Mallory Court Hotel and Spa collected the Best Large Hotel accolade at the 2025 West Midlands Tourism Awards, which celebrates the best venues, experiences and events from across the West Midlands visitor economy.

It comes as the hotel continues to excel across the board after landing a gold certification from Green Tourism for its sustainability credentials – including recycling 100 per cent of its waste; alongside the hotel’s 90-day staff retention rate reaching 97 per cent thanks to a scientific-inspired staff welfare ‘Happy Hub’ initiative.

The hotel’s efforts to incorporate its 10 acre gardens into each customer’s stay has also proved a hit – from suggested sensory walks rose and herb gardens, to sampling home-grown produce in menus and drinks.

Four AA red star Mallory Court will now go on to the Visit England Awards for Excellence in June, where they will find out if they are national winners.

It comes as Mallory Court’s owners, Eden Hotel Collection, were also recently named the AA’s Small Hotel Group of the Year.

Josefine Blomqvist, General Manager at Mallory Court Hotel and Spa, said: “Endorsements such as these awards are vital to help our hotel to continue on its journey of growth, so we are thrilled with this latest recognition.

“Due to the economic climate, couples and families are understandably seeking a greater return for their money in the form of memorable experiences, which we do in abundance at Mallory Court, whether that is fine dining or afternoon tea, exploring our rural grounds, or indulging in a spa day at our five-bubble rated Elan Spa.

“Our biggest asset, however, is our friendly and welcoming team, and it is testament to them that we can shout about these awards as we head into a busy summer period hosting visitors both locally and from overseas.”

Mallory Court Hotel and Spa in Leamington has been recognised by Green Tourism – a certification that has been assessing travel, tourism and hospitality businesses’ approaches to sustainability for more than 27 years.

Expert assessors provide certification via bronze, silver and gold gradings, with Mallory Court becoming the only hotel in the town to land a gold certification.

Appointing “green champions” to strive for a consistent approach to sustainability was key to landing the accreditation.

This has enabled each hotel to engage in and evidence practices across wide-ranging areas such as community engagement, employee health and wellbeing, and customer experiences, through to energy usage, carbon reduction and waste management.

Mallory Court, part of Eden Hotel Collection – which has five hotels across the Midlands and South West – all of which now operate on 100% renewable energy, while their collective waste last year saw 35.5% directly recycled; with 55% converted into renewable energy and 9.5% anaerobically digested.

Josefine Blomqvist, General Manager at Mallory Court, said: “We know that sustainability is increasingly becoming a key consideration for customers when they are booking a stay – so we are delighted to be leading the way in Leamington when it comes to green credentials.

“Key activity over the past year has included hosting pupils from Myton School on what it is like to work in a hotel, through to hosting tours of our kitchen gardens for guests and even collaborating with a local vineyard to sell their products – these are just some of the practices we have adopted to land this accreditation.”

Jayne O’Malley, Group Operations Director at Eden Hotel Collection, has worked closely with each hotel and Green Tourism’s assessors to develop the organisation’s green credentials.

Jayne said: “Sustainability is much more than simply adopting environmentally friendly practices. It’s about creating a sustainable business in every sense – from our people and our local community, through to the growth of our own organisation and our supply chain.

“Some of the properties we own and operate date back as far as the 16^th century, but through our commitment to invest in sustainability, they are at the forefront of modern approaches of green hospitality, whether that is through the use of renewable energy, utilising local suppliers, or utilising on-site kitchen gardens for produce or guest experiences.

“Each of our hotels were initially graded by Green Tourism in 2023 with silver or bronze gradings – so to see each hotel making that step up one year on is testament to the commitment that our people have shown to take on board advice from the assessors to make us one of the leading hotel groups in the UK not just for a luxurious stay, but for sustainability too.”

The Green Tourism accolades follow hot on the heels of the Eden Hotel Collection being named by the AA as Small Hotel Group of the Year.

This year Mallory Court Hotel has donated a bumper hamper of goodies to thank staff at a nearby hospice for the selfless care they provide all year round.

Colleagues at Mallory Court Hotel and Spa have donated a variety of chocolates, biscuits, savoury snacks, wine and spa beauty products – as well as home-grown honey – to staff at Warwick Myton Hospice.

Mallory Court’s team have also donated £320 worth of vouchers for afternoon tea and dining in the hotel’s 3 AA rosette Dining Room restaurant for them to use to raise funds for the hospice.

Josefine Blomqvist, General Manager at Mallory Court, said: “We have supported Warwick Myton Hospice for a number of years and know what an amazing job they do at looking after those in need, along with their families.

“As many of us spend the festive season with family and friends, we know many of Myton’s staff will be dedicated to providing round the clock care, and that’s why we wanted to give something back to say thank you to the staff, while also providing them with some gifts to help them raise funds for the vital services they provide.”

Sharon Kelly, Ward Manager at Warwick Myton Hospice, added: “We are incredibly grateful to Mallory Court for their continued support. Their kind donations of hampers full of goodies over the years have been a source of joy for our hardworking staff, and we truly appreciate their thoughtfulness.

“This year, we need to raise £11 million to continue providing our services free of charge to our patients and their families. Contributions like these vouchers will make a meaningful difference, allowing us to support even more people in Coventry and Warwickshire living with life-limiting illnesses when they need us most, now and in the future.”

(Photo left to right: Josefine Blomqvist (Mallory Court Hotel and Spa); Louise Careless (Myton Hospice); Tara James (Mallory Court Hotel and Spa)

Eden – which has five hotels across the West Midlands and South West – was recognised for its consistency in quality and service delivery, and for the excellent work around its employee experience, as well as their broader efforts in tackling sustainability.

With nearly 900 guests, the AA Hospitality Awards highlight the very best in British hospitality, honouring achievements across fifteen categories – reflecting the industry’s commitment to innovation, quality and environmental responsibility.

Eden’s award win follows a year that has seen the business invest more than £3 million in venue refurbishments and colleague welfare initiatives – as well as adopting sustainability projects around food production.

This includes the recent £1.5 million refurbishment of 19 bedrooms at the four red star Mallory Court Hotel and Spa in Leamington, following the completion of £1.4 million worth of refurbishments at The Greenway Hotel and Spa in Cheltenham, which has seen a transformation of 21 bedrooms, communal areas and a new bar.

Investment has also stretched to its 500-strong workforce, including the launch of an app-based employee recognition programme called The Happy Hub, which includes activities that help to promote positive hormones – such as the ability to recognise a colleague with an e-card, an employee of the month initiative, and monetary recognitions for long service.

For guests, Eden is also commencing its “Inspired By” programme which brings to life the story of each hotel’s individual character for visitors, starting with Mallory Court whose ‘Inspired By our Gardens’ initiative sees the hotel’s workforce sharing knowledge with guests about how the hotel’s ten-acre gardens influence every aspect of the visitor experience – from dining through to décor.

The Group’s focus on growing its own produce on-site and utilising local suppliers has also continued to develop – including the introduction of a new kitchen garden at five-star Bovey Castle in Devon following the success of the kitchen garden and its tours at Mallory Court.

This complements the collection’s ability to recycle 100 per cent of its waste, with 30 per cent directly recycled, 50 per cent concerted into renewable energy, and 20 per cent processed by anaerobic digestion.

Alongside Mallory Court, The Greenway and Bovey Castle, The Eden Hotel Collection also operates the four red star Brockencote Hall Hotel in Kidderminster, and the four silver star Arden Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Mark Chambers, Managing Director at The Eden Hotel Collection, said: “The AA Hospitality Awards are the holy grail for any hospitality business, so to be recognised as the best in our field for the second time in a decade is a testament to our people and the consistent delivery of excellence across all of our hotels.

“As a business everything we do feeds into providing the highest possible quality of service – from investing in our facilities, through to helping our people to be the best versions of themselves in terms of their skillsets, but also supporting them with everyday life, too.

“Reputation and recommendations are a key tool for success for any hospitality business, so this latest award win provides a fantastic launchpad for each of our five hotels to build on the great work they are already doing in their communities to attract locals and holidaymakers alike.”

Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media, expressed his pride in the resilience and creativity shown by the UK’s hospitality sector in 2024: “This incredible celebration is a true testament to the strength and innovation within our industry. The dedication and excellence demonstrated by all the hospitality teams have been nothing short of inspiring. Congratulations to all the winners, nominees, and new Rosette holders for their remarkable contributions.”

“Our low vacancy and high retention levels underline the great culture at all of our hotels. While it is vital that we conduct regular health checks with our own people, participating in external surveys such as Best Places are equally important to understand how we compare to the wider market to ensure we remain one of the leading hospitality employers in the UK.”