Bradley and Gill Walker

After winning TripAdvisor’s ‘Best Small Hotel’ in Europe and the UK, The Tavistock House Hotel is one of Tavistock’s newest gems. Nichola really didn’t need much persuasion to go and visit it and see what it takes to win such an accolade.

Born in Altringham, Cheshire into a family of hoteliers Bradley Walker was part of the hotel household from a young age, learning the craft of hospitality. The hotel was a large, 50-bed, high quality hotel with three function rooms and Bradley says the experience of working in all of the departments, from the kitchens to the laundry, was hard work but great fun. Gill worked in the hotel as reception manager and the two became friends, marrying five years later.

Bradley studied for a degree in hospitality management in Manchester, and his dissertation featured a new category of hotel – the ‘town house hotel’; from that point his interest in this niche, smaller, more intimate establishment was piqued. Bradley went on to work in a variety of hotels both large and small, and he was also involved in training companies to deliver the best hospitality. However, it was always his aim to open his own place, on which he could stamp his own values.

Bradley’s brother Tony, moved to Tavistock ten years ago and opened Rockmount Bed and Breakfast. Whilst visiting his brother, Bradley fell in love with Devon and thought it was a great place to start a business and raise their daughter Lauren. In 2014, 50 Plymouth Road was purchased with family investment and was soon destined to become the Tavistock House Hotel, a Grade 2 listed town house built by the Duke of Bedford. Previously the building had been a student house, the Chinese language school owned by Mount Kelly and it was in need of some tender loving care.

After 12 months of intensive refurbishment and redecoration, most of which was carried out by Bradley and Gill, they opened the hotel in April 2015. The couple enjoyed the process of choosing colour palettes for paintwork, fabrics, and furnishings and the final effect is crisp and contemporary, with a nod to the glamour of hotels of the past. Each of the six rooms has been individually designed with superior facilities and well-appointed furniture, but Bradley says that it is hospitality that is key and the couple pride themselves on their warm welcome.

After three years of hard work they were delighted to be rewarded with TripAdvisor’s top accolade – ‘Best Small Hotel’ not just in the UK but also Europe, as well as second best in the world! They also won in the category of ‘Most Romantic Hotel’ too. Bradley explained that the award is all the more special because it is judged directly from TripAdvisor’s website reviews on all aspects of the hotel’s feedback from food and service to cleanliness, with the hotel regularly receiving entries such as ‘Fantastic hotel!’ and ‘Excellent place to stay’.

Bradley and Gill are rightly proud of their achievement and their record of excellent hospitality. However, it seems there is no room for complacency as Bradley says there is always something to do in the hotel, some small detail that can be improved with a polish or a touch of paint, so I doubt we’ll see them out very often, but the welcome indoors will be second to none.

Nichola Williams

For more information visit www.tavistockhousehotel.co.uk or contact info@tavistockhousehotel.co.uk, 01822 481627 or 07769 737374.