Warwickshire hotels named among best in ‘holy grail’ of awards

Two boutique hotels in Warwickshire have been named among the best small hotels in the UK for the second time in a decade.

The Eden Hotel Collection – which operates the 4 AA silver star Arden Hotel in Stratfordupon-Avon and the 4 AA red star Mallory Court Hotel and Spa in Leamington – has been named Small Hotel Group of the Year at the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards.

With nearly 900 guests, the AA Hospitality Awards highlight the very best in British hospitality, honouring achievements across 15 categories – reflecting the industry’s commitment to innovation, quality and environmental responsibility.

Eden’s award win follows a year that has seen the business invest more than £3 million in venue refurbishments and colleague welfare initiatives – as well as adopting sustainability projects around food production.

This includes the recent £1.5 million refurbishment of 19 bedrooms at the four red star Mallory Court Hotel and Spa.

For guests, Eden is also commencing its “Inspired By” programme, which brings to life the story of each hotel’s individual character for visitors, starting with Mallory Court whose ‘Inspired By our Gardens’ initiative sees the hotel’s workforce sharing knowledge with guests about how the hotel’s ten-acre gardens influence every aspect of the visitor experience – from dining through to décor.

The group’s focus on growing its own produce on-site and utilising local suppliers has also continued to develop, following the success of the kitchen garden and its tours at Mallory Court.

This complements the collection’s ability to recycle 100 per cent of its waste, with 30 per cent directly recycled, 50 per cent converted into renewable energy, and 20 per cent processed by anaerobic digestion.

Investment has also stretched to Eden’s 500-strong workforce, including the launch of an app-based employee recognition programme called The Happy Hub, which includes activities that help to promote positive hormones – such as the ability to recognise a colleague with an e-card, an employee of the month initiative, and monetary recognitions for long service.

Alongside Mallory Court and The Arden, Eden also operates Brockencote Hall Hotel in Kidderminster, The Greenway Hotel Spa in Cheltenham, and five-star hotel Bovey Castle in Devon.

Josefine Blomqvist, General Manager at Mallory Court Hotel and Spa, said: “It takes something special to be recognised in this way by the AA, and underlines the great attention to detail we pay to providing a memorable experience for our guests – whether they are locals sampling our award-winning food, or visitors from further afield staying in our new-look luxury bedrooms.”

Mark Chambers, Managing Director at The Eden Hotel Collection, said: “The AA awards are the holy grail for any hospitality business, so to be recognised as the best in our field for the second time in a decade is a testament to our people and the consistent delivery of excellence across all of our hotels.

“As a business everything we do feeds into providing the highest possible quality of service.”

Visit www.edenhotelcollection.com.

Leamington Spa’s newest accountancy firm has made a historic chapel in the town centre its new home as it looks to significantly increase the size of its business.

The move for The Arkk Alliance to Chapel Court, in Holly Walk, has been secured by Leamington chartered surveyors and commercial property firm ehB Reeves.

The building, which has previously won a design award, is a former church and is the perfect location for The Arkk Alliance, which already has an office in nearby Knowle and has a vision of blending traditional expertise with innovative solutions.

The Arkk Alliance, which also provides tax, wealth and business advisory services, currently employs 15 people but has ambitious plans to grow its workforce to 40 by the middle of next year and is now recruiting for 11 new positions.

Laurence Collins, Director at The Arkk Alliance, said: “Leamington is very accessible with its strong transport links and this is one of the reasons we chose the town as we look to recruit new team members.

“Chapel Court is a great space and also gives us room to grow in a vibrant town centre location as we work with our clients across the UK.”

Located a stone’s throw from the Parade, the former chapel offers three floors of office space, primarily open plan, plus telephone pods, breakout pods, meeting and training rooms.

Built in 1849, Chapel Court was first a Congregational Church and its interesting history has also seen it be a builders merchant, among several other uses. In 1991, it won a design award for conversion to office spaces.

Sam Hain, a surveyor at ehB Reeves, who has been working closely with The Arkk Alliance to secure the letting, said: “Chapel Court’s impressive setting perfectly complements The Arkk Alliance’s ethos of challenging the status quo and we’re confident that Leamington Spa will be an ideal setting for them as they look to grow.”

For more information, visit www.ehbreeves.com or for The Arkk Alliance, visit www.thearkk.co.uk