Ludlow's Feathers Hotel secures spot in coveted best hotels guide

The guide, published each year by The Times newspaper, has just unveiled its list of those top 80 that they believe to be the crème de la crème of best hotels in the UK, which includes everything from new openings and historic venues to swish spas and cosy pubs with rooms.

Each hotel in the list has been subject to the scrutiny of a seasoned hotel inspector who dined, stayed and used all the facilities as any other paying guest would; but they left no stone unturned in analysing and reviewing every aspect of the customer experience from the moment they walked through the door.

Under new ownership with Crest Hotels, The Feathers Hotel has secured its place despite only being fully reopened in recent months following a phased re-opening over the past year, and is described as a huge coup by the management team.

Sarah Tunnadine, group sales manager for Crest Hotels said: “We are hugely honoured to be placed in such a respected list of best places to stay. Since our £2.5m refurbishment, which was only started last year, we have been overwhelmed with the response to the restoration.

"We wanted to really reflect the history and heritage of the grade 1 listed building whilst injecting a modern twist and contemporary feel and I really do believe we have done that to rave reviews from our guests.”

Described by The Times as having “old-world charm that is paired with modern comforts”, The Feathers is also credited with “having its original beams, stained glass and Jacobean coving which have been paired with a palette of creams, coppers and a regal peacock blue, breathing light and life into the old inn”.

Operations director, Jason Hiley added: “The Feathers hotel has certainly captured the hearts of guests and the local community once more and we are delighted that this has been rewarded and recognised in this way. The customer experience is paramount to us and so to have this stamp of approval is testament to the hard work, dedication and passion that our team bring every day. It has been a labour of love over the past two years but it is wonderful to see the hotel bustling once more.”