By Adam Raphael The news that Sharrow Bay has gone into liquidation owing more than £2 million is a sad event. The original country house hotel, Sharrow Bay was a delight; it spawned many imitators. Paradoxically its closure is good news for all those who treasure memories of their stays there on the banks of… Read more
By Adam Raphael Publishing a hotel guide in the middle of a pandemic is not for the fainthearted. As the country went into lockdown and hotels closed their doors in March, it was a tough call whether or not to go ahead with this year’s Guide. I am glad that we decided to publish, a… Read more
By Adam Raphael On Monday July 29th, the Guide’s website (www.goodhotelguide.com) had its highest number of viewers since its relaunch four years ago. July and August are on course for being our best months ever. This increase in traffic shows that the pent-up demand for staycations is there. That is the good news. The bad… Read more
The Guide’s views on TripAdvisor are not shared by all its readers or indeed by all its hotels: ‘Oh please, give it a rest. Anyone who is capable of using TripAdvisor knows to read between the lines. If you are not intelligent enough to spot the fake reviews or make an educated comparison with other… Read more
By Adam Raphael Following three months of Covid hell, the Guide’s hotels, B&Bs and inns have come up with a raft of ingenious ideas to enable them to open their doors. Helium balloons, fogging machines, special isolation breaks and dining under the stars are on offer as hoteliers grapple with the conundrum of how to… Read more
By Adam Raphael So where are we? The short, unsatisfactory answer is inching towards normality. Hotels will probably be welcoming their first paying customers next month. Three- quarters of hospitality businesses say they are ready to open by July 4th. But the government has yet to publish the details on how they will be allowed… Read more
By Adam Raphael ‘If we are going to have to operate like a hospital and give second-rate service, we will remain shut. Guests do not want to come away to a sanatorium.’ A tough, not untypical comment. But the good news from our selected hotels is that a clear majority (58%) intend to open as… Read more
By Adam Raphael Hotels may be closed, but they are not down. The Guide’s postbag is full of tales from properties preparing for reopening. Deep cleaning and painting to staff training and improving websites are under way. When restrictions are eased, as I believe they will be in the next few weeks, the public will… Read more
By Annabelle Thorpe In many ways, travel is like fashion; trends come and go – one year every A-lister wants to be seen hanging out at a Moroccan riad, the next there’s nothing cooler than a Caribbean island retreat. So what’s the big news for 2020? Where should we all be holidaying, and why? The… Read more
