hotelThe Hotel Inspector · Season 4, Episode 4 · Aired July 31, 2008
West Usk Lighthouse B&B
Newport, Wales
Still open. It kept its doors open after the show.
On the show
Season 4, Episode 4 · July 31, 2008 · B&B
revisited in Series 16 (2021-08-05)
What happened after
Grade 2 listed 1821 lighthouse converted to B&B/event space in 1989; still operating with distinctive amenities (flotation tank, rooftop hot tub).
What happened on the show
West Usk was one of Alex Polizzi's more charming series 4 cases, a Grade II listed lighthouse of 1821 that had been converted into a bed and breakfast and event space in 1989 and once carried the title of Britain's most romantic B&B. A property this distinctive, standing where the Severn and Usk estuaries meet near Newport, has a built-in draw, and Polizzi's task was to make sure the operation lived up to the setting rather than coasting on novelty. The lighthouse traded on its quirks, from a flotation tank to a rooftop hot tub, and the challenge was to keep that character while running it as a business that could reliably fill its handful of rooms. The 2021 series 16 revisit confirmed the lighthouse was still trading well over a decade after Polizzi's original series 4 call.
After the cameras left
West Usk is still going strong, and its longevity is well documented. The lighthouse continues to operate as a bed and breakfast and event space, still offering its distinctive amenities, and holds the top spot among bed-and-breakfast and inn listings around Newport and St Brides Wentlooge on TripAdvisor, with a four out of five across more than three hundred reviews. The show itself returned in series 16 in 2021, confirming a long unbroken run. A one-of-a-kind property that could have been a gimmick instead became a lasting fixture.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.