HOTELS in the area have been given a new mark of excellence by tyre manufacturer Michelin.

The company, known for its Michelin Guide and Michelin-starred restaurants, has extended its new Michelin Key distinction to Great Britain & Ireland.

123 hotels in the UK and Ireland have been awarded Michelin Keys by the Michelin Guide inspection team based on anonymous stays or visits.

Michelin said that the destinations ‘offer the most outstanding stays throughout the countries’.

As is the case with Michelin stars, the awarding of Michelin Keys is selective, with just 14 hotels boasting three Keys across the UK and Ireland.

37 hotels have two Michelin Keys, while 72 have one.

Hotels in the area with Michelin Keys

Hotels with three Michelin Keys

Many of the UK and Ireland’s three-Michelin-Key hotels are located in London.

However, some are located elsewhere, including Lucknam Park.

The hotel near Corsham joins an elite group of three-Michelin-Key hotels in the UK and Ireland that includes the Savoy, Claridge's and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire.

“The hotel’s 29 rooms and 13 suites, newly and massively renovated, are stuffed to the gills with atmosphere and antiques,” the Michelin Guide said of Lucknam Park.

“Though more aggressively comfortable than overweeningly opulent, there is no show of restraint in the décor.”

Hotels with two Michelin Keys

Hotels in the area that have been awarded two Michelin Keys include Thyme on the Southrop Manor Estate.

“Thyme styles itself a ‘village within a village’ - hotelier Caryn Hibbert bought Southrop Manor some two decades ago and set to work rehabilitating its various 17th-century buildings, opening first a cooking school and now a luxury boutique hotel to go along with it,” the Michelin Guide said of the venue near Lechlade.

“The old barn is now the flagship Ox Barn restaurant, while The Swan, the village pub, is a more casual option, while an old cottage has been transformed into the lavish Meadow Spa.”

Another hotel in the area with two Michelin Keys is Whatley Manor near Malmesbury.

“Whatley Manor is a picture-perfect country house hotel, one whose aesthetic may be slightly rustic owing to its Cotswolds setting but whose hospitality is polished to a high sheen,” the Michelin Guide said.

“It’s smallish, with just 23 rooms and suites, but each one is generously sized and furnished to exacting 21st-century luxury hotel standards.”

Hotels with one Michelin Key

Hotels in the area given one Michelin Key include Cowley Manor Experimental in Cowley.

The Michelin Guide said: “Even the coziest rooms in the main house are properly luxurious, with rain showers or deep soaking tubs, while the larger ones add four-poster beds, balconies, terraces or all of the above.”

Another hotel in the area which has received one Michelin Key is Thornbury Castle in Thornbury.

“There are castles, and then there are castles - Thornbury, mere minutes from Bristol, is not merely a Tudor-style castle but happens to have been visited by Heny VIII and Anne Boleyn themselves,” the Michelin Guide said.

“Today, even as it’s opened its doors to the paying public, it retains as much 16th-century gravitas as any place in England.”

Giorgia Bosetti, hotel manager, said: “At Thornbury Castle, we are thrilled to have been awarded one Michelin Key, recognising our hotel as a special and unique place to stay.

“Historically, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited for a short time.

“It is today the only Tudor castle that operates as a luxury hotel.

“We are immensely proud of this prestigious recognition as a testament to our dedication, hard work and commitment to excellence.

“The team’s passion and first-class service have made this achievement possible, and I couldn’t be more proud of each of them.

“We will continue this incredible journey, enhancing our guests’ experience and reinforcing their visit to be one of their most memorable experiences, aiming for the next Michelin Key.”

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said: “Featuring no fewer than 123 outstanding hotels, this selection is an invitation to explore the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, visit their historically-rich cities, relax in their charming countryside and scenic landscapes and enjoy, for a few nights, a timeless lifestyle in century-old castles and manor houses.

“From boutique hotels or flagship luxury properties located in eclectic London to country houses nestled in dramatic Irish countryside, and from stunning Scottish manor houses to tranquil Welsh retreats, every hotel awarded one, two or three Michelin Keys is a gem sculpted by talented professionals.”