Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, has been named Eco Hotel of the Year at the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards.

The 22-bedroom hotel and restaurant was awarded the accolade for its ongoing commitment to sustainability, positive contributions made to reducing its environmental impact and for its dedication to raising industry standards.

Battlesteads’ owners Richard and Dee Slade and general manager Katie Meyrick attended the awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on Monday, 26 September, where the trophy was presented to them by actor and comedian Hugh Dennis.

In the 11 years since Richard and Dee took over the hotel, they have worked hard to establish Battlesteads as one of the UK’s leading tourism destinations. This has included reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint to less than a fifth of the industry average, expanding sustainably with five new eco lodges and becoming the only hotel in the UK with an onsite observatory.

Richard Slade, owner of Battlesteads said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been named Eco Hotel of the Year by the AA Hospitality Awards – one of the most well-respected awards in the industry. We really do pride ourselves on our sustainability and commitment to our ‘green’ principles so it’s fantastic to be recognised by that. Hopefully we can provide inspiration to other hotels looking to increase their own environmental policies and practices and help made the tourism industry greener as whole.”

Battlesteads has previously been recognised for its sustainability with other industry awards, including the Considerate Hoteliers Special Commendation Award 2015, a Platinum level rating in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Programme in 2014, Hotel Cateys Green Hotel of the Year 2011 and a Gold Star Award at the 2011 Green Tourism Awards. The hotel and restaurant also has Three Star Sustainability Champion status, awarded by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).