Shrewsbury hotel is awarded four-star status

Awarded by the AA, the award comes in the wake of a period of transformation for the Butcher Row-based hotel.

It has been the subject of a long-term, £1 million investment programme, while owner Mike Matthews' children James and Camilla recently returned to take over the day-to-day running of the establishment.

While there are two five-star listings for Shrewsbury town centre on the AA website – at The Drapers Hall and The Porterhouse, both near to the Prince Rupert, both are classed as restaurants with rooms.

Mr Matthews said: "The four-star rating is fantastic news both for our hotel and for Shrewsbury as a whole.

"It's the first time there has been such highly-rated accommodation at the heart of the town, and it really will help put the destination on the map when it comes to competing with other towns across the UK.

"Even more excitingly, the rating opens up completely new markets for us including the USA and the Far East, as guests from these countries traditionally prefer four-star accommodation."

Mr Matthews added that work would continue to develop the hotel as part of the refurbishment programme.

"We will not rest on our laurels," he added. "We have ambitious plans for the future including a luxurious loft suite, 60-seat exterior courtyard, a re-launch of Chambers Bistro, and a complete refurbishment of the lounge and lobby.

"This is an incredibly exciting time for the hotel, and we're delighted that our commitment and dedication to The Prince Rupert and the town have been recognised in such a high profile way.

"We've worked extremely hard as a family to continuously improve the hotel with a major investment in transforming many of the 70 bathrooms including Italian tiles and bespoke granite fittings.

"We've also completely transformed the 12th Century mansion house suites and 15th century Tudor suites – the most historic areas of the hotel."

James Matthews began work at The Prince Rupert Hotel as a teenager, and he has now rejoined the family business as general manager. He has held senior management positions at the five-star Cliveden House, Chewton Glen and The Ritz in London.

Camilla Matthews trained at the five-star Michelin awarded Lucknam Park, and has also now returned to Shrewsbury. The pair will be developing the cuisine in the Royalist Restaurant and aim to achieve at least two rosettes.

The triumph comes as others, including MP Daniel Kawczinski and Shropshire Council, search for a site where a new five-star hotel could be built.