Buxton guest house wins top accolade at VisitEngland awards

Griff House Award winning b&b Buxton

Martin and Kathryn Gilson of Griff House bed and breakfast in Buxton, have been awarded the prestigious VisitEngland ROSE award from the national tourist board, in recognition of their outstanding customer service to guests.

The ROSE award is presented to just 100 out of 23,000 quality assessed accommodation businesses that go the extra mile in providing excellent customer service.

The annual VisitEngland ROSE Awards are (in Recognition Of Service Excellence) designed to showcase those accommodation establishments that provide the warmest of welcome. The 100 recipients are all VisitEngland quality assessed accommodation providers and every region across the country is represented; places where the owners, managers and staff really know how to delight their customers, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation.

Nominations are triggered following the annual VisitEngland quality assessment visit and observations by the assessor, but other evidence, including online customer reviews are taken into account. The final judging panel also looks for innovation that sets the business apart. This includes facilities or services offered to make the customer’s stay really special.



The judges were impressed with guests’ comments about Griff House on review sites such as TripAdvisor and in the visitors’ book. Reviewers consistently comment about the ‘attention to detail’ including the room fridges with fresh milk and extra ‘little touches’ such as sewing kits and the boot drying service.  The judges also praised the customer service and appreciated the owners’ knowledge of the area. Martin and Kathryn are proud that their guests feel like that about the service they offer.

Photo credit: Phil Sproson Photography
Photo credit: Phil Sproson Photography

Judges commented: “Martin is the most approachable of hosts, informative and generous of his time without being intrusive. For their guests Martin and Kathryn have covered pretty much everything.”

Martin and Kathryn Gilson bought the Victorian bed and breakfast Griff House in 2011 and refurbished throughout with the guiding principle being to offer guests accommodation where they themselves would like to stay; to do so in a friendly manner whilst minimising the environmental impact. Guests like the clean modern décor and of course the breakfasts, which include Derbyshire oatcakes and the very popular home-made organic muesli and granola.

Martin said: “We love welcoming guests into our home, helping them explore beautiful Buxton and the amazing Peak District. It was a wonderful surprise to receive such a prestigious award for something we enjoy doing, it was both pleasing and a little humbling.”

Photo credit: Phil Sproson Photography

Martin and Kathryn were presented with their award at the Independent Hotel Show at Olympia, London at the end of last year.

Griff House has been TripAdvisor’s top rated Buxton bed and breakfast since April 2014 and is the only bed & breakfast in the Buxton area holding an award from Green Tourism, the world’s largest sustainable certification programme.

VisitEngland’s Head of Industry Development Pam Foden said:

“From glamping in the valleys to cosy B&Bs in the hills the sheer number of accommodation providers recognised for going the extra mile in this year’s awards demonstrates the outstanding quality of service and innovation of products on offer to visitors across the country. Providing a high level of customer service is crucial to repeat business and the spread of awards shows that the accommodation sector is thriving across the entire country.”


For more information go to griffhousebuxton.co.uk or contact Martin & Kathryn via email [email protected]

Griff House, 2 Compton Road, Buxton SK17 9DN

Tel: 01298 23628 / 07725 797640

Did You Enjoy This?

You might like our regular newsletter. We put all the best events, cultural highlights and offers from Buxton and the Peak District in your inbox every month.


This information will only be used to send you this newsletter. It is stored in Mailchimp.