A hotel has become the only one in its borough to be awarded a four-star rating from the AA.

It is the first time in Hempstead House’s 33-year history it has been given the score by the inspectors.

The 35-bedroom hotel, based in London Road, Bapchild near Sittingbourne, had previously been sitting on a three-star ranking - a score it had never surpassed since becoming an independent hotel in 1990.

General manager, Mike Wood, says he and his staff are "overwhelmed" with the achievement.

The 43-year-old explained: "The only real accredited body for hotels is via The AA.

"They are an official partnership for many in in the industry, whereas others' ratings are dictated by social media and Tripadvisor.

"What happens is a secret shopper comes for nearly 24 hours, but of course you don't know when someone from The AA is staying overnight, as an inspector generally comes about once a year.

"It's the first Hempstead House has achieved it too, so it's been quite a journey.

"There are no other hotels which have this rating either in Swale - the nearest to us which do are Rowhill Grange in Dartford, Eastwell Manor in Ashford and Chilston Park in Lenham.

"So we have always wanted to push forward into that remit, and qualify for more areas of corporate business for those who can't come to anything less than a four-star hotel."

Elsewhere in Swale, self-catering accommodation Uplees Farm, near Faversham, was also awarded four stars, while the Ferry House Inn B&B on Sheppey also has the award.

The decision to upgrade the hotel's frontage has been key in their newly-awarded classification.

Mr Wood, who has been at the hotel for 11 years and general manager since 2015, believes this was the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Our latest report said the thing that would enhance the hotel even further is the guest experience upon arrival," he added.

"Previously people had to walk around the hotel to find the reception desk, which made it a bit disjointed.

"So in the past we didn't have as good a frontage as we do now, as we built a huge extension at the front and now have a vaulted ceiling.

"It was a big thing we had to do – it wasn't simply a case of moving a desk somewhere else.

"So we really went for it after lockdown and pushed the hotel forward in all areas, so it's certainly very overwhelming now."

Hotel owner Amanda Holdstock, who has been at the helm since its inception in 1990, was equally as delighted with the gong.

She said: "We are honoured to receive this four-star accreditation from The AA.

"We strive to be recognised officially locally, nationally and overseas, and this quality assurance is a very proud achievement.”

The hotel's scoop also coincided with them achieving one AA Rosette Award for their restaurant.

First set up in 1956, the scheme assesses the quality of food served by eateries and hotels.

The AA says about 10% of restaurants nationwide are of a standard worthy of at least one rosette and up to the highest of five.