Priory best small hotel in west

A luxury hotel in Bath has been judged the best of its kind in the South West.

The Bath Priory will now go through to the national finals of the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence after taking a top title at a regional awards night this week.

It took gold in the Small Hotel of the Year section of the South West Tourism Excellence Awards.

The awards, organised in association with Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, South West Water and E-Strategy, were presented at a ceremony in Devon.

A silver award was also presented to Lavender House in Bloomfield Park in the regional Bed and Breakfast of the Year category.

The 27-bedroom Bath Priory at Weston is owned by businessman Andrew Brownsword and has recently emerged from a major facelift.

General manager Sue Williams said staff had "smiles from ear to ear" at the hotel's success.

"The team work so hard throughout the year and to receive this recognition for all their efforts is tremendous. We are all very proud of our hotel, and the beautiful surroundings, coupled with our attentiveness towards our guests, hopefully makes for a relaxing and memorable experience; it is what drives us forward in our pursuit of excellence."

The hotel, which also has four family suites, will now go forward to the national awards in April.

In September it opened a new garden spa along with two new reception areas, four new treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, sauna, elliptical steam pod and changing facilities, and a new fitness suite.

Earlier in the year, it appointed two Michelin-star chef Michael Caines as executive head chef.

Alistair Handyside, chairman of South West Tourism, said all the winners at the awards - which also cover tourist attractions and other accommodation sectors - had done well.

"Many congratulations to all of this year's winners who have exceeded our expectations once again. These businesses continually strive for excellence and I look forward to seeing them on the national stage next year as they proudly support our region."

Meanwhile, analysis by business advisory firm Deloitte suggests that Bath is bucking a downward trend in the hotel trade.

The firm says the South West's hotel industry has seen revenue, rates and occupancy all continuing to fall in the third quarter of this year.

Revenue per available room across the region has fallen 9.4 per cent so far this year - slightly better than the national figure of 10.5 per cent.

Bath's revenue rate was down by only 4.4 per cent.

Hotels across the region reported that, on average, they were about two-thirds (67.3 per cent) full during the first nine months of the year, while the average room rate was £64, compared with a national average of £77.

But in Bath, occupancy was at 75 per cent while its average room rate was £85.

Deloitte senior partner Denis Woulfe said: "To achieve 75 per cent occupancy during one of the most severe economic downturns is very impressive, and Bath is proving to be one of the most resilient cities in the country."