Peak District hotel named best place to stay in Derbyshire at prestigious industry awards

In a ceremony held on Thursday, March 3 at Chesterfield’s Casa Hotel, Rafters at Riverside House Hotel, won the ‘Hotel of the Year’ award at the 2022 Derbyshire and Peak District Leisure and Tourism Awards.

The Ashford-in-the-Water hotel was opened less than a year ago, but owners Tom Lawson and Alistair Myers, the team behind Rafters Restaurant in Sheffield, have been recognised for their hard work. The team will be also representing Derbyshire on a national level at the Visit England Tourism Awards later in the year.

Tom said: “It has been a fantastic first nine months for us at Riverside House. In September 2021 we received an amazing five gold stars from the AA along with two rosettes for excellence, as well as an award for our incredible locally sourced Derbyshire breakfast.

“In December we found out we had been included in the 2022 Michelin Guide, and now to win this award for Hotel of the Year really is the icing on the cake. We have a passionate and hard-working team that strive to deliver first class hospitality daily, and this award really puts their hard work into perspective.

“We have our fingers crossed that we can go all the way and win the Visit England Hotel of the Year, and really help cement Derbyshire and the Peak District as one of the country’s top staycation destinations.”

Rafters at Riverside House also grabbed two more awards on the night. There was a bronze award for ‘Team of the Year’, and a silver award in the ‘Unsung Hero of the Year’ category for long standing head chef, John Whelan. Alistair said: “John has been at the helm of the kitchen at Riverside House for almost 25 years and has been a driving force in delivering the level of excellence expected by our guests”.

Rafters at Riverside House is a 14-Bedroom Grade II listed building near Bakewell. They have a 44-cover restaurant along with an intimate private dining room, which seats up to 16 guests. There is also a bar, lounge & garden overlooking the river Wye. Rafters at Riverside House is open to both residents and non-residents from Wednesday-Sunday.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/peak-district-tourism-champions-are-honoured-at-awards-ceremony-3600571