Northumberland hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, near Wark, has been shortlisted for what is widely considered the Oscars of the hospitality industry – the Hotel Cateys 2024.

Battlesteads has been shortlisted for the Sustainable Hotel of the Year Award and will be going up against the best of British hospitality at the awards ceremony, held on 25 November 2024 at Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge.

The Hotel Cateys, now in their 17th year, recognise the most talented individuals, biggest brands and strongest performers in the hospitality industry. The shortlist was chosen by a panel of industry judges selected for their expertise and industry knowledge, making the Hotel Cateys the ultimate accolade in peer group recognition.

General Manager of Battlesteads Katie Meyrick, said: “The Hotel Cateys represent the best of the best in the hospitality industry, so I am absolutely thrilled that Battlesteads has been shortlisted this year. Over the past 15 years we have been striving to be the most sustainable hotel in the country, as well as championing tourism in Northumberland, and it feels fantastic to be recognised for this by the judges. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for the ceremony in November, and hoping we bring back the trophy!”

Battlesteads offers a sustainable tourism experience combining a warm Northumberland welcome, accommodation including five eco-lodges, a restaurant showcasing the best local produce and home-grown ingredients, and a Dark Sky Observatory where visitors can discover the magic of the night skies.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, we are so excited to confirm that we are fully reopening and can’t wait to welcome you back safely on 17th May!

It has been a long journey and we have missed you all so much.

As you start to think about your holiday this year, why not make it a great British summer to remember with us!

We are taking things back to a time when life was simpler, more joyful and definitely less stressful.

We’ve got all the elements you need for the most perfect holiday base, and what’s more our Battlesteads Observatory will be re opening too.

Due to the latest Government Guidelines placing Battlesteads within the highest tier, Tier 3, we are extending our closure to align with the latest rules.

Although we are upset not to be able to welcome our fabulous guests back soon, we understand the importance of supporting the health and wellbeing of the nation.

We want to thank you for your patience at this time, and if you have an upcoming reservation with us between 2nd to 14th December 2020, we will be in touch as soon as we can.

A big thanks to all of our guests, staff and the wider community for their continued support.

From all the team, best wishes, stay safe and we hope to welcome you back soon!

Dear valued guests

Following last night’s Government update, and in line with the new lockdown restrictions for England, we will once again be closing the doors here at Battlesteads from 10pm on Wednesday 4th November.

This full closure will include the hotel, restaurants and observatory and any events which were scheduled to take place during the lockdown period.

The safety of my team members and my guests has remained my number one priority throughout this whole pandemic and, whilst I am deeply saddened by last night’s news, we must all do our bit to help try and reduce the impact of this awful virus.

We are hoping to reopen from Wednesday 2nd December, in line with the Government advice and guidance.

If you have a reservation that will be affected by the new lockdown, our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible and we will continue to operate a small reservations team throughout the lockdown period.

Please note we are currently experiencing a very high number of calls and emails and priority will be placed on guests arriving from 4^th November to 1st December.

I would like to thank you all for your continued support and understanding throughout this challenging time. Myself and the team look forward to welcoming you back when we are able to reopen.

Please stay safe and take care.

With kind regards

Katie Meyrick-Scott

General Manager

Dear Guests and Customers

We hope that you have managed to stay safe and well during this extremely testing period.

There is no doubt that, over the last three months, the world has changed; as we all adapt to the new “norm”, we has been working behind the scenes in preparation for this new approach to life.

As you’re aware, we closed on Sunday 22nd March in line with the Government directive, to ensure the safety of our guests, our suppliers and our team.

During the lockdown period, we have been looking after the gardens, making improvements and planting our vegetables in readiness of inclusion on the menu.

We have also had some wonderful engagement with our #talesofbattlesteads social media campaign, which has allowed everyone to share memories of all of those special occasions at the hotel over the past months and years.

Following the latest government announcement on 23rd June 2020. We are delighted to confirm our re-opening on 4th July 2020.

Our team is hugely excited to welcome you from Saturday 4th July, we are pleased to announce that our reservations system is now open online and ready to take your bookings for overnight stays, short breaks and dinners.

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank you for all the messages of support and for your patience during this challenging time.  We are looking forward very much to welcoming you back in the very near future.

With my best personal wishes,

Katie Meyrick-Scott

To all our customers

Further to the Prime Minister’s recent announcement we have taken the sad but necessary decision to close Battlesteads at 11.00am tomorrow (Wednesday 25th March 2020) for the shortest period as possible, whilst adhering to UK Government guidelines.

We appreciate there will be people with general enquiries and ask you to get in touch via info@battlesteads.com to discuss anything further.

We want to do what we can to lighten the mood in these sombre times, so please keep in touch through our social media channels.

May I take this opportunity to thank the team at Battlesteads for their sheer determination to keep the lights on as long as possible. You are the epitome of customer service.

Stay safe, keep well and we shall be back, stronger than ever, as soon as we can.

Best Regards,

Katie Meyrick-Scott
General Manager