The Bath Priory Hotel has collected the Gold Award for the Best Small Hotel of the Year at this week’s prestigious Visit England Awards for Excellence.
The win was another accolade for the luxury boutique hotel which, earlier this year, come first in the Best Small Hotel and Taste of the West categories in the South West Regional Awards.
That earned it a nomination for a place in this week’s UK finals, held at an iconic art deco hotel in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter.
Benefitting from a country-style location, standing in four acres of walled gardens but just a 10-minute walk from the heart of the city, the Weston Road hotel offers guests the best of both worlds.
It also has the renowned Michael Caines restaurant where head chef Sam Moody holds the Best Chef award in the Best of Bath competition.
The win comes as the hotel moves to a new phase under the management of Caroline Browning who said: “To win this award now is so timely and is a huge tribute to the team, their commitment to excellence, creating an exceptional guest experience and excelling in the delivery of their own disciplines.”
Executive chef Michael Caines added: “What a fantastic award to win. This would not have been possible without the hard work and loyalty of the team who have shown total commitment to providing the very highest standards of hospitality.”
Owners Andrew (pictured) and Christina Brownsword bought the Bath Priory in 1994 – their first venture into the hotel industry. It was a property they knew well as a family and they saw an opportunity to return it to its former glory.
They have since placed their own style and design influences and embodied their own warm hospitality in the team and the feedback from Visit England is that the excellent standard of service helped them win Gold.
The hotel is now the pinnacle of the Brownsword Hotel Collection which has 12 properties including Gidleigh Park hotel in Devon where Michael Caines has held two Michelin stars since 1999.
The Bath Priory’s other accolades include five black stars from the AA since 2011 and a place in the Sunday Times Top 100 restaurants, coming third overall in the South West.
