Condé Nast Johansens has announced its winners of their 2014 UK & Ireland Awards for Excellence. The Awards are based on responses from guest nomination forms, guest survey reports, and local experts’ reports drawn from the hotels featured in the most recent Guides from Condé Nast Johansens.
The Winners for UK & Ireland 2014
Best for Romance – Chewton Glen, Hampshire
“When a hotel’s received as many accolades as Chewton Glen in Hampshire, expectations run high on arrival. But despite this, you’ll still be blown away, even if you’re a returning guest because Chewton Glen is always improving (even when it doesn’t seem possible) and evolving.”
Best Luxury Villa, Apartment or Chalet – Combe Thatch House at Combe House Devon, Devon
“Discover this wildly romantic and achingly luxurious 450-year-old Elizabethan manor. Combe House Devon offers stunning views, great food, wine and hospitality. One of Devon’s finest estates, the House is set in tranquil gardens surrounded by 3,500 acres of country estate where Arabian horses roam freely.”
Best Service – The Milestone Hotel and Apartments, London
“Opposite Kensington Palace & Gardens, just a five-minute walk from the Royal Albert Hall and around the corner from Harrods and Harvey Nichols, is The Milestone Hotel and Apartments in the throbbing heart of London’s most exclusive neighbourhood.”
Best Restaurant – Llangoed Hall, Powys
“Although sensitive to Llangoed’s Jacobean legacy (specifically the south wing’s arched porch), the Hall is a mass of Edwardian style exhibiting many of the era’s artistic greats. Antiques and artworks fashioned by Walter Sickert, Augustus John and Rex Whistler adorn the interiors. It’s all a very British affair.”
Best Hotel Spa – Coworth Park, Berkshire
“Coworth Park, just outside Ascot, is redefining the country house hotel for the 21st century. While upholding all that’s great about the English countryside, Coworth’s estate (The Mansion House, The Stables, The Cottages, The Dower House, Polo Centre) is a fresh take on the luxury country house hotel where nothing is formulaic.”
Best for Families – Stoke Park Country Club, Spa and Hotel, Buckinghamshire
“Set amidst hundreds of acres of parkland, Stoke Park has been at the pulsing heart of English heritage for over 900 years playing host to numerous members of royalty and aristocracy, plus the annual Boodles tennis event. Today, guests are drawn to this leisure playground for many reasons.”
Best City Hotel – Corinthia Hotel London, London
“Opulent Corinthia Hotel London is the jewel in the family-owned collection’s crown. After a hotly anticipated opening in 2011, this dynamo of a hotel holds its place in the upper echelon of five-star fabulousness and old school glamour. Upon entering the marble lobby you’ll be struck by the natural light streaming through a huge skylight that’s refracted through an even bigger Baccarat chandelier.”
Best Waterside Hotel – Bailiffscourt Hotel and Spa, West Sussex
“Time travel is possible after all, or at least it is at Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa in Climping. However, before you brush up on your flux-capacitor knowledge, it’s worthwhile knowing that Baillifscourt was the vision of Lady Moyne (wife of Lord Moyne, aka Walter Guinness of the famed stout empire), built in 1933.”
Best Countryside Hotel – Gravetye Manor, West Sussex
“In the quaint English village of West Hoathly on Vowels Lane, Gravetye Manor conjures a barrage of “ooo”s and Harry Potter-esque imagery. Home to the late William Robinson (father of the English flower garden), his world-famous horticultural work draws attention to exquisite blooms, colours and textures.”
Best New or Back on the Scene Hotel – The Great Northern Hotel, London
“Forming an intergral part of the exciting London King’s Cross St Pancras regeneration, Great Northern Hotel is located 25 metres from Eurostar’s terminal with the King’s Cross western concourse dome fitting into its curved shape. Inside, Cubitt’s tunnel-like corridors lead to 91 rooms with custom furnishings.”
Best Value for Money – The Grange at Oborne, Dorset
“This is a haven from city life where guests can unwind with a fishing trip or relaxed break that simply takes in the local scenery. A 200-year-old house, it nestles peacefully in formal gardens, just 1.5 miles from historic Sherborne.”
Best Destination Hotel – Inverlochy Castle, The Highlands
“After a week of sketching and painting at Lord Abinger’s Inverlochy Castle in 1873, Queen Victoria wrote, “I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot.” Built 10 years prior to her visit, not far from its original 13th-century fort namesake, (the first) Lord Abinger could not have picked a more scenic location.”
Best Sustainable Hospitality and Corporate Responsibility – Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk
“The hallmark of Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, is freedom. The freedom to experience the countryside, host the perfect party, romance your loved one, spend treasured time with family or put employees to the test with team building. For when you stay at one of Wilderness Reserve’s four properties it’s exclusively yours.”
Best for Meetings – St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London
“Victorian brilliance meets 21st-century extravagance at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London; a bastion of Gothic Revival design from the illustrious architect George Gilbert Scott. Scott’s interpretation of the brief: “add lustre to St Pancras Train Station,” was the grand cathedral-like, red brick icon that stands today (140 years on) alongside the international Eurostar station.”
Best for Weddings, Parties or Special Events – Bingham Rooms| Restaurant|Bar, London
“An artful display of genteel colour schemes, intricate details (that’s silver leaf on the ceiling), hypnotic spy droplet chandeliers and art deco references. Outside is equally elegant, and possibly Bingham’s most captivating element of all: its River Thames views.”
Readers’ Award – Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel, County Wexford
“Style and luxury are key at Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel, County Wexford, as is the warm Irish welcome it extends to each guest. Surrounded by a blanket of far-reaching green acres, this trend-setting golf and spa hotel sits on the Ballymoney Shore, just one hour from Dublin.”
Condé Nast Johansens is now in its 32nd year, a year which heralded a digital evolution and brand modernisation for the internationally trusted Guides to luxury accommodation throughout the world. The reimagined website (www.johansens.com), refreshed logo, and three newly designed printed 2014 guides as well as an additional digital-only venue guide form the brand update. This has further established its position as the leading independently produced multi-media source for today’s traveller, sourcing hotels, spas and venues for leisure and business in the UK, Europe and the Americas. The 2014 Guides are also available for download on the iPad.
Condé Nast Johansens remains the most comprehensive illustrated reference to annually inspected, independently owned hotels. With dedicated and highly trained local experts, almost 10 times as many properties have been assessed as appear online or in the Guides, in order to narrow the final selection down to, quite simply, the best selection of accommodation for independent travellers. With a readership of 6.2 million, the Guides’ distribution now totals 33,350 internationally.