Good times

The recession's silver lining

Never mind swine flu, the recession, or even the weather. Many of our selected hotels say that they are enjoying one of their best ever summer seasons. Michael Cooper, owner of Cnapan, a Welsh restaurant-with-rooms, which has been in the Guide for more than 20 years, tells me he has been running at 90% capacity since March. Michael Pritt, the third generation of his family to run the Wentworth Hotel in Aldeburgh, reports being "frantically busy". Even hotels on islands, such as Foveran on the Orkneys, run by the Doull family, say they have been almost fully booked throughout the summer. Another remote hotel, Star Castle in the Scilly Isles, owned by Robert and James Francis, has been swamped with inquiries from the GHG's website (www.goodhotelguide.com), helped by the fact that it won our César award this year for best Island hotel.

What explains the rush? Part of the answer is that hotels in the Guide are by definition at the very top of the tree. Their experience may not be typical of less skilfully run establishments. The strength of the Euro, the tedium of air travel, and fast-rising air fares, have also persuaded many holiday makers of the merits of home tourism. VisitBritain, the official tourist body, says that an extra five million Britons are considering spending part or all of their holidays at home this year. All this is a great opportunity for British hotels, inns and B&Bs to show just how enjoyable a home break can be. And judging by the large numbers of tourists swarming all over London, foreigners know that we are a good-value destination. This week, as I wandered around Hyde Park, I hardly heard a word of English spoken. Why go abroad when you can meet them all here? Adam Raphael.

New!
Special offers

More than 80 hotels in the Guide have put up special offers at the end of their entries to attract visitors. Half of these feature on the Special Offers Page which is looked at by 70% of visitors to the website. Many guests are looking for value and appreciate a bargain. As for me, I am tempted by an offer put up by An Lochan, a lovely seaside hotel, in the fishing village of Tighnabruaich. If you stay two nights at a rate of £150 B&B, you receive a complimentary afternoon tea and a shellfish lunch. The catch of the day is landed by local fisherman right by the hotel, so you can inspect your lunch at it comes ashore.

Hotels with special offers

Tourism
Call for Mandy

The British Chambers of Commerce is backing the call by Travelodge's chief executive that Lord Mandelson is the man to rescue Britain's tourist industry. Having known Mandy for more than 30 years, and indeed having helped him get his first job in London Weekend television, I am not so sure.that he is the man for the job however skilful he is at manipulating journalists. But I accept that it makes sense to remove tourism from the Department for Culture Media and Sport which has made a sorry hash of it. The Department for Business could not do worse and might even take seriously this key industry whose share of world tourism has been steadily declining.

Travellers Tales
In flagrante

One of the joys of editing the Guide are the letters that readers write to us covering the full gamut of praise and blame. Judging by their experiences, it is clear that the spirit of Fawlty Towers is alive and well. One American reader wrote to us to complain that he had been traumatised after staying at one of our fanciest hotels. He had taken his "bride" for a very special celebration and had booked a double bedroom. It was not clear how old he and his bride were, but both were probably past their prime. Anyway, to cut a sad story short, the happy couple had retired to their bedroom after dinner for normal activities when suddenly the "double bed" separated into two halves and they were plunged through the crack in flagrante delicto."Since when", wrote our American reader sadly, "I have not been able to make love." My reply was sympathetic but not altogether helpful. I advised him not to sue the hotel on the grounds that the court would be laughing so much that it was unlikely to award him damages large enough to compensate for his trauma.

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Buy the new 2010 Guide

The new 2010 edition of the Good Hotel Guide to Great Britain and Ireland is due to be published in October. Completely revised and rewritten, the new edition has 450 full entries, and 400 shortlist entries. There are more than 55 new entries and a similar number has been dropped. Discount vouchers worth a total of £150 are included with each copy. They enable a 25% saving off the normal B&B price at participating hotels. A priority copy of the new Guide, in advance of publication, costs £17.50 (including £2.50 p&p), compared to a retail price of £20.

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The Good Hotel Guide, founded 32 years ago, is totally independent. It receives no payments, hospitality or advertising from hotels selected for an entry in the printed Guide. Hotels pay to be on the Guide's website, but only those hotels who have an entry in the printed Guide are invited to appear on the website. Some of our selected hotels also buy copies of the printed Guide from us. Selected hotels are recommended by readers, backed where necessary by an anonymous inspection. The British edition of the Guide is published each autumn. Adam and Caroline Raphael, who edit the Guide, are award-winning journalists. Caroline, a former BBC researcher and a travel writer, is editor-in-chief. She has worked on the Guide for more than 30 years. Adam, who previously worked for the Guardian, the Observer, the BBC and the Economist, is the Guide's marketing director. Desmond Balmer, formerly travel editor of the Observer, is editor of the British guide. The Guide specialises in small owner-managed hotels and B&Bs in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands. It includes budget B&Bs, good value hotels as well as grand country houses and chic city hotels, all offering value for money in their price.range..