SEVEN Northumberland businesses win 'warm welcome' awards from Visit England

The awards recognise the accommodation providers across England who provide visitors with the warmest of welcomes.

They celebrate the establishments, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation, where the owners, management and employees provide outstanding experiences for their customers.

The Northumberland winners are: Doxford Hall Hotel and Spa, Chathill; Grey Hens in Paperhaugh, Rothbury; Greycroft in Croft Place, Alnwick; Greystead Old Church, Hexham; Heavenfield Cottage (St Oswald’s Farm), Hexham; The Pheasant Inn, Hexham; and Kidlandlee Holiday Cottages, Harbottle.

Visit England director Andrew Stokes said: “It is great to see the ROSE Awards back as we celebrate and congratulate accommodation businesses across England excelling at customer service and creating stand-out experiences that keep visitors coming back time-after-time.

"The awards are also a wonderful showcase of the sheer scale of outstanding accommodation across England with visitors truly spoilt for choice. From stunning estates with camping on their doorstep to quintessentially English pubs with cosy rooms, from charming B&Bs and self-catering cottages in glorious locations to quirky beach huts in picture-perfect seaside towns, there is a stay to suit all tastes and requirements.”

The ROSE Award winners were nominated by VisitEngland’s quality scheme assessors and selected from assessor comments and online feedback from overseas and domestic visitors.

Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing about 2.6 million people and, in 2019, generating £76 billion in domestic visitor spending.