Michelin hands out first Bib Hotels in UK and Ireland

Sixty-six hotels in the UK and Ireland have received the Michelin Guide's new Bib Hotel rating for offering good-value, low-end accommodation.

The new rating, based on the Bib Gourmand classification introduced in 2000, is aimed at establishments where a double room is less than £65 a night.

Michelin's head of travel publications, Derek Brown, said the classification was aimed at "nice little hotels, available at sensible prices, and with a welcome that is very much that of the proprietor".

"We wanted to pick out some of the gems in their context," said Brown. "There are currently 66 Bib Hotels, but we're always on the look out for more. We feel it makes the guide more accessible to the people who use it."

The 66 Bib Hotels featured in the latest guide are identifiable by a symbol showing the head of the Michelin man character, Bibendum, on a pillow. The number includes 27 from England, 16 from the Republic of Ireland, 15 from Scotland, five from Wales, and three from Northern Ireland.