Bovey Castle crowned Devon's best large hotel at tourism awards

Bovey Castle in Dartmoor National Park is celebrating after being named as Devon’s best large hotel at a prestigious tourism awards.  

The 5 Red Star hotel was named ‘Large Hotel of the Year’ at the Devon Tourism Awards last night (November 16) at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay.

The award recognises large full-service hotels that provide exemplary service, a top-quality food offering and a stay that guests will remember for years to come.

Bovey Castle took the evening’s top award, winning ‘Gold’, to crown a year of growth which has seen it relaunch its Great Western Grill restaurant, which re-opened following a three-year absence and a £1.2 million investment into a new state-of-the-art kitchen.

General Manager Dean Gunston said: “Devon is up there with the best for hospitality in the UK, so to be named the best in Devon is a fantastic achievement.

“People come to visit us for all sorts of reasons – whether it’s for our afternoon teas, our new restaurant, booking onto one of our on-site activities, or staying overnight – but whatever the occasion, we always have a team of dedicated and enthusiastic staff who are on hand to make their visit as enjoyable as possible, so this award is really for them.”

The 20th-century Bovey Castle was built in 1907 and first opened as a hotel and golf resort in 1930.

It was acquired by the award-winning Eden Hotel Collection in 2014, and has since won numerous awards including 5 AA Red Stars in 2017 for its exceptional hospitality – the AA’s highest possible accolade.

The hotel offers 60 bedrooms throughout the historic manor alongside 22 self-catering country lodges tucked away within its 275 acres of beautiful countryside grounds.

It also features Smith's Brasserie, an 18-hole golf course which has been named one of the top 100 golf courses in Britain, tennis courts, the Elan Spa, and on-site experiences for adults and families including falconry, archery, cider and sloe gin-making and 4x4 off-road driving.

The Devon Tourism Awards were held for the 14th year and celebrate the best tourism attractions, venues and activities the region has to offer.

Successful businesses will now be fast tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in March, and could then reach the national VisitEngland awards later in the year.