Strictly breaks leave guests dancing with delight

The first official Strictly Come Dancing holiday breaks, taking place at five historic Warner Leisure Hotels, have left guests dancing with delight.

Feedback from the hundreds of guests who have been on the first of the 20 breaks being held between February and the end of July has astonished organisers by the glowing tributes and warmth of the praise.

Among comments by guests have been “an absolutely magical few days,” “just brilliant,” and “the whole experience was fantastic.”

The breaks feature a total of 16 stars from the hit BBC show including professional dancers and judges Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood.

They provide a unique opportunity to get “up close and personal” to top performers such as James and Ola, Anton and Erin, and Darren and Lilia. There are question and answer sessions which give a glimpse into the backstage world of Strictly, photo opportunities with the stars and in particular guests have been delighted by the close up dance showcase given by the Strictly stars and other leading young world class dancers.

The three or four-night breaks offer a wide range of dance classes taught by top names in the international dancing world. And there’s a chance for guests to demonstrate their own skills on the dance-floor by entering a dance competition – performing in front of the Strictly Come Dancing stars. ‘The atmosphere for the show was electric just like the real thing’ said one couple after their break at Holme Lacy.

More than 80% of guests on the first three breaks declared the overall experience of the holidays as “fabulous” or “very good” out of five possible options, according to post-break satisfaction surveys.

And more than 92% described the showcase performances by the Strictly stars and other top dancers as “fabulous” or “very good” – one of the highest ever ratings received by the hotel group.

Sarah Dakin, Warner Leisure Hotels’ Head of Creative Entertainments, said: “For years Warners has been the leading name in ballroom dancing breaks. But after reading these figures I feel as if we’ve won Strictly Come Dancing ourselves!

“Our thanks must go to the Strictly stars. They couldn’t have done more to please fans and make themselves available to have their pictures taken, sign autographs and answer all sorts of fascinating questions.”

The breaks, developed in an exclusive collaboration between BBC Worldwide and Warner Leisure Hotels, are the first of their kind for the Strictly Come Dancing brand.

For more information visit warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/strictly-come-dancing.