The Apartment, Bath - a young, independent tourism business in the city - is celebrating having just been crowned Self Catering Accommodation of the Year at the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards 2020/21.
The annual awards - which this year took place online on Thursday 18 March 2021 - recognise excellence and innovation in tourism and hospitality across the region and follows a rigorous judging process including mystery shoppers, interviews and a range of judges' assessments and analysis of customer reviews.
Speaking after receiving the top award for self-catering, owner and manager of The Apartment, Bath and local resident for nearly 20 years, Adam Powell said:
"We're so proud to have won this award, in particular after such a difficult year for the tourism industry, communities and businesses in general. It's testament to the work we've put in over the last year to provide guests' with a high quality and memorable stay in the city - even amidst a global pandemic. It rewards the on-demand 'concierge-style' service we love providing for our guests and we can't wait to welcome guests back to Bath from next month.
He added:
"We'd like to thank all of the 800+ guests who have enjoyed their time at The Apartment, Bath since we opened in November 2017, as well as our friends and partners in Widcombe and across the city who have supported us on our journey. Special thanks must also to our amazing support team giving guests a clean, safe and secure welcome every single stay."
The Self Catering Accommodation of the Year accolade comes only a year after winning the Gold New Tourism Business of the Year award at the same event in 2019/20.
Kathryn Davis, Interim CEO of Visit Bath, said: "This has been an exceptional year for all the wrong reasons, but the resilience and innovation demonstrated by businesses shows how incredible this industry is. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate success in this way and we wish every business well for the future.”
The awards were presented by Giles Adams and Somerset-based awards organiser Nell Barrington who said: “I was humbled to hear the stories from these just amazing businesses overcoming adversity and to see their excitement about welcoming back visitors. It has given me a bucket list of places to visit this year and I look forward to the time when I can celebrate with them all in person. Congratulations to them all."
Giles Adams, Chair of Visit Somerset, added: “The awards have once again showcased our entire industry as one of talent, quality and endeavour. Let’s look forward to taking back tourism this season, giving our visitors brilliant experiences and memories so that they will be our clients and friends long into the future.”
This year's Bristol, Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards 2020/21 are generously sponsored by Clockwork Marketing and the Self Catering Accommodation of the Year category is kindly sponsored by Quality in Tourism. A full list of winners has now been published online.
The Apartment, Bath is proud to be an Ambassador for the Great West Way, and member of Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC), Bath Area Self Catering Association (BASCA) and Bath Independent Hospitality Association (BIHA) who have recently announced an innovative new partnership with Visit Somerset.
As winners, we're now put forward to this year's South West England Tourism Excellence Awards 2020/21, the shortlist for which is due to be announced soon. Wish us luck!