Group Hotel of the Year

Lyons Fresh Ground Coffee is pleased to sponsor the Group Hotel of the Year Catey for the fourth year running, recognising the valuable contribution made by group hotels to the industry.

At Lyons we believe we have a responsibility to improve the overall standards in the industry, both in terms of product and product delivery. That is why we are continually working with some of the industry's most forward-thinking operators to exceed their own expectations and anticipate the customer's ever-growing demand for speciality coffees.

Consistently delivering the highest quality of service and product is the key, and this was truly demonstrated by last year's winner of this award - the Travel Inn, County Hall, London, part of the Whitbread Hotel Company. This is a modern hotel satisfying the needs of a modern world at the beginning of a new millennium.

The hotel broke the mould in being London's first significant budget accommodation in a city location at competitive prices. The hotel's room rate is £59.95, which is excellent value for such a central location. Whitbread has plans to double its size to 20,000 bedrooms by 2004 and is investing £300m to achieve that aim.

Ian Pennell, operations director at Whitbread, Travel Inns, was delighted to receive his first Catey. "Winning the Group Hotel of the Year Catey has been great for staff morale in the hotel," he said. "Given that the Travel Inn is one of London's newest hotels, the award was a real accolade. We are exceedingly proud that this prestigious award has been given to a hotel at the budget end of the market." n