'Don't shrink our beds' (From Gazette & Herald)

'Don't shrink our beds'

LEADERS of Scarborough's tourist industry are leading a national campaign to block moves to narrow the size of hotel beds.

The English Tourism Council (ETC) is being asked to reduce the minium national standard size for beds from 3ft for singles and 4ft 6in for doubles, down to 2ft 6in and 4ft respectively.

Peter Dahl, Scarborough's tourism director, said many hotels and guesthouses all over the country have invested thousands of pounds into meeting this current standard and now, at a stroke, it is being threatened. "It is a backward step," he said.

Already, the borough council's plea for a re-think has been backed by the Yorkshire Tourist Board and now the issue is being taken up with the British Resorts Association, he said.

"The higher standard had previously been agreed by the ETC and by such organisations as the AA and RAC when standards of accommodation are assessed," said Mr Dahl.

Malcolm Stephenson, chairman of the Scarborough Forum for Tourism, said: "I was aghast when I heard of the proposals. It appears a coach and horses is being driven through the jealously-guarded national standards which Scarborough has adopted to upgrade accommodation."

Martin Smith, president of the Scarborough Hotels Association, who sits on the ETC's national trade advisory group, said the proposal to reduce bed sizes had been put forward as part of a review of all accommodation schemes.

"Hotels in Scarborough have invested very large amounts of money to meet the new standards on bed sizes. We are very annoyed at the moves to reduce them."

The proposal for smaller bed sizes has come from a working group of the ETC made up of hoteliers.

Updated: 09:01 Wednesday, March 05, 2003