VisitEngland reveals Excellence Awards 2013 finalists

Finalists of the awards' 17 categories, six of which include restaurants, hotels and pubs, will find out on 20 May at the ceremony at Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester who the winners of each category are. 

The annual awards entail regional winners and direct entries being 'rigorously assessed' by independent assessors before a board of tourism industry experts, including travel broadcaster Alison Rice, two previous award winners and VisitEngland board member David Orr draw up a shortlist. 

Three hotels - Arundell Arms, Rockliffe Hall and York Marriott - make the shortlist in the Business Tourism Award category this year alongside exhibition centres Manchester Central and Excel London, underlining that fact that hotels have become key players in the meetings and conference market​. 

Alongside categories such as Large Hotel of the Year, Small Hotel of the Year, Taste of England are Access for All Tourism, Small and Large Visitor Attractions and Sustainable Tourism. This year's ceremony will also include the official presentation of the Tourism Superstar 2013 Award, which this year will go to Claire Preece, hospitality manager of Devon attraction Kents Cavern and the award for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism. 

James Berresford chief executive of VisitEngland said: “The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence are the benchmark for England’s tourism industry. The sheer breadth and quality of events, businesses and organisations operating across the country has been truly inspiring. All the finalists should be extremely proud of their contribution both to their local area and to the industry as a whole, and it is very satisfying to reward their hard work and dedication.”

Hospitality category finalists in the VisitEngland Excellence Awards 2013:​

Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year​

• Alkham Court Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast, South Alkham, nr Dover, Kent
• Fern Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire
• Pendragon Country House, Camelford, Cornwall
• The Bear's Paw, Sandbach, Cheshire
• The Salty Monk Restaurant with Rooms, Sidmouth, Devon

Business Tourism Award​

• Arundell Arms Hotel, Lifton, Devon
• ExCeL London
• Manchester Central
• Rockliffe Hall, Darlington, County Durham
• York Marriott, York, Yorkshire

Large Hotel of the Year​

• Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
• Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa, York, North Yorkshire
• Peckforton Castle Hotel, Tarporley, Cheshire
• The Lowry Hotel, Salford, Greater Manchester
• The Swan Hotel, Sudbury, Suffolk  

Small Hotel of the Year​

• Brockencote Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon
• Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere, Cumbria
• Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
• The Scarlet Hotel, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall  

Taste of England Award​

• Blackfriars, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
• Drewton's Limited, Nr Brough, East Yorkshire
• Overwater Hall, Carlisle, Cumbria
• Redwell Country Inn and Restaurant, Carnforth, Lancashire
• Samuel's at Swinton Park, Ripon, North Yorkshire

Tourism Pub of the Year​

• Drunken Duck Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria
• Rashleigh Arms, St Austell, Cornwall
• The Feathered Nest Country Inn, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
• The Millstone at Mellor, Blackburn, Lancashire
• The Yew Tree Inn, Tarporley, Cheshire