Cateys 2023: Hotel of the Year – Independent: Yorebridge House

Yorebridge House wins the Hotel of the Year – Independent, sponsored by Miele

Husband and wife team David and Charlotte Reilly opened Yorebridge House 15 years ago and have steadily self-funded improvements to the business as it has grown. The hotel now boasts 12 individually designed bedrooms, five with private outdoor terraces and hot tubs, as well as a three-AA-rosette restaurant.

Much of the post-pandemic success of the business is down to the positive attitude of the owners during lockdown, who used the opportunity to renovate parts of the hotel, redesign the website and booking system and investing in 3D imagery to carry out wedding showarounds when guests weren't able to visit.

In fact, the can-do attitude of the owners inspired Visit England to ask them to take part in their Business Recovery Stories, in which Charlotte inspired many with her positivity.

The owners credit the team at Yorebridge House as being one of the reasons their guests return. Due to the rural location of the hotel, recruitment is a challenge so there is great effort on staff retention, talent management and succession planning. It works to recruit locally where possible to support the young people in the area as well as the local economy.

Meanwhile, Acorn Award-winning general manager Sophie Shotton has ensured her colleagues are well supported, implementing a flexible working policy for employees who are parents – including two housekeepers who work term time-only – and has introduced a four-day week for the kitchen team.

The performance and attitude of the team is clear from guest feedback too. Yorebridge House has recently received the Best of the Best Award from TripAdvisor, which ranks it in the top 1% of romantic hotels worldwide, and GuestRevu has enabled the hotel to collate reviews from online sources and feedback questionnaires, achieving a 98% rating.

With such great feedback it is no wonder that financial rewards have followed. The hotel achieved an occupancy of 86% last year and is on track to achieve the target of 80% this year with a year to date occupancy of 78%. Turnover has also grown year-on-year since 2009 and the hotel has managed to combat rising staff costs with re-modelling of the business including closing the restaurant on Sunday evenings and extending Sunday lunch hours.

All of this innovation and focus on customer experience has positioned the hotel to win many industry awards, including two Visit England Awards for Small Hotel of the Year and numerous customer service awards. It can now add a prized Catey to the trophy cabinet.

What the judges said

"This is the personification of a small, independent hotel, driven by the vision, passion and dedication of its owners and team. Steady progress over many years make it a worthy occupant of the winners' podium." Melvin Gold

"This hotel is run by truly dedicated individuals with hospitality coursing through their veins. Running a small hotel is never easy and every challenge has to be personally owned by those in the operation. A very worthy winner." David Morgan-Hewitt

The shortlist

• Aviator, Hampshire

• Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire

• Yorebridge House, Yorkshire

The judges

• Laurence Beere, the Queensberry hotel
• Dan Rose-Bristow, the Torridon
• Thomas Agius Ferrante, Grove of Narberth
• Melvin Gold, Melvin Gold Consulting
• David Morgan-Hewitt, The Goring
• Jonathan Raggett, Red Carnation Hotels
• Claire Randall, Eden Hotel Collection