Composite photo (L-R) - Anne Dunn (R) as a little girl with her parents and sister and in later life with her dog Bronte at Colwall Park Hotel. (Anne Dunn via SWNS)
A gran has been dubbed Britain’s most loyal guest having returned to the same Worcestershire hotel – for the last 80 YEARS.
Anne Dunn, 82, has spent around $27,000 on her regular stays at the three-star Colwall Park Hotel in Malvern.
She first went to the hotel as a two-year-old in 1942 when her father Harry Lucas, who worked as an accountant for the owners, took her for a visit.
Anne stayed at the hotel again following the end of World War Two in 1945 and played with the owner's son who was around the same age.
Since then, Anne returned to her favourite hotel several times a year, often spending Christmas and Easter holidays there.
Anne, who lives 62 miles away from the $269-a-night hotel in Lichfield, England, said: “I had a lot of association through my father.
“When we started visiting the hotel in the mid-1940s my father was the hotel’s accountant.
“We used to go for every holiday, from Christmas to Easter and even the summer holidays.”
Anne continued to return to the hotel after marrying her husband John in 1963 until he died last June.
The gran-of-seven has continued her regular visits with her daughter Emma, 53, and her puppy Bronte.
She added: “My husband died in June last year but we have kept on going to the hotel, but now with my daughter.
“It is real value for money and we love going back there each year.
“The place is my home away from home. I just love staying there.
“The family who ran the hotel had a son who was the same age as me, so I always had a friend to play with when I stayed at the hotel.
“I was too young to fully realize the impact of the war but what I can remember is that the family was always so welcoming and made every visit very special for our family.
“I remember there was a bookkeeper there called Miss Mack who my father worked closely with.
“The old ledgers are still kept in the hotel. I had a look the last time I visited, and they have them on display.
“It was a wonderful trip down memory lane.
“Christmas in the hotel was always so special. They made the whole hotel beautiful with festive decorations, and in particular, the old ballroom was magical to look at.
“The team used to arrange a Christmas party for the children, where local children and visiting children were all invited.
“One year, for New Year’s Eve, it was my job to look after my little sister, she’s seven years younger than I am.
“My parents had dressed her up as a little fairy and I had to pull her around on a sledge.
“I have so many memories over the years.
“One of my most treasured memories is when I visited the Edwardian ballroom and met artist Dame Laura Knight when I was eight years old.
“She had moved into the hotel following the death of her husband.
“It was Christmas time, and my parents had given me an autograph book, so when I saw Dame Laura, I asked her to sign the book for me.
“She took my autograph book and sat down at the desk in the room and sketched me a picture of a clown with the dipping pen that was on the desk.
“I stood by her and watched her do it, it was wonderful, and I still have the picture framed in my living room today.”
Many years later, Anne wrote a letter to Dame Laura, who died in 1970 aged 92, and the pair renewed their friendship.
Anne added: “I was reading about her many, many years later, and it prompted me to write to her.
“She was in her very old age then, and I just wanted to remind her how pleased I was with the picture that she drew for me and that I still had it all those years later.
“She wrote back to me saying that she did remember this little girl standing by watching her draw, so that is a very happy memory I hold dear from my time at Colwall Park.”
Anne has already booked to stay at her favourite hotel this Easter.
She added: “No matter how many times I’ve been to Colwall Park, I always look forward to my stays.”
A spokesperson for the hotel said: "As the hotel’s longest returning guest, Colwall Park has been an integral part of her life that she has shared with friends and family over so many years.
"Through sharing her trips with her children in her later years, she continues to spread the warmth she feels when visiting Colwall Park with her loved ones, and now with her new puppy too."
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