Last year the 25-bedroom country house hotel's grounds and public areas underwent £500k worth of improvement works, with the introduction of landscaped Italian gardens and fountains, the installation of a Bushman wood-fired oven, resurfaced driveway, refurbished restaurant and conservatory as well as the installation of a zip wire in the woods.
Managing director Mark Godfrey said attention this month was turning towards the refurbishment of the property's Mews Rooms as well as further renovations to the main house and updates to the grounds.
“We’re so thrilled to announce that we will be continuing to invest in this beautiful country house hotel," he said.
“Our aim is to be one of the leading hotel and wedding venues in the South West, so all of these fabulous additions will certainly help us achieve this goal, along with the dedication and passion from our top notch team.
“We’ve had an unbelievable 2013 here at the Deer Park. We were delighted to pick up Silver at the Devon Tourism Awards in the Business and Venue category but next year we’ll be going for gold.”
Staff and environment
The last year has also seen the hotel boost its employment figures, taking on another 10 members of staff from the local area, including three apprentices. It also signified its commitment to support the local economy with the renewal of its sponsorship of Honiton Cricket Club.
Environmental issues are also high on the Deer Park's agenda, said Godfrey who oversaw the installation of a new biomass boiler in October and the introduction of a new ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy. The hotel's walled garden was also restored and is now a key supplier of fresh produce for the restaurant.
“The walled garden is now producing a huge amount of fruit and vegetables from which goes straight on the menu! This year we’ve had heritage tomatoes, salad leaves, beans, herbs and an array of root vegetables. The bees have also been busy producing honey for the breakfast tables and we’ve had over 400 bottles of freshly squeezed apple juice from the Deer Park orchard," he said.
The Deer Park’s plan for next year also involves hosting a range of courses in the grounds. The first of the courses is Apple Tree Pruning in February with others in falconry, cookery, beekeeping and foraging planned.