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The Good Hotel Guide was first published 32 years ago. Published annually, it is the leading British independent hotel guide specialising in the best, owner-managed hotels in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands.
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Do hotels pay to be in the Guide?
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Hotels are not charged for their entries in the printed Guide, nor are hospitality or advertising accepted. Only hotels selected by the Guide are entitled to appear on the website for which a fee is levied to meet development and running costs.
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What sort of hotels are covered?
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The entries cover the best hotels, many of them owner-managed, in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. People want different things from hotels, depending on whether they are making a single-night stop, or spending a whole holiday in one place.
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Adam & Caroline Raphael, who own the Good Hotel Guide, are award-winning journalists. Desmond Balmer, former travel editor of The Observer, edits the British Guide.
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The hotel entries are based on reports from readers who write to us about a hotel/B&B which has given them out-of-the-ordinary satisfaction. Reports are checked by inspectors. Readers also send comments on good hotels, not yet in the Guide.
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How often are the hotel reviews updated?
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The entries are updated continuously on this website. The printed Guide is published annually in October. Each year there is a considerable turnover: hotels are dropped if they change hands or if there is a decline in standards.
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What else does the Guide do?
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In addition to its coverage of hotels, the Guide has campaigned in its Introduction on various issues. For several years, it addressed itself to service charges and tipping, leading to a significant change of attitude in the industry.
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What are the César awards?
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Every year the Guide gives awards, called Césars, to 10 hotels in various categories, and plaques are presented to the winning hoteliers at our publication launch party. There are also prizes for those readers who submit the best reports.
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Do you want new reviewers?
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Yes, please email us. Readers' reviews are the lifeblood of the Guide. There are many blank areas on our maps. We are particularly glad to receive reports on hotels in a city, a town or a region that is poorly represented.
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Why should I buy a printed copy of the Guide?
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Only about half the entries of our selected hotels appear on the website. In the printed Guide are discount vouchers worth £150 which entitle readers at participating hotels to get a discount of 25% off the Bed & Breakfast rate
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Why is the Guide trusted?
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We track our readers opinions and have been doing so for more than 30 years. The fact that we are independent mean that we can call it like it is. No hotel can buy an entry in the printed Guide or on the website.
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What do hoteliers say about the Guide?
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"We have long regarded the Guide as the bible of the industry" Christopher Davy, the Rose and Crown Inn, Romaldkirk.
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What does the media say about the Guide?
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"It's about as honest as a hotel guide can be" The Sunday Times.
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What do readers say about the Guide?
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"No one in their right mind would go near a hotel without your advice." David Taylor
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Do hotels buy copies of the Guide?
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We ask them to do so because it helps creates a virtuous circle of more readers and more reports. But some hotels which have had an entry in the Guide for many years have never bought a copy from us.
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Why are some hotel entries much longer than others?
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The Guide has two types of entry, Full and Shortlist. In the Shortlist we identify hotels, guest houses and B&Bs which provide reasonable accommodation but we are not yet confident meet the standards that we are looking for.
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Do all the Guide's selected hotels appear on the website?
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The only hotels that appear on the website are those that are willing to pay a fee to defray development and running costs. Some selected hotels, particularly those belonging to a group, will appear only in the published Guide.