Bath hotels, hospitality businesses and visitor attractions have again performed strongly on the shortlists for an annual regional tourism award scheme after dominating them in previous years.
The Roman Baths and Pump Room has been shortlisted for three awards in the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards – the same number as No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath, the 37-bedroom boutique townhouse hotel on Great Pulteney Street.
The Roman Baths and Pump Room, which are owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council, are competing in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, Accessible and Inclusive Tourism and Wedding Venue of the Year categories.
The Roman Baths will be up against Noahs Ark Zoo Farm at Wraxall, near Bristol, and WWT Slimbridge wetland wildlife reserve in Gloucestershire in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism category while its appearance in the two-strong shortlist for Wedding Venue of the Year alongside Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa makes this an all-Bath affair.
Lucknam Park, the 42-bedroom luxury hotel at Colerne, won three Golds and two Silvers in last year’s Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards.
This year it is also competing against No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath, in the Spa & Wellbeing Experience of the Year category.
No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath, which landed a Gold, a Silver and a Bronze last year, is also going head-to-head with Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa, a 32-bedroom historic Georgian country house near Warminster, as finalists in the Hotel of the Year category.
No.15 by GuestHouse has already done the double in this category by being commended for its Festival Rehab Package.
It is also in the running for the Hotel of the Year Award where it is up against Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa, the 32-bedroom historic Georgian country house near Warminster. No15 is also a finalist in the Restaurant of the Year category.
Brooks Guesthouse, a finalist in the awards three years ago, is Bath’s sole contender for the B&B and Guesthouse of the Year Award.
Another all-Bath shortlist is the one for the Experience of the Year (active or learning) category where the two finalists are Newton St Loe-based West of England Falconry’s Hawk Walk & Owl Encounter and stand-up paddle boarding for Beginners run by UK Active Outdoors in Keynsham.
UK Active Outdoors is also commended in the Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism category while West of England Falconry is competing in the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year category, along with Bath;s Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein.
Corkage, the Bath independent wine bar, is a finalist in the Pub & Casual Dining category.
The Bath cohort are among 55 finalists this year who now have to wait until the awards ceremony on 1 December at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare to find out whether they have won Gold, Silver or Bronze.
Eligible winners from the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards will be entered into corresponding categories of the South West Tourism Awards. Winners from these will then be selected to represent the South West region in the national VisitEngland Awards.
Kathryn Davis, Director of Tourism at Visit West, which includes the VisitBath brand, said: “On behalf of the Visit West team, I am delighted to congratulate all finalists in these highly competitive awards.
“Last year, Bristol, Bath and Somerset winners went all the way to winning Gold, Silver and Bronze at the national awards, so who knows where this first step will take you.”
Earlier this year the Roman Baths was ranked No1 in Britain and eighth world-wide in Tripadvisor’s ‘Best of the Best Things to Do.’
Bath & North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy said: “The Roman Baths is one of the finest ancient sites in Northern Europe and gives visitors the opportunity to explore the world of Roman Britain.
“It’s fantastic to know that we are providing an award-winning experience for all of our visitors and guests.”
