Bognor's Butlins is best in the country

The firm's holiday resort in the town has been crowned the top Butlins in the country.

It is the first time that Bognor has won the coveted award since Bourne Leisure took over the company in 2001.

Skegness has recently dominated the competition but Bognor's resort director, Jeremy Pardey, has ended its run of success after his first full year in charge.

The three Butlins sites '“ Minehead is the other '“ fiercely compete for the honour of being the resort of the year. And for 2009 the trophy is proudly on display on the south coast after visitors said how happy they were to be there.

Mr Pardey said: "The award is all about guest satisfaction.

"The resort which has the biggest improvement in guest satisfaction wins.

"Ours has increased by 3.5 per cent to 92 per cent, which is the biggest increase ever seen in a Butlins in one year.

"I firmly believe that guest satisfaction leads to a profitable businesses and that has led to the resort being 1m up year on year in guest sales."

Just how much Butlins is booming in Bognor is shown by the rocketing bookings. The site is currently 7 per cent up year on year in guest numbers for the six weeks of the summer holidays.

So far, 21,043 guests have been a break then compared to 19,650 guests this time last year. Four new Redcoats have been recruited to help to cope with the influx.

Mr Pardey, who arrived in Bognor 18 months ago, said the success was due to the hard work of the up to 1,200 staff at the resort.

He had instilled in them a philosophy to solve one customer's complaints before the next customer arrived.

But he also believed in rewarding his employees. "I treat people as I would expect to be treated. People respond to that approach with hard work," he commented.

He vowed the bosses at Skegness and Minehead would have a tough time prising his glass trophy away.

"I always like to be the best. My ambition is to make Butlins in Bognor a very special place indeed," he said.

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