A Look Inside Great British & Irish Hotels 2025/2026

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What to expect from the new edition, out now

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Which are the hottest hotels in Britain and Ireland right now? Where should we be holidaying this summer? And which trends are dominating the travel landscape in 2025? Find out all this and more in our sparkling new edition of Great British & Irish Hotels, which is back for another year.

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Great British & Irish Hotels 2025/2026: Sneak Peek

What’s In The Issue?

Fiona Duncan gives us a whistlestop tour of the new issue in her editor’s letter, below.

‘At Country & Town House, we strive to promote “a life in balance” and we hope that our selection of hotels and private houses, from city temples of luxury and gastronomy to simple inns in beautiful countryside reflects this too. Our emphasis on the overwhelming importance of sustainability is once again centre stage with our third C&TH x Polestar’s UK & Irish Sustainable Hotel of the Year Awards, which have branched out to include awards for food, wellness, architecture and the outdoors. You’ll find out who wins soon – but not until our July/August issue.

‘Other features make a terrific splash. In the case of Nick Hendry’s, it’s a dram of whisky: forget distillery tours, now there’s a raft of grand houses in which you can stay and taste (p26). My own feature unlocks the Michelin Keys being handed out to favoured hotels by that vaunted guide, now in its 125th year (p14). Whether they’ve won a key or not, some hotels are sexy and others just aren’t. Olivia Petter dissects what it takes (p28), while Lucinda Baring grills the UK’s top travel editors on their favourite British stays (p18).

‘Elsewhere, Gillian Rhys looks at how Asian hotel brands are raising the bar in British and Irish luxury hospitality. Think London’s Peninsula, Raffles at the OWO and Mandarin Oriental, Scotland’s Gleneagles, the Cotswolds’ Estelle Manor, even Anantara the Marker Dublin: they are all stamped with oriental excellence (p30). Finally, bringing us back to our theme of ‘a life in balance’, C&TH’s travel editor-at-large Francisca Kellett says it like it is: Britain is leading the way in hotels that revel in nature (p22).

‘We also include, as ever, useful lists – of stargazing spots (p132), vineyards to visit (p42) and more – that might lure you to a particular region for your much needed break. I do hope you enjoy this 12th edition of our guide as much as we have creating it.’