Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Local hotel in top 10 for boutique stays in UK
‘It is so encouraging to see so many new entrants this year...’
A Canterbury hotel has been named the sixth-best boutique place to stay in the country while another award-winning venue in Kent is the highest new entry on the list.
The Pig at Bridge Place in Bridge and Boys Hall in Willesborough, Ashford have both been listed in the top 50 boutique hotels in the UK. Boys Hall came in at number 16 on the list, while The Pig was ranked sixth best by industry experts, hoteliers, travel writers and influencers. The Newt in Bruton, Somerset, received the top accolade this year as the nation’s number-one boutique hotel. Boys Hall was the highestranking new entrant for 2023 after being named the world’s best country retreat by the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Hotel Awards last month Chris Lowe, group director for hospitality and manufacturing at marketing agency William Reed which compiled the list, said: “We are delighted to be revealing this fantastic new list for 2023.
“This year’s number one The Newt is a worthy winner and the highest new entry Boys Hall shows the innovation taking place within the sector. “It is so encouraging to see so
many new entrants in the Top 50 this year as well as being able to showcase such a range of unique hotel experiences available across the UK.” Elsewhere, The Gallivant in Rye was voted in at number 26.
Bosses at the East Sussex hotel have recently revealed they are opening a new inn in Littlestone on Romney Marsh after purchasing the Romney Bay House Hotel last year.
The owner, Harry Cragoe, says he wants to bring the hotel “back to its former glory” with plans to open its doors in the middle of summer next year. In 2019, The Pig hotel was named the regional winner in The Sunday Times' Best Place to Stay list - a prestigious guide to the UK'S top 100 hotels. The Canterbury venue was ranked in fourth place in the list of the top 50 boutique hotels in 2022.