Winners of the 2008 A.A top award for the funkiest B&B
Winners of the 2008 A.A top award for the funkiest B&B
Read the Press Release here!
Interview with Ric Hilton on VentnorBlog
Listen to the podcast on VentnorBlog
The Tourism ExSEllence Awards winners have been announced...
and we have won the best Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year!!!
Tourism Excellence Awards Website 2007
Enchanted Manor is the proud winner of the best Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year, Tourism ExSEllence Awards 2007
Tourism South East Awards
News Release - Island B&B honoured as the best in the South East!
Luxury Bed & Breakfast The Enchanted Manor on the Isle of Wight is celebrating being named the very best B&B in the entire South East in the prestigious 2007 Tourism ExSEllence Awards.
The Enchanted Manor, at St Catherine's Point, Sandrock road, Niton, is a five star Gold Award-rated B&B, originally built in 1838 and transformed in 2006 into a unique, boutique tourism business by owners Maggie and Ric Hilton.
The Tourism ExSEllence awards, sponsored by EDF Energy and organised by Tourism South East, attracted entries from a region covering Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxon, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, the Isle of Wight and Kent. Tourism businesses received awards from television presenter Jenny Powell at a glittering awards ceremony held at Wentworth Golf Club, Surrey.
Tourism South East managing director Bob Collier said: "Many congratulations to The Enchanted Manor, which is an exceptional business, committed to quality and innovation throughout all aspects of their operation. Tourism is a highly competitive global industry and requires continued investment in products and service. Businesses like this have led the way in enhancing the Isle of Wight’s tourism industry, and play an essential role in helping encouraging more domestic and international visitors to enjoy and return to the South East."
The Enchanted Manor received the B&B/Guest Accommodation of the Year having impressed judges and scored highly across all criteria. Its seven luxury suites are complemented by a lounge area, swimming pool, snooker room and more, and the innovation and quality of facilities stood out in a highly competitive awards category.
Judges said "the accommodation offers impeccable quality and spaciousness” and said "innovation is at the heart of the business.” Its sales and marketing performance was also highlighted as exceptional, and it was noted for delivering outstanding customer service: "Special arrangements and pampering are de rigeur and celebration is the theme for their short break offers. Numerous guests have thanked the owners for making their visit special."
The Enchanted Manor will represent the South East in the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence in 2008.
The Tourism ExSEllence Awards recognise excellence, quality and innovation across all sectors of the tourism industry, with 15 categories. The Awards are supported by main sponsor EDF Energy, along with VisitBritain, Sport England South East, Take One Media and the South East Food Group Partnership.
Further information and a full list of winners at: www.industry.visitsoutheastengland.com
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Pic attached:
Enchanted Manor.jpeg: l-r: Ric and Maggie Hilton from Enchanted Manor receive their Tourism ExSEllence Award from Jenny Powell.
Media contact
For further information please contact Hayley Smith at Tourism South East on:
Tel: 023 8062 5502
Email: hsmith@tourismse.com
Notes to editors:
Tourism South East is the regional tourist board for South East England, covering Berks, Bucks, Oxon, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies. We provide power to a quarter of the UK’s population via our electricity distribution networks in London, the South East and the East of England. We supply gas and electricity to over 5 million customers and generate about 5GW of energy from our coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. The company is also a key player in national infrastructure projects, including the electrical upgrading of the London Underground, management of private electricity networks serving four London airports and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the country’s first new railway in 100 years. We employ nearly 13,000 people at locations across the UK. EDF Energy is a core part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies.
Fairytale makeover for the Enchanted Manor hotel
Isle of Wight County Press
Page 16 Weekender Supp 23/03/2007
Download the Isle of Wight County Press Feature with Photos.
When Maggie Hilton first stepped over the threshold of Windcliffe Manor Hotel in Niton, she remarked on its enchanting atmosphere. Once family seat to the wealthy Kirkpatrick clan, the handsome stone manor house is set in an acre of woodland that slopes down to captivating sea views.
Latterly converted into a family-run guest-house, the hotel had seen better days by the time Maggie and her Australian husband, Ric, chanced upon it.
Having already run several successful Island establishments, including the Celebration Hotel in Shanklin, Victorian tearoom The Royal Essex Cottage and boutique retreat, Koala Cottage, in Godshill (which they built and designed from scratch), Ric and Maggie were ready to get their teeth into a new challenge and realised the manor house had great potential.
After winning the hotel at an auction last October, Maggie decided to capitalise on the magical quality that had so appealed to her and give the place a fairytale transformation.
“But we definitely didn’t want to do a Disneyland”, Ric is quick to point out. “We just wanted it to be that bit different to your usual, run of the mill, minimalist hotel,” agreed Maggie.
And so was born The Enchanted Manor.
Inspired by the glittering fantasy paintings of artist Josephine Wall, they set about turning the run-down manor house into a luxury boutique hotel — with a very special twist.
Drafting in a plumber, electrician and general builder to tackle the nuts and bolts of the renovation, Maggie and Ric have been far from hands-off themselves. As Ric got stuck into the massive task of decorating the vast rooms. Maggie spent her days sourcing Venetian glass chandeliers, commissioning stunning murals and even slipping on a pair of overalls to lay some mosaic tiling.
The couple have both worked flat out since the purchase. “Christmas was a non-event really,” admits Maggie, “but it’s worth it to see the hotel starting to take shape at last.”
A bronze unicorn in the driveway suggests the first hint of a romantic theme but as soon as guests enter the sparkling reception hall through mural-painted double doors, there is no doubting Maggie’s commitment to her dream.
Rosy-cheeked cherubs peek down from the sky-painted ceiling onto a mosaic-scattered floor, where an antique loveseat welcomes weary travellers to sit and admire the first of artist Josephine’s many vivid paintings.
Further works of art feature throughout the hotel and make evocative centerpieces above the marble fireplaces in all seven of the deluxe bedrooms.
While the spacious manor house could easily accommodate up to 20 double bedrooms, Maggie was determined not to compromise on the sense of luxury she wanted to achieve. Instead, she and Ric knocked down several partition walls to open up many of the rooms into vast suites, complete with their own lounges and en-suite bathrooms.
Enticingly named with promises such as Dreamtime, Serenity and Candlelight, each suite features a hand-carved four-poster bed and free-standing slipper bath. Opulent decor, including crushed velvet wall-coverings and silk swagged curtains, thanks to the skill of Marlene Irving and her magic with swags and drapes, add to the romantic vibe.
For technophiles, there are state-of-the-art power showers and 26-inch flat-screen televisions, with accompanying DVD players for cosy nights in.
While Maggie has waved her magic wand over each and every detail — right down to the fairy decorated light switches and rose petals scattered across the bed linen — the overall effect is of sumptuous elegance…with a sparkle.
What could easily have ended up a saccharine indulgence, is instead a uniquely luxurious experience.
But Maggie’s ambitious plans don’t stop there. She can’t wait to embark on landscaping the woodland garden and hopes to create an equally enchanting paradise in the hotel grounds — already home to badgers, red squirrels, pheasant and peacocks. And a first-class spa will soon join the existing swimming pool, to ensure guests receive a magically relaxing break from reality, in every way possible.
Download the Isle of Wight County Press double page spread PDF
By County Press Reporter - Wednesday, November 15, 2006
By Clare Wall
AN Island hotel, which is expected to open in time for next season, is to feature in the BBC programme, Homes Under the Hammer.
Enchanted Manor, formerly the Windcliffe Manor Hotel, Niton, was purchased at auction by the owners of Godshill's Koala Cottage, Ric and Maggie Hilton.
They were completely unaware the BBC show, which gives advice on how to get the most out of property auctions, was there to see them successfully bid for the Windcliffe Manor Hotel, until producers approached them.
Maggie said: "They asked us if we would mind them featuring our new hotel on their show. Normally, they focus on two or three properties in one area but when I explained what we were doing with the property they were so enthusiastic they changed all their plans. It seems we are having a special programme and it is likely to air next April, so we are delighted."
Film crews spent the day with Ric and Maggie on Thursday last week to film the property before refurbishment. They will return early next year to see the finished look.
Maggie said: "It means we now have to work around the clock to make sure it is all done for when they return. The funny thing is we did all this with Koala Cottage and when we finished that we were saying 'never again'. Six months later and here we are."
To give the hotel its new, enchanted theme, the couple have enlisted the help of artist Josephine Wall, whose mystical paintings recently featured on the website of pop princess Britney Spears.
Maggie said: "There will be paintings, murals and stained-glass windows. We are hoping to turn the surrounding forest, which forms part of the site, into an enchanted forest, which Josephine is really keen to work on.
"The aim is to make it a serene, tranquil place, not a Disneyland-style hotel. We want it to be somewhere really special for adults to come to relax."
The hotel comes with 16 bedrooms, although the plan is to reduce the number of rooms to eight luxurious double suites and two single suites.
