No 15 Great Pulteney and Paul Bayliss win Independent Hotel Awards

Carden Park's Paul Bayliss and No 15 Great Pulteney took away the top accolades at last night's Independent Hotel Awards.

Bayliss, general manager of the four-AA-star, 196-bedroom Carden Park hotel in Broxton, Chester, was named Independent Hotelier of the Year, while No 15 Great Pulteney won the Outstanding New Hotel award at a ceremony at the London Olympia following the first day of the Independent Hotel Show.

Bayliss joined the hotel last year following its £5m refurbishment, and was recently appointed chair of Cheshire's Hoteliers' Association.

"I'm absolutely amazed that I've won," he said. "This [the Olympia] was the first place I won an award as a young chef, so to get this is pretty splendid."

He was picked as the overall winner from a shortlist that included Nicholas Dickinson, owner of Congham Hall in Grimston, Norfolk; Neil and Zoe Kedward, owners of the Grove at Narberth in Pembrokeshire; Claire Randall, managing director of Lucknam Park in Colerne, Wiltshire; David and Charlotte Reilly of Yorebridge House in Bainbridge, North Yorkshire; and Justin and Charlotte Salisbury, owners of the Artist Residence group of hotels.

The 31-bedroom No 15 Great Pulteney in Bath opened in December 2016, the latest boutique hotel from the owners of the city's Abbey hotel. Quirky collections, student artwork and the contents of an entire chemist shop have resulted in a hotel that has quickly established itself as a standout design hotel.

The hotel's co-owner Ian Taylor and general manager Jonathan Walker collected the award. Walker said he was "delighted".

"This is honestly the one I wanted to win… this whole ceremony means a lot to me," he added.

Contenders for the award also included Brocco on the Park, Sheffield; Foxhill Manor, Broadway, Worcestershire; King Street Townhouse, Manchester; the Painswick, Gloucestershire; and the Pig at Combe, Gittisham, Devon.

The winners of both awards were selected from online votes cast by attendees to the Independent Hotel Show.

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Hotel design: No 15 Great Pulteney >>

Paul Bayliss appointed chair of Cheshire Hoteliers Association >>

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