This week we unveiled the world’s and Britain’s best hotels, as decided by millions of TripAdvisor travellers, in the ninth annual TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards. The awards honour TripAdvisor travellers’ favourite hotels across a range of categories
British properties fared well in the awards – nearly 30 UK hotels were recognised across four categories, with one British property winning a ‘World’s Best’ accolade – The Old Manse in Scotland, was crowned the number B&B in the world.
The awards highlighted a number of key points about the British hotel industry.
The good:
Best of Britain
For the second consecutive year, Rudding Park in Harrogate has earned the accolade of Britain’s best hotel. TripAdvisor travellers regularly declare their love for the property, with one lauding the “impeccable service” while another calls it “practically perfect in every way”. The second best hotel in Britain this year is The Old Rectory in Exmoor, Devon and third place goes to Boskerris Hotel in St. Ives, Cornwall
South West Joy
The South West is another clear winner in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards, claiming five of the top 10 UK hotels. Devon in particular should be very proud, with seven of Britain’s 25 best hotels located in the county.
B&B domination
The good old Bed & Breakfast is a UK institution and rightfully so: the Travellers’ Choice Awards revealed that six of the world’s ten best B&Bs are located in the UK. The Old Manse in Invermoriston took top honours, while Saltcote Place in Rye, East Sussex; Riverside Hotel in the Lake District; Number One B&B in Deal, Kent; and The Twenty One in Brighton all contributed to the UK’s near domination in this global category.
The not-so-good:
Bank-breaking Britain
As VAT rises, train fares soar and the budget cuts take hold, budget-conscious travellers will be disappointed to hear that not a single British hotel made it into this year’s European ‘Bargain Hotels’ list, which was highly populated with Eastern European hotels.
London left behind
With the 2012 Olympics on the horizon, the world’s eyes will soon be on London – a city conspicuous in its absence from the UK’s top 25 hotels. This is the second consecutive year in which the capital failed to produce finalists in the top 25 UK hotels list. With only 18 months to go, it’s likely London’s hospitality industry will be working hard to make sure London performs as a world-class tourism destination next year.
What’s missing?
As well as a bargain hotels, Britain failed to produce finalists in a number of key areas, namely the categories of romance, luxury and relaxation/spa. Britain has a long way to catch up with the likes of Prague, a city which had finalists in almost every European category and is home to both the best bargain and luxury hotels on the continent.
For the full 2011 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel Awards results, see here http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice
