The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is honored to have two of the jewels in its collection awarded number one in their regions in the 25th anniversary Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. Ashford Castle was named ‘No. 1 Resort Hotel in the United Kingdom and Ireland’ and The Oyster Box, Durban’s most beloved hotel, hit the No. 1 spot in the ‘Top Resort Hotels in Africa’ category.
Furthermore, Red Carnation Hotels was listed as number four in the ‘Top 25 Hotel Brands in the World’ and London’s illustrious Milestone Hotel & Residences in Kensington was also listed as number three in the ‘Top London City Hotel’ category.
The Oyster Box and the Milestone Hotels & Residences were also listed among the ‘Top 100 Hotels in the World’ category.
The awards, voted for by readers of Travel + Leisure, judge hotels on a variety of characteristics including their rooms and facilities, location, service, food and value. With excellence at the heart of everything the collection does, Red Carnation and its individual properties have always scored highly in the awards, year on year. The hotels are landmarks of history and tradition, each lovingly and individually designed with an abundance of original art, antiques and handcrafted furniture. Generous hospitality, passionate staff and world-class dining are also the hallmarks of every stay at Red Carnation. Under the direction of President & Founder, Mrs Beatrice Tollman, the collection also works tirelessly to deliver sustainable luxuryand to protect the natural and cultural heritage in each location of its 20 properties around the world.
Ashford Castle is exceptional in every sense. The remarkable, 800-year old property is widely recognized as Ireland’s top castle destination and was once home to the Guinness family. Set in 350 acres of woodland on the shores of Lough Corrib in County Mayo, the multi award-winning hotel offers exquisite interiors with unique artwork and sumptuous fabrics adorning each of its 83 individually designed rooms. Guests can enjoy extraordinary dining experiences, myriad estate activities including Ireland’s first School of Falconry, an indoor cinema and a state-of-the-art spa.
With all the charm of a bygone era, Durban’s 86-room Oyster Box is the epitome of modern elegance and comfort. Considered a national treasure, South Africa’s most cherished hotel stands majestically on Umhlanga’s beachfront, overlooking the Indian Ocean and the iconic Umhlanga lighthouse. Renowned for exceptional cuisine and the hottest spots in town for sundowners, the hotel’s facilities also include an award-winning Spa, two swimming pools and a 24-seater movie theatre.
The Milestone Hotel & Residences has an enviable location in London’s royal borough, opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens, and just a short stroll from the Royal Albert Hall and many of the city’s finest museums. This elegant and historic hotel blends old world charm, beautiful and rich furnishings and exquisite original artworks with outstanding cuisine, an unmissable afternoon tea and an experienced and passionate team who truly embody the Red Carnation philosophy: “no request is too large, no detail is too small”.
Jonathan Raggett, Managing Director of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, said:
“We are incredibly honored to have been recognized in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards again this year. Our teams work tirelessly to deliver unsurpassed guest experiences every day and these accolades are testament to their hard work and dedication, and to the vision of our President & Founder, Mrs Tollman, whose lifelong pursuit of excellence and passion for hospitality is the life blood of Red Carnation Hotels. To see Ashford Castle and The Oyster Box top the lists in their respective categories and to have the wider collection so highly rated within the top hotel brands in the world makes each and every one of us extremely proud, and I would like to thank Travel + Leisure’s readers for all of their support.”
In further success for the TTC family of brands, Red Carnation Hotels’ sister companies Uniworld and U by Uniworld this year took home the second and third spots in the top river cruise category, while African Travel was number nine of the ‘Top Safari Outfitters’.
For more information about Red Carnation Hotels please visit www.redcarnationhotels.com. For details about Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards please visit www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest