The inspirational Coaching Inn Group who own The Talbot in Malton, have just received a second national accolade.

It has come second in a Which? survey of the UK’s best small hotel chains.

The announcement comes shortly after the group was named the UK’s best hotel group by AA Hospitality.

Top with 80 per cent was The Brend Collection of the South West’s most luxurious hotels, restaurants, and spas

A delighted Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Charity, said the 79 per cent approval rating was an outstanding vote of confidence from guests, many of whom returned time and again.

It was also a tremendous credit to all the enthusiastic teams whose whole ethos was to offer hospitality from the heart at the group’s thirty-two hotels and inns in market towns across the country.

The Which? report said that set in period buildings in attractive market towns, or other scenic spots, the Coaching Inn’s pub hotels were a cut above.

Many had been thoughtfully restored, such as Forest Park, a gable-roofed Edwardian hotel in the New Forest with a high-end restaurant, and one guest had told Which researchers: ‘You can trust what you’re going to get – a well-stocked bar with a range of traditional ales, reliably competent cooking and a very good experience for the price. Dogs are also welcome.'