IT'S the ultimate bed & breakfast.

No sooner had Pat Oxley finished an eight month, £100,000 improvement and redesign project to transform a Georgian townhouse into a five bedroom boutique B&B in Pickering, when the Visit Britain inspector arrived.

He quickly confirmed that Pat and her husband, William, had succeeded in their target of offering all the luxury of a five-star hotel in the relatively small package of 17 Burgate.

He awarded the premises five stars and a Gold Award - the highest rating possible.

That accolade has since been confirmed for two years running, and now, with a highly-commended, five yellow star status from the AA, 17 Burgate is placed firmly in the top ten of all five star properties in the country.

Now Pat is seeking another top award for her venture - by entering the Small Business Of The Year and Tourism And Hospitality Business Of The Year in the Press Business Awards 2007.

If anyone understands finesse, it is Pat, who is a former sales and marketing manager for Middlethorpe Hall, in Bishopthorpe Road, York, and Bodysgallen Country House Hotel, in North Wales. She was also sales and marketing director for the launch of Crabwall Manor, just outside Chester.

Press coverage of her success quickly put her in the rank of "style guru" for giving the customers what they wanted, including rooms with flat screen televisions, CD players, Freeview, free high-speed internet, aromatic candles, dressing gowns, log fires, fine wines, cocktails and a secluded garden, patio and terrace.

Add to this a mania for customer service and it is the formula for success. Between the opening in June 2005 and the end of the financial year in April, 2006 forecast turnover doubled. Now the business is expected to surpass the £100,000 turnover mark this year.

In other words, where the average hotel generates about £13,000 per room annually, 17 Burgate is attracting £20,000 per room.

Pat is also involved with organisations looking at the bigger picture of revenue attraction. She is a board member of the Tourism Association North Yorkshire, a member of Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE), and is an active supporter of Yorkshire Tourist Board and the Area Tourism Partnership.

But she happily admits to getting one thing wrong.

"We expected our main customer base to be the grey pound'. While we do attract this business, our key age range is 25 to 45 - young couples on a special occasion, such as birthday or anniversary or couples escaping from the kids and taking advantage not only of the standard style and ambience, but also our packages' - champagne, flowers and transport to local restaurants.

"We have raised the bar on standards and others are following. Copying is flattery and this trend is good for the area," said Pat.