Staff at The Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre were overjoyed when they received official confirmation of their four star status this week. The brand new luxury hotel at Southwell Park was visited and assessed by an inspector from national tourism agency Visit Britain, as part of its National Quality Assessment Scheme. Prior to leaving the premises the inspector awarded the four star rating and congratulated the hotel for its impeccable service and attention to detail.

Accommodation Manager Stephen Parker says "This is absolutely fantastic news. The staff are thrilled. We have all worked very hard to create this wonderful hotel, and it is brilliant to see our efforts rewarded and recognised."

General Manger - Operations' Caroline Dale added "We made the decision to aim for four star grading when we first started planning the hotel two years ago. We wanted to be able to offer our corporate clients the modern, high standard of accommodation they require for their conference delegates, as well as offering general tourism customers an alternative to the accommodation already offered in the area. To have achieved our goal is particularly satisfying given the time and effort we have spent working on this."

The accreditation has been well received by the local tourist board. Weymouth Tourist Information Centre Manager Lindy Parmley explains "Weymouth and Portland now have their first four star hotel which is a fantastic achievement. The Portland Spa Hotel and Conference Centre has already built a strong relationship with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's Tourist Information Centres and has received their first booking from the TIC accommodation booking service from the Japanese Sailing Federation, Olympic Training Committee. In addition to the hotel facilities, their state-of-the-art conference and event facilities have opened up new lucrative tourism markets which will substantially benefit the local economy."

The hotel has already welcomed hundreds of guests despite only being open since November 2008 and is looking forward to a very busy first year. Bookings have already been confirmed for events throughout 2009, including weddings, conferences and banquets, with guests ranging from tourists to delegates attending multi-day events within the Conference Centre.