Downham Hall, the 5-bedroom boutique hotel in the heart of the south Essex countryside, today announces it has received two AA Awards: a 5-star accommodation award in the restaurant with rooms category and two Rosettes for its North Wing restaurant.
The awards follow recent planning permission approval for owners Andrew and Christine Metcalfe to build a brand new events space to support the hotel’s popular weddings and events space. The new space will host 150 guests and will replace the current marquee structure. Work on the new space will commence later this year.
In line with the recent awards and in response to increasing guest demand, owners the Metcalfes have also invested in new team members for its North Wing restaurant. It will now be overseen by Ben Hyde (Operations Manager) who joins from Elvedon Estates and will work alongside Christina Metcalfe. The restaurant will also be extending its opening hours to open seven days a week from September, offering classic British cuisine that showcases the finest produce from local suppliers.
Commenting on the new awards and development plans, co-owner Christina Metcalfe said, “The recent AA awards are a real testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team, who are truly committed to delivering exceptional service and experience to our guests. Recent years have been a challenge for us and the entire hospitality industry.
However, we are now looking to the future and excited to turn our development plans into reality and extend our offer to existing and new guests.”
Co-owner Andrew Metcalfe added, “We feel extremely fortunate that we have been able to invest in growing our team and F&B offer in recent times to achieve not one but two accolades from the AA. The development of the new events space is the next exciting stage of our development. Since we first purchased Downhall Hall in 2017 we have always believed in its potential and had ambitious plans to grow its offering. We are now looking forward to getting started and welcoming more guests and more awards in the future.”
