HotelClub.co.uk Announces Winners of HotelClub Awards United Kingdom 2008

London hotels excel once again as the results are announced in the second HotelClub Awards United Kingdom.

The capital city takes home two of the top three overall hotel awards, with Claridges and The Strand Palace Hotel taking top honours alongside Scottish favourite The Gleneagles Hotel.

London accommodations also win Top Family Hotel for The Royal Garden, Top Business Hotel for Hilton Trafalgar Square, and two awards for the hotels with the Top Bar and Entertainment – The Sanderson Hotel and The Landmark London.

The HotelClub Awards, presented in London by online accommodation experts HotelClub, along with Insight Guides and WAYN.com (Where Are You Now?), the top travel & lifestyle focused social networking community, followed a customer survey of 70,000 hotel consumers globally.

Paul Mulcahy, General Manager EMEA, HotelClub says "With the spotlight on London in the lead-up to 2012, it's fantastic to see the city's hotels are continuing to provide an outstanding experience for guests.

"We are operating in a challenging environment, but there is a big opportunity for hotels to appeal to the domestic market. These awards celebrate the great service and excellent facilities on offer for people not venturing so far from home this year.

"We congratulate all our winning hotel partners and thank HotelClub customers for taking the time to recognise the hotels that deliver the very best in hospitality. These awards provide valuable insight for hoteliers as they are voted for by guests," says Mulcahy.

Ireland's capital city also steps up, with The Westbury and The Merrion in Dublin both taking top honours in the Top Three Hotels in Ireland category, alongside exclusive and luxurious Ashford Castle in Cong.

The Gleneagles Hotel takes home a second nod as one of the Top Three Hotels in Scotland, with De Vere Cameron House in Glasgow and The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh sharing the limelight.

The HotelClub Hotel Awards are a 'people's choice' awards presentation. Earlier this year 70,000* consumer voters nominated more than 120,000 of their favourite hotels online at www.hotelclub.co.uk .

"This year we added the new category of Top Bar and Entertainment, as we feel this is an area that deserved to be recognised. We're constantly trying to evolve the awards to ensure we understand what our customers are looking for in a hotel," says Mulcahy.

The complete list of winners in the HotelClub Hotel Awards 2008 is as follows:

Top Three hotels in Great Britain and Ireland
• The Gleneagles Hotel - Perthshire
• Strand Palace - London
• Claridges - London

Top Three hotels in England
• Swissotel The Howard – London
• Shaftesbury Premier Paddington – London
• The Chester Grosvenor & Spa - Chester

Top Three hotels in Ireland
• The Westbury – Dublin
• The Merrion – Dublin
• Ashford Castle - Cong

Top Three hotels in Scotland
• The Gleneagles Hotel – Perthshire
• De Vere Cameron House – Glasgow
• Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa - Edinburgh

Top Hotel in Northern Ireland
• Europa - Belfast

Top Hotel in Wales
• St David's Hotel & Spa – Cardiff

Top Family Hotel
• Royal Garden - London

Top Business Hotel
• Hilton Trafalgar Square - London

Top Service hotels
• The Gleneagles Hotel – Perthshire
• Hayfield Manor – Cork County
• Swissotel The Howard - London

Top Bar and Entertainment Hotels
• Dylan Hotel – Dublin
• Sanderson Hotel – London
• The Landmark London - London

* Source: HotelClub.co.uk Global Online Consumer Survey - 'Hunt for the Best Hotels in Great Britain & Ireland' conducted between April and May 2008.