KENDAL’S top-rated Air BnB has just had its 200th review after nearly three years of providing alternative accommodation to the international tourism market.

The Colour House, based on The Old Shambles, has a 95 per cent five star satisfaction rating, earning the much-coveted ‘superhost status’.

Air BnBs are becoming increasingly popular, allowing hosts to rent out a room in their property to travellers who are looking for something more than just standard hotel accommodation.

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As the artistic creation of graphic designer Caryn Gough, famous for designing numerous album covers for rock band The Smiths, it provides tourists from around the world with a unique, quirky place to stay while visiting the area.

Mrs Gough, who bought the property in 2007 with husband Merv Upton, spent six months transforming the site from commercial to residential accommodation, and saw an open market when her son left home.

She said: “We had a lot of spare space and the top part of the house has separate access so it made perfect sense. We set it up in the September thinking it would have a slow take-up rate but after three days we had our first booking.

“It’s sharing your house with a bunch of strangers but there’s mutual trust on both sides and we now feel like we’ve made friends from all over the globe.”

The Colour House also provides a valuable boost to the Lake District’s economy, accommodating the many businesspeople, musicians and artists that flock to Kendal, especially during the Comic Art and Mountain Film Festivals.

“We do a good job of selling Kendal to the world,” said Mrs Gough, who runs Dada Graphic Design.

“We’ve had guests from China, Russia, America and Germany and we make a point of giving them a taste of the real Kendal, sending them to various independently run restaurants and businesses around the area.

“I think it’s important to steer them away from some of the honeypot sites in order to help benefit the wider, alternative economy.”

Currently rated as the town’s premier Air BnB venue, with a 10 per cent higher satisfaction rating than any other site and a 100 per cent commitment rate, The Colour House is going from strength to strength.

For more information visit: www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1494337?s=1M3ur8Pn