UK Enterprise Awards 2018

62 SME NEWS / UK Enterprise Awards 2018 , “Our hotel’s mission to deliver an experience to all our guests that exceeds their expectation. It’s as simple as that. There is nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering, so we have always tried to do it the other way around. Economically speaking we recently achieved our goal of delivering over £1M in value of weddings business over a calendar year. While this has been a great achievement for the team we are not resting on our laurels; our focus is to continue to grow this area by adding further wedding related services for our clients. Jen Groves, our weddings and event manager is spearheading this growth with new initiatives. 2020) and guests attending weddings and celebrations at the hotel. The hotel’s proximity to Dover, its ferries and the channel tunnel make it a popular stop off point to and from the continent too. In recent years the hotel has benefitted from dramatically increased numbers of guests on their “staycations”. Indeed, The Blazing Donkey is a very popular base for tourists exploring the area and enjoying all that is on offer recreationally combined with some great hospitality Blazing Donkey style. Richard explains the hotel’s simple mission and how it works to achieve this. Blazing Donkey is one of very few truly independent country hotels in the county of Kent, boasting exceptional hospitality and stunning views.We invited RichardMartin to tell usmore about the establishment and how it works to ensure that every guest has a perfect stay. Best Countryside Hotel - Kent serve the areas growing demand for quality guest accommodation. Shortly thereafter The Blazing Donkey became the very first property in England to be awarded a license to host outdoor garden-style marriage facilities-an idea imported from the USA. Today, the hotel welcomes over 10,000 guests annually, hosts over 100 weddings annually and is among the most popular eateries in its area. The hotel’s clients include business travel guests during the week, golfers enjoying the wonderful links of Royal St. Georges (British Open Venue Having been under the stewardship of the Martin family since the Summer of 1988, Blazing Donkey has flourished over the years, drawing on its rich history and the expertise of its owners to create a strong reputation for excellence which allows it to attract a range of guests. The property was originally a farm labourer’s dwelling dating back to 1763. It became a pub in the 1960’s but most latterly the property was extensively developed by its current owners in late-90’s with the addition of 22 converted stable accommodation facilities to Blazing Donkey Country Hotel UKE180037