England’s best large hotel….Devon wins top tourism award

Visit Devon congratulates the Thurlestone Hotel in South Devon which has won the national accolade of being England’s best large hotel. The hotel near Kingsbridge won the Gold Award in the large hotel category at the Enjoy England Excellence Awards, which were held at Brighton at the weekend. It is the second year running that a Devon hotel has won a major tourism award, the double Michelin star hotel Gidleigh Park was voted Hotel of the Year at the 2009 ceremony. The General Manager of Visit Devon, Rosie Bates believes the award is wonderful news for the team at the Thurlestone Hotel and also reflects the high standards of service and care that visitors to Devon can expect: “We are absolutely delighted for the Thurlestone Hotel and the award reflects the hard work and investment that the team have put in to making the hotel such a success. As this is the second year running that a Devon hotel has won such a major national award, we are very proud here in the county of the excellence that we can offer in terms of outstanding facilities and service.” The Thurlestone Hotel was founded in 1893 by the Grose family. It has played host to royalty and has won countless tourism awards, as well as being nominated for the South West Excellence Awards five years ago. The four star hotel has spent nearly £4 million on a refurbishments programme during the past five years, including improvements to its bedrooms and a new cocktail bar. The Managing Director of the Thurlestone Hotel, Graham Grose says that the award is a great tribute to all the staff at the hotel: “I am convinced that we have won this award because of the excellent care that we give to guests and our famous hospitality. The Director of the hotel Julie Baugh has really galvanised her team and they are all stars here from hotel porters to managers.” A team of six from different departments in the hotel went to Brighton to receive the award and staff have been celebrating their win with champagne during the weekend. Graham Grose believes the future for the hotel looks bright as summer bookings are strong and the hotel benefited from increased bookings as a result of the recent travel crisis due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. However, he says the hotel will continue to make further investments in its refurbishment programme: “Guests expect quality and we deliver on that. We find the more that we continue to invest in our product, the better we do and we constantly look at new ways in which we can improve our performance.” About Visit Devon Visit Devon is the destination management organisation responsible for promoting Devon to the world. The organisation acts as a voice for tourism in Devon and its aim is simple - to increase the number of visitors to Devon by promoting the county as a year-round destination for business or leisure. The organization brings together, adds value to and enhances the work and activities undertaken by the six Area Tourism Partnerships across the county. Visit Devon is committed to growing the tourism sector sustainably, increasing the skills within the industry, and raising the quality of the visitor experience. Visit Devon is a public-private partnership limited by guarantee. The not for profit company comprises of nine member organizations including the six Area Tourism Partnerships (Exeter and Essential Devon, Visit Plymouth, North Devon+, The Dartmoor Partnership, The English Riviera Tourist Board, and Visit South Devon) Devon County Council, The Devon Association of Tourist Attractions (Data), and Devon Farms.Visit Devon is the trading name of Destination Devon Ltd.