A CUMBRIAN hotel has been nominated for the ‘Hotel Cateys’ 2016, widely regarded as the Oscars of the hotel world. Appleby Manor Hotel & Garden Spa has been shortlisted alongside the likes of the Ritz Hotel London, which is renowned as one of the most prestigious luxury hotels on the planet.

The Hotel Cateys are now in their 10th year and are described as 'the hotel industry’s only truly independent benchmark of operational excellence'. A panel of 90 judges - selected for their expertise and industry knowledge - met for two days last week to decide the shortlist for the awards, with fierce competition from across the country.

Appleby Manor Hotel & Garden Spa has been shortlisted in the ‘Sustainable Hotel of the Year’ category and will be up against three other finalists: The Ritz London, The Oakley Court in Windsor and Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Northumberland.

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Over the past 12 months, Appleby Manor has established itself as one of the only carbon-neutral destination spas in the country and has developed a string of eco-friendly measures, including a 72 metre deep bore hole which meets all of the hotel’s water needs. 

Other environmentally friendly developments include a recently installed electric car charging point and the introduction of electric bikes for guest to hire. There is also a 200kw biomass boiler, which is thought to be saving 100 tonnes of Co2 annually, and LED lighting throughout the hotel.

Appleby Manor’s owners, Mike and Angela Dunbobbin, will find out the final result when they attend an awards ceremony at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel on November 25.

Mike Dunbobbin said: "To be nominated for the Hotel Cateys against such a high calibre of competition is fantastic and it’s a great tribute to the hard work of the entire team to make this shortlist.

"As a tourism business, we are committed to doing everything we can to protect the environment and helping to preserve this special part of the country for future generations. We’re looking forward to hearing the final result, and fingers crossed, we can add this award to our growing list of eco accolades."