RECOGNITION COMPLETES YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR WORLD CLASS CONVENTION RESORT

 

The Automobile Association has awarded the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales five star status. This follows a rigorous inspection of the resort’s new £100m hotel and convention centre, the largest ever private investment in the British hospitality industry.

To achieve AA five star status, the resort had to meet the highest criteria for interior design, accommodation, furnishings, food, services and customer care.

“This is a terrific endorsement of work accomplished to make the resort something special and world class,” said owner Terry Matthews, a leading telecommunications entrepreneur and resort developer. “My thanks to all involved – from the designers to the team providing attention to the every need of our guests.”

The AA also awarded the resort a quality percentage score of 77 within the five star category, which compares well with other to hotels around Britain – and, in fact, better than the scores given to the 1999-2000 Hotels of the Year for both England and Wales.

This latest accolade comes less than a year after the hotel and convention centre opened, a period that has seen the resort gain Wales Tourist Board five star status and join the prestigious marketing organisation, The Leading Hotels of the World.

Last month (June), the resort staged the inaugural Celtic Manor Wales Open Golf Tournament and was recognised by the Professionals Golfers Association as an official candidate venue for the 2009 Ryder Cup.

Meanwhile, the resort’s new Forum Health Club and Spa has been awarded the highest rating of 5 wave status by the British International Spa Association and is a finalist for the British Beauty Awards 2000 Destination Spa of the Year.

Set in 1400 acres of panoramic parkland, just 5 minutes from the Severn Bridge, the resort offers a 400 room, 32 suite luxury hotel, 1500 delegate convention centre, 40 function rooms, 4 restaurants, 2 outstanding health clubs and spa and 3 championship golf courses.

“The AA has recognised that the resort meets the highest international standards in every respect, with a rating that puts us within just a few points off the coveted 5 red stars,” said Robert Church, Resort Director. “By investing in such world class facilities, Terry Matthews has given us something of which we can all be extremely proud. This endorsement fills me with pride in my whole team, each and every one of them, and now we’re going to go for red – that’s our colour after all!”