experienced. However tongue in cheek these comments may have been, the Fawlty Towers connection is not deserved - or is it?

Andrew Norfolk, of the Cow and Calf Hotel in Hangingstone Road, said the Cow and Calf's 'stars' was a strong indication of the excellent service provided and said Basil Fawlty was an 'extreme' of a frustrated hotelier.

However, he joked there may be some truth to the link. "Believe it or not, we do have a Spanish waitress working here at present although I'm not sure if she's from Barcelona (as was the Manuel character in the television programme)."

While speaking to our reporter Mr Norfolk said goodbye to some guests and joked he had not 'chased them out' Basil Fawlty-style.

Damion Lambe, the hotel manager at the Rombalds Hotel in Wells Road, said: "Small, family run hotels are able to offer excellent personal service to guests. We have the formal 'good morning sir and madam' to greet guests, but friendliness and individuality is also important."

He also said customers' needs could be more easily met in a family-style hotel.

A change in the menu did not necessitate a call to an area manager for approval. "If a customer wants beans on toast we will do it for them." he said.

Fawlty Towers has a reputation for being rather insensitive to German guests. No chance of that at the Rombalds Hotel. Mr Lambe said Germans were always welcome and a certain conflict 50 or so years ago was never mentioned (something which Basil Fawlty failed to manage in last week's episode).

Roddie Barclay, proprietor of The Craiglands Hotel in Cowpasture Road, said: "I would totally refute the claims made. Ilkley is quality town and people expect quality standards.

"I have travelled to and stayed in hotels which were not nearly as high in quality as you will find here," he said.

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