Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, near Hexham, has been awarded a 2015 TripAdvisor Service Excellence Award for consistently high visitor reviews.

The award, announced on Friday 14 August, puts the Northumberland hotel among the top 10 per cent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor.

Only outstanding hospitality businesses which maintain an overall rating of four or higher, from a high volume of traveller reviews, are eligible for the Service Excellence Award.

This award follows Battlesteads achieving a Platinum level rating in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Programme in 2014, for reaching the highest standard of environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Recent reviews of Battlesteads on TripAdvisor have included comments such as “I am so pleased we chose Battlesteads Hotel, it was lovely. I wish we could have stayed longer, and definitely would return when we get the chance”; “Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant was an absolute delight” and “I thoroughly recommend a stay at Battlesteads. Excellent value, great food, comfortable rooms, lovely welcoming staff and in a pretty village surrounded by stunning countryside.”

High praise has also been given for Battlesteads Restaurant, with one reviewer saying “the standard of food is excellent, and portrays the professionalism of the chef in the kitchen” and another adding that “dinner in the restaurant was delicious, and good value for money, the choice at breakfast was also very good and the full Northumbrian breakfast was very tasty indeed”.

Richard Slade, owner of Battlesteads said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive the TripAdvisor Service Excellence Award and to be rated one of the top hotels in the area. We strive to provide a fantastic experience for everyone who stays in our hotel and eco lodges or eats in our restaurant, and we love receiving such positive feedback through TripAdvisor reviews. TripAdvisor is incredibly influential among travellers and receiving this award will help assure guests booking a stay here that they are making the right choice.”

Adding another green feather to its bow Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, near Hexham is delighted to have achieved a Platinum level rating in Tripadvisors new GreenLeader programme.

Developed in partnership with the Carbon Trust, the UK Green Building Council, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the International Tourism Partnership, GreenLeader was launched in the UK and European markets at the beginning of March 2014. The programme helps travellers make greener choices by promoting hotels that have adopted environmentally sustainable practices via their Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum accreditation.

The green practices assessed include:

• Having linen and towel re-use plans
• Tracking energy usage on a regular basis
• Recycling
• Using energy efficient light-bulbs
• Educating staff and guests on green practices

Battlesteads achieved the maximum accreditation from the scheme, with the Platinum award adding to their established green and sustainable hall of fame.

Previous green merits include; Three Star Sustainability Champion status from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), Considerate Hotel of the Year 2011 from the Considerate Hoteliers and Green Hotel of the Year in the 2011 Hotel Cateys.

Commenting on the new programme and Battlesteads Platinum status, owner Richard Slade says:

"At Battlesteads we constantly look at ways we can extend our environmentally friendly code of ethics and be at the forefront of sustainable tourism. We see more and more visitors looking for hotels with strong environmental credentials, and initiatives such as this help the masses make informed decisions when it comes to choosing where to stay. Over the past years we have introduced a number of energy saving and environmental initiatives to the running of the hotel and pub, and continue to view ourselves as pioneers in sustainable tourism."