LONDON, U.K – 20 January, 2010: TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest and most popular travel community, today unveiled the very best of British hotels in the eighth annual Travellers’ Choice® Hotel awards. 

The ‘Oscars of the Hotel World’ recognise the best hotels in the world across categories including Best Bargain, Best Service, Best Luxury and Best B&B. The awards reveal a Yorkshire hotel taking the honour of the UK’s Best Hotel and two UK hotels making it into the World’s Top Bargain Hotels list. 

Unlike any other hotel awards program, the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards are based on the millions of reviews and opinions from real travellers around the globe.

London’s Finest and Failing
London’s Soho Hotel has been voted the best hotel in London by travellers from around the world. One traveller review sums up why, “a fabulous hotel, staff and experience”. The awards also prove that it’s still cool Britannia for one London hotel - The Bermondsey Square Hotel comes in at number five in Europe’s Most Trendy Hotel list.

Despite these wins the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards expose a worry for the capital. Not a single London hotel makes it into the UK Top 25 Ranking. 

Alison Copus, VP Marketing Europe for TripAdvisor comments: “With the Olympics just two years away it’s worrying not to see a single London hotel in the Top 25 UK list. Come 2012 all eyes will be on our capital city and London hotels are clearly going to have to raise their game to make sure they provide world-class accommodation.”

Best in UK
A Yorkshire hotel is awarded the accolade of the UK’s Best Hotel – the Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate takes the honours and even makes it into the World’s Top Ten Luxury hotel list. The TripAdvisor site shows travellers commending everything from the “faultless” service to the “big fluffy bathrobes”. One traveller even comments, “if we had been snowed in, I would not have been unhappy!”

In second place is The Manor Coach House in Worcester which also came third in the World Best Bargain Hotel award, proving that budget doesn’t need to mean basic. The South West is the other clear winner in this category, hosting four of the top 10 UK hotels, with two alone in Cornwall, including third place Boskerris Hotel in St. Ives.
 
Best of British: U.K Bargains 
Budget-conscious travellers will be pleased to hear that three British hotels made it into Europe’s Top Ten Bargain Hotels list. In addition to Worcester’s Manor Coach House, Llandudno’s Can-y-Bae and Torquay’s Charterhouse Hotel also make the bargain grade.

The Bold And The Beautiful: U.K B&Bs
The good old B&B is a UK institution so it’s reassuring that Britain’s B&Bs are officially amongst the best in the world, accounting for nine of the ten best B&Bs in Europe. Although the overall winner of Best B&B in Europe though goes to Tuscany’s Casa Portagioia.

Two British B&Bs even make the cut in the World’s Ten Best B&Bs, including the UK winner, the aptly named Number One B&B in Deal, Kent. The other British B&B to make the World Top Ten ranking is the Lake District’s Riverside Hotel.

UK Star Service
UK hotels are not always praised by overseas visitors for great service but The Charterhouse Hotel in Torquay has not only been awarded the title of the UK’s Best Service Hotel, but even makes it into the World’s Top Ten Best Service Hotels list.

With traveller comments such as, “absolutely nothing was too much trouble for them”, “you are welcomed like one of the family” and “the finishing touch was a small bar of chocolate hidden in your towel” it’s clear to see why the Devonshire hotel puts so many others to shame.  

TripAdvisor’s Alison Copus adds, “Service can make or break a holiday so it’s about time those British hotels providing such star service are recognised – let’s hope this inspires other hotels to step up their game and make the list in next year’s awards.”

For UK Luxury, Head North
Whilst budget options are still front of mind for many, the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards prove that British hotels also cater for the more indulgent traveller. Despite its many glamorous visitors no London hotel makes the World’s Top Ten Luxury Hotel list. Those seeking out luxury must venture further north to Harrogate’s Rudding Park Hotel, which comes in at an impressive sixth in the world ranking. 

Family First Hotels
Travelling with children isn’t always easy so hotels that go the extra mile to make families welcome have also been recognised in the awards. The UK’s most family friendly hotel is The Luna and Simone Hotel in London, which even makes it into the World’s Top Ten Family list. A traveller review explains one of the reasons why, “they offered to buy in any food I wanted if it wasn't on the menu”. Another UK property to make the European Top Ten Family Hotel list is the Avalon Beach Club in Dorset.

For the complete 2010 Travellers’ Choice list, and for more reviews, opinions and candid holiday photographs go to http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/travellerschoice
 

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For further information, images or interviews, please contact:
Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor
020 3320 3210 / 0777 926 2423 / eoboyle@tripadvisor.com